RWBY's Bizarre Adventure: Remnant Roses
by LightningLink
Summary: We were just normal kids. Or as normal as Huntsmen could be. But when the Arrow showed up in our lives, the students of Beacon started seeing just how bizarre our lives can get. And team RWBY? We're caught in the middle of it all. A JoJo x RWBY crossover where the world of Remnant gains Stand powers.
1. Arrow and Roses

**A/N: Hey, everybody! Welcome to the first chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure! This is the first fic I decided to post on FF . net, and I'm excited to see what will happen!**

 **There are some things I should put out there before we start.**

 **This is mainly going to be a RWBY fic with JoJo elements. I don't intend on bringing any of the JoJo characters into this story.**

 **The story diverges from the canon storyline at V2E7. It will not follow the main storyline from then on.**

 **A major part of JoJo is the callousness when it comes to violence. Araki doesn't shy away from body horror or maiming in his work, and I will treat this story the same way. Characters are going to get hurt, and bad. If that doesn't appeal to you, I recommend not reading this.**

 **Finally, there will be times when I write about serious topics. I'll put disclaimers as I go, but I want to put that out there.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, on to the main story!**

 ** _RWBY and JoJo are not creations of my own. RWBY is made by Monty Oum and the guys at Roosterteeth. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is written by Hirohiko Araki._**

* * *

I wiped the brow of my forehead. No matter the time of day, the forge remained sweltering hot. The heated air made this place uncomfortable to work in. Taking off my hoodie didn't help with the heat. My black t-shirt stuck to my chest, drenched in sweat.

The brick walls were covered with layers and layers of soot, the material staining the structure black. There were no windows inviting light in, casting everything in a shadow. Old-fashioned tools rested on hooks spanning the side of a wall. Only the burning coals provided a soft glow to illuminate the ancient room.

My fingers grasped around a hammer as I looked down on the shield that lay before me. The steel heirloom had seen better days, containing several bumps and scratches from today's spar. It laid on a dirty planishing stake. I sighed. It wasn't something I liked to do, but considering that the parts of Crocea Mors were one of a kind, an Arc like me should be able to fix up the weapon.

With a grunt, I went to work, swinging the mallet over and over. Each hit made a satisfying clang against the tried and true steel of the shield. I watched as the dents were smoothed away, like brushing away the wrinkles when making a bed.

After what felt like three minutes, I tossed the hammer to the side. The shield moved up to my eye level as I inspected the weapon. Not a single dip or hill that I could see on the steel guard. It's impressive to see how quickly I can repair my shield. Only a few firm hits to fix the warping now, compared to the half hour it took when I started at Beacon.

Maybe that's a testament to my skills; being able to fight better does mean less unnecessary blows to tank up. Pyrrha would be proud.

"Hey, Jaune! You got to look at this! I've been flipping through Hunter's Weapons Monthly, and I want some advice on how to upgrade my Crescent Rose!" I grinned. Ruby Rose, fellow team leader and overall best friend. Also, huge weapons geek. She sat across from my station flipping through a magazine. Her gun scythe sat on a workbench dismantled, every piece exposed to the hot air inside the forge.

"Yeah, what do you have in mind?" I asked, walking over to her station. The young girl didn't wear her usual combat dress, instead favoring a tank top and gray sweatpants. Likely for the same reason I took off my hoodie; the unbearable heat of the room.

She looked up as I approached, a huge grin on her face. "Now in the new issue, they talked about the tests on gun barrels made out of the new type of dust steel alloys. Flipping through the article, I was thinking about switching to that type, since the tests talk about the increased effective firing range."

She sighed. "However, this particular alloy happens to be more brittle than the one I'm using right now, which would suck because I have to replace the barrel more often!" Ruby showed me the article. The engineering mumbo jumbo flew over my head as I glanced over it.

I nodded as if I read through the page. "Okay… So, what do want my opinion on?"

"Well, what do you think? Should I switch?"

"Hmm… I've always been more about reliability over performance. I don't use a gun, but if I did, I would want one that fired no matter what." My shoulders went up in a shrug. "I mean, It would suck for me if I tried to fire a round and the barrel broke."

Ruby stayed silent for a moment, thinking about what I said to her. "Hey, that's a great point! Thanks, Jaune!" She tossed the magazine onto the table. "Gonna cancel that order then!"

A chuckle left my mouth as she zoomed off somewhere, leaving nothing but rose petals behind. Ruby's like one of my younger siblings, always excited and full of energy. I bet they couldn't stay still even if their lives depended on it.

I started heading back to my station when some movement caught my eye. I turned towards the open lane Ruby left through earlier. If I focused hard enough, I can make out something small moving. Its shadow flickered in the dim light. Eh, probably a small rodent or something like that. Nothing to be worried about.

I felt the rush of wind hit me as Ruby came rushing at me. "Hey Jaune I'm back- waulgh!" The girl tripped and faceplanted. I winced as I heard the sound of bones cracking. Even though she has Aura that could fix the wound within seconds, the sound still sends shivers down my back. Memories of me falling off a bicycle appeared in my mind. That wasn't a fun experience then, and especially not now.

I rushed over to her side. "Oh my gods! Ruby, you okay there?"

She raised a thumbs up, face still planted on the ground. "I'm okay!" her muffled voice reported. "I just tripped and fell! Nothing Aura can't fix!" Ruby pushed herself into a seated position. She's right. Her face looked pristine, as if she never fell on the floor.

"Okay that's goo-" I stopped as I stared at her right ankle. There was what looked to be a scratch. It cut deep, enough for blood to run down. But that's not possible! She still has Aura! "Ruby," I started. My finger pointed towards her feet. "Your ankle."

"Huh?" She leaned over to see the wound, before paling up at the sight. Her index finger ran over the wound. Ruby brought it up to her face, rubbing the blood between her fingers. Silver eyes widened at an impossible sight. "Wha?"

My eyes followed the trail of rose petals as I looked for the culprit of her wound. They landed on the tip of an arrow that stuck out into the walkway. The arrow must've been tucked behind a workbench by a forgetful student. The arrowhead had an unusual design, with the edges following a more curly pattern. It had no center, being hollowed out. The brass-colored arrow glowed in the light of burning coals. What an intricate arrow. Who would leave it here?

Before I could will my legs to move, a tiny black humanoid hand grasped the arrowhead. What was that? It came from behind the workbench. The hand lifted it up into the air, letting it hover for a couple of seconds, before yanking it out of sight.

I sprinted towards the station the second it disappeared from sight, much to Ruby's displeasure as I stumbled over her legs. My stride became wobbly as I tried to run towards the arrowhead.

My friend called out from behind: "Jaune, what's going on?"

"Ruby, there was an arrow in your path." My hands grabbed onto something solid, stabilizing me. "You must've cut your ankle on it. But someone's taken it, and I got to see-"

I rounded the corner only to stop in my tracks. It's gone! The creature thing is gone! "No, no," I moaned, dropping to the ground. Did I miss it? My fingers fumbled around only to feel nothing. I yanked my scroll out and switched on the flashlight function. A bright white beam cut through the darkness. Did it not exist? No, it had to. There's a couple drops of blood here. But where's the creature? "Oh man, Yang's going to kill me if she finds out!"

"No, Yang won't." Ruby limped over to my position. "Don't panic, Jaune. It's only a small scratch. I already put a band-aid over it. And yeah, it's weird that my Aura won't heal the scratch. So I'll just wait it out the old fashioned way!"

"I have no idea how you could stay this calm," I stated, moving the beam of light around. "You cut yourself on an arrow that could pierce through Aura! Even it is a small scratch, a weapon like that is dangerous to have sitting around. What if someone steps on it, or somebody picks it up and-"

I felt a slender hand land on my shoulder. "Jaune, whatever it is, it's gone now. Besides, the period is almost over. Let's pack up and get back in uniform before the bell rings."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I stood back up. "No point worrying about it now. Let's go."

As we walked out of the room, she started up a conversation about Crocea Mors getting a gun upgrade. Although I did take part in the conversation, my mind wandered back to the creature. What creature would do this? To go around and scratch others with an arrow?

What a bizarre creature.

* * *

I leaned my head into my outstretched hands, sighing the sigh of boredom as I fiddled around with my favorite cape. My eyes stared at the blackboards full of papers, drawings, and diagrams, placed without any care in the world. Professor Oobleck, the teacher heading the class, ran across the stage as he fired off so many details and notes. Nobody can keep up with him, except for my brilliant partner.

A pang of pain rushed through my leg. I winced, leaning down and pulling at my stocking. The cut was still there. I rubbed the wound on my ankle, trying to soothe the aching. Maybe it was worse than I thought.

But I don't want to get the rest of the team to worry about me. I glanced up at the rest of my teammates. Weiss paid attention to Oobleck's ramble, as usual. Even after living with her for over a semester, I still can't figure out how she can keep up with Oobleck. Granted, I think I asked her before, but I must've forgotten how.

Blake on the other hand tuned out the lesson entirely, currently engrossed in her novel. Her amber eyes traveled across the page as she imagined the story in her head. I tried to hold back laughter. She thinks we don't know about her favored genre. Oh, Blake, you don't even know the half of it. We all know. Even JNPR, although that was an accident, I swear!

And Yang, well, she's giving me an unusual look. My half sister has been staring at me for some time. Did she figure out what's going on? She glanced at Oobleck's, making sure he isn't looking in our direction before leaning towards me. The blonde cupped her hands as to prevent anybody else from listening in, although Blake would probably still hear. Yang is right in front of our resident faunus.

"Ruby? Is there something wrong?" Blake's bow twitched at the question. Yang has always been protective of me. I mean, I understand why, but it sometimes feels smothering. I mean, there's nothing wrong! "You've been leaning down and rubbing your ankle for a while now."

"Yang, I'm just scratching myself," I whispered back. "Something about the uniform is just making me itchy."

"Okay." My big sister leaned back to her seat, but she still kept a lilac eye my way. I wish I can tell her about the wound, but she would probably blow it out of proportion. I mean, it's just a cut! It's not even an inch long!

Another wave of pain hit me, this time in the form of a headache. I bit my lip, trying to keep any sound from escaping my lips. If I say anything, Yang is definitely going to find out! My head placed itself on the loose sheets of paper that were my notes. My eyes peered at the clock in front of the room. Half an hour until class ends?!

Okay, Ruby, take it easy. I can make it through this. My headache isn't even that bad anymore, I can feel it going away right now. Remnant History is the last class of the day, I'll just get some painkillers once I'm done. Just focus on the ramblings of Oobleck. My focus switched between the hyperactive teacher and the clock, watching the minute hand creep closer and closer to the end of the period. Maybe I can make it. My brain lit on fire after I made that thought.

I winced as my headache came back with a vengeance. My teeth gnashed as I slumped even further into the wooden desk. The pain, it's so unbearable! My muscles feel so weak, I can't push myself back up into a seating position. All I can do is slump over on my desk as I weathered through the pain.

Yang was at my side in a manner of moments. A groan must've escaped my mouth. Within moments, she placed her hand on my forehead, before recoiling. She rubbed the sides of my neck, checking for any swelling.

"Professor!" she screamed to the classroom. I managed to focus my thoughts long enough to see the students turn to look at us. Jaune in particular looked concerned. His arms tensed on his desk as his fingers wrapped around the edge of his desk. I watched his Adam's apple quiver as if he wanted to stand up and say something to the class.

The green haired spaz stopped lecturing to look at the blonde. "It's Doctor, but what is it Ms. Xiao-Long?"

"I need to get Ruby to the nurse's office! She looks like she's sick!"

"Hmm." The doctor zipped over to me and Yang. He inspected my groaning body. "Excellent observation, Ms. Xiao-Long! Ms. Rose doesn't look too well. Maybe a bad lunch? Whatever the case is, you may leave the class with her. I'm sure that Ms. Schnee can provide you two with the notes for today." He nodded towards the studious girl before looking back at me. "Do get well soon!"

With that, Yang lifted my still in pain body onto her back and dragged me out from my seat. Despite the gibberish that was my protests, she made her way towards the exit. I can feel several eyes gaze at my sister and I. As she slipped out, she forced me to wrap my arms around her neck, before lifting me up onto her back.

Once she closed the classroom door, Yang started muttering to herself. I couldn't tell what she's saying, though. I can't hear her through my raging headache. I glanced at the hallway. Was it always his big? It felt like it extended forever off into the distance. And why was there a bright light at the end of it? Like a ray of sunshine chose to shine through on this cloudy day.

Was there someone on the end of it? I squinted. Something was on the other side. It looked like a hooded figure stood at the end of it, their cape flowing to my right. Even though I could feel the breeze hit my right cheek first. As Yang walked closer, I noticed how the cloak was white. Just like-

The figure burst away into hundreds of little pieces, flying into the air. What followed next was the worst pain I felt in my life. I screamed as my muscles spazzed out, releasing my grip on Yang's neck in the process. Gravity took over as I slipped away, landing on the concrete ground with a thump. The girl swarmed over me in an instant, her mouth making motions like she was trying to say something. But I can't hear a single word. My vision blurred. Am I going to die? I don't wanna die.

I tried moving my arm, only for the pain to continue its torment. All I can see now is a yellow figure shaking me. I can't go yet, I still need to be a Huntress. Team RWBY, what are they going to do without their leader? My vision cleared to the sight of a single ray of sun pouring down onto my face. A pale brunette woman with red highlights smiled from the clouds. The sight brought a smile to my face. Hi mom. I'm coming to see you again.

* * *

Everybody stayed silent after Ruby and Yang left the room. I sighed, combing my dirty blonde hair back. From the corner of my eye, I saw Pyrrha shifting in her seat uncomfortably.

"You're concerned about Ruby, Jaune?" my partner asked. Her emerald green eyes had a hint of concern for the young leader. I let out an audible sigh.

"Yeah, you can say that." I knew there was something wrong with that arrow! Maybe it was covered in something poisonous! I should've looked harder for it! "She was fine earlier when I was in the forge with her. Something's wrong with this."

As if on cue, a high pitched yell shook everybody in the class. Ruby. I shot up from my seat, as did the rest of RWBY and JNPR as we made our way towards the door.

"As much as you're concerned about the condition of your friend. " Oobleck zipped up towards us. "There's no need to disrupt class. The two girls can surely handle-"

We all ignored his pleas, slamming the door open. "Yang!" the heiress called out. "Is everything okay?"

"Over here! Come quickly!" All of us including Oobleck rushed towards the sound of her voice. Ruby couldn't be it that bad of a condition, she must've fainted or somethi-

I stopped in my tracks. Yang knelt over the prone girl, shaking her shoulders over and over. Tears ran down her face as she tried in vain to rouse her sister. The blonde looked like a mess.

But not nearly as bad as Ruby. Her pale skin was even paler than usual. Those silver eyes shared a vacant look, not registering a single thing that's going on. Her face contorted and froze into an image of terror. My eyes turned towards her wound, despite my uneasiness. Her right stocking reddened as the liquid soaked into the fabric. She must be getting worse.

Pyrrha placed a hand over her mouth in horror as she looked over my shoulder. Weiss stopped in place, too shocked to move. The rest of the group reacted similarly, muttering sounds of disbelief. I cursed myself. Why didn't I tell somebody about the injury earlier? I remembered why: there's no way to prove that it actually happened. The arrow's gone, I don't have any images of the creature. People would think I'm lying, or maybe delusional in grief! They won't believe me!

Oobleck was at the girl's side before anybody realized it. He hummed in contemplation as he looked over his student. "Ms. Xiao-Long, if you don't mind, can you take off that stocking?" The blonde girl nodded, staring blankly into nowhere. Without a single protest, she pulled the article of clothing away from her sister's foot, exposing the wound underneath.

I clamped my hand over my face as the unbearable stench overwhelmed me. My stomach was ready to hurl. Underneath the stocking, the cut festered as it spilled out pus. The flesh around her ankle glowed red in anger as if they were fighting an infection. I swore that her skin peeled in the shape of flower petals, or like the scales of a snake. Someone rubbed the base of my neck, trying to comfort me. Pyrrha, most likely.

The doctor himself didn't look fazed. "Mr. Lie, listen to me real carefully." The dark-haired boy nodded as he stepped forward. Oobleck had his fingers under Ruby's neck, checking for a pulse. "Run as fast as possible to the nurse's office and ask for Professor Peach. Tell her that we need stretchers and volunteers sent to my classroom. If she asks, tell her it's a major infection, immediate care needed. We need to get medical care from a medical doctor right now!" With a firm nod, he went off on his way. He looked over at the rest of us.

"Everyone else, aside from Ms. Xiao-Long, stand back." None of us tried to argue, doing as he asked. "One by one, you will all tell me when was the last time you saw Ms. Rose, where, and her condition at the time. The fact that there's a disease that can affect Aura users is disturbing, to say the least, and Peach will want to learn where the source is."

"The last time team RWBY saw her was after Port's class," Weiss reported. "She seemed normal."

Pyrrha stepped forwards. "Team JNPR saw her last in the morning during breakfast. Ruby didn't seem to have any problems."

"That doesn't paint as good as a picture as I'd hope." Oobleck pushed his glasses up and hummed. I felt my fist clench. "Try narrowing it down. One of you have to remember-"

"I was with Ruby in the forges, right before your class," I interrupted. No! Me and my stupid mouth! Everybody turned to look at me. They won't believe me! Should I lie? I swallowed. "... I remember her complaining about a small cut, but I thought she accidentally sliced one of her fingertips or something, considering she works with Crescent Rose. But I guess something caught her ankle and cut her." It's for the best. They can't find the arrow or the creature anyways. This was the next best step.

"Thank you, Mr. Arc." The professor got back up to his feet. "That might help us figure out what's going on. Anybody else?" No one said anything. "That might be our best lead at the moment," he murmured.

"Everybody make way!" Professor Peach walked into the crowd, followed closely by two assistants carrying a stretcher and Ren. The dark skinned nurse wore blue tight fitting medical scrubs with a white lab jacket over them. The jacket remained unbuttoned. "I need to assess the damage. Where's the patient?"

"Right here, Peach." Oobleck gestured to the brunette on the ground. He corralled away the rest of the students as he guided the catatonic Yang back. "Everybody, back away from Ms. Rose! Let the professionals do their work!"

Peach strapped some surgical gloves on her hands before leaning down. "Oobleck, give me the situation."

"I sent the girl down to your office for a headache when she collapsed here." The tone of his voice was slower, more serious. I've never heard him like this before. "Ms. Rose still has a pulse, although her condition isn't too good. The infection came from a cut, most likely from something in the forges. The disease worked fast, within twenty to thirty minutes since the initial wound."

"Hmm, that doesn't sound like any disease that I've ever heard of." With a q-tip, she scooped up a generous dollop of the white milky fluid and sealed it in a bag. "Reggie, take the pus sample and get it analyzed! If we don't know what she's infected with, we can't do anything!" The assistant nodded, snatching the sample before running back to the office. "Lye, ready the stretcher! The second I get this wound cleaned up, we're getting her to some care!"

As she made that declaration, Professor Peach started wiping away the disgusting pus. "Now to see the severity of the-" She paused for a moment before making a confused hum. "Oobleck, you said that there was a cut, right?"

"Roughly an inch long on the ankle. I saw it, the group saw it." Oobleck stepped towards his peer. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Her Aura must've healed it, because it's gone." She revealed the limb to the rest of the group. Peach is right! The cut's not there! The ankle still looks worse for the wear, but it's like the cut never happened. "The disease must've delayed her Aura response somehow. Still impossible with what we know about diseases, but it might be a new strain we haven't heard if before. Just in case, we're still bringing her under watch. The last thing we need to find out is that the disease is contagious."

"Which means anybody who's touched her right now is going into quarantine. So…" She glanced through the crowd, figuring out who was closest. "... Ms. Xiao-Long, Oobleck, you two were closest, you must come with me. Did anybody else touch her?" The rest of RWBYJNPR shook their heads. "Good. Take a vitamin kiddos, get your immune system boosted. You don't want to get sick, do you?" The nurse chuckled to herself. "But enough from me. Let's get this girl out of here."

I sighed as I watched Ruby be carried to the nurse's office. Was what I did right? Is she going to be okay? The rest of my team stood behind me as I thought about the events that led to this. I've told another lie. One more lie that my whole life rests on. Before, my lies were for my own benefit. I wanted to be a hero, and built a house of cards to fulfill that dream. This is another one? Something that will haunt me for the rest of my life? I prayed to whatever higher being out there it isn't so.

* * *

The first thing that I remember seeing is a whirl of white. Was this it? Am I in heaven? It seemed really gloomy for the afterlife. I stretched my hand towards the light, only to feel tiny needles stinging me. My arm drew back to see little snowflakes melt away on my skin. The tips of my fingers grew warm and red in the weather. My head pulled up as I glanced at my ankle. It was like it was never cut.

I can't be dead. This place feels so real. I pushed against the ground, only to find the chill of the snow bite into my uncovered hands. Bits of the fluffy white powder slid down my short brunette hair as I sat up. I know that I'm not dead, so where am I?

My body shivered as I got up to my feet. I looked down to see myself in the tank top and sweatpants outfit I wore back in the forges. No wonder I'm cold, I didn't cover myself up! I rubbed my bare arms, shivering as I walked through the freezing snow.

"Hello?" I called out. Nothing answered back. My chest started rising and lowering faster and faster. Maybe I am dead, and this is hell. No one to talk to, nothing to do, just walk through a snowy plain without any winter clothes. What did I do to deserve this?

As I occupied myself in these thoughts, I heard something playing. Something soft and soothing, like an old lullaby long forgotten. I perked up. Maybe there is someone here, and they can tell me what's going on! My footsteps quickened as I followed the sound. "Hello? I'm lost! Can you tell me where I am?"

The sound became louder, causing me to stop. Now I remember what that sound was. It's the strumming of a Spanish guitar. Mom… she owned a Spanish guitar. When I was young, she would play and sing to me every night before bed. Tears started sliding down my face. Now this place was mocking me, pulling out all my bad memories and forcing me to face them.

"Red like roses-" I flinched at the sound. That was a human singing, a woman from the sounds of it. Somebody must be there! I threw caution to the wind, running towards the singing.

"Please, who are you? What's going on?"

"-fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest." The snowstorm stopped, disappearing into nothing. My eyes took in the area. A forest rested behind me, thick with vegetation. It's a wonder that I didn't run into any of the trees. My eyes landed in front of me. I stood in a snowy cliffside. The skies were dark, giving off an ominous feeling. A single square stone sat close to the edge if the cliff.

This is Mom's grave site. Somehow, I ended up in Patch. But why? I was in Beacon this morning! How did I end up here?

"White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test, " the voice continued. In front of me, a white hooded figure appeared out of the gravestone. It's the same figure as in the hallway!

"Mom? Is that you?" I walked towards the figure. Underneath her hood, I could make out a small smile, one that never left my mother's face. "Yo-you're alive?" I couldn't hold back the tears, letting them freely run down my face. "It's been so long-"

"Black the beast descends from shadows." The voice isn't coming from her. She's not singing. A growl interrupted my thoughts. Turning around, I looked back into the forest to see dozens, no, hundreds of pairs of eyes glare at us. Their telltale red glow said it all. Grimm. Somehow they managed to surround us.

My hand reached back for Crescent Rose, only to grasp empty air. I looked behind me in a panic. It wasn't where it usually is, bound to my back. Of course I don't have it! I'm not even in my combat skirt! Now I was panicking. How am I going to defend myself?

"Yellow beauty burns… gold." I looked back at the hooded figure, only to cover my eyes as she drew out her weapons. The dual knives shimmered golden, contrasting against the white and black background. Silver chains snaked up her arms, likely for long distance fighting. In my awe, I failed to realize that the guitar playing earlier all but disappeared. One Beowolf, sensing an easy snack, dived at me, fangs ready to sink into me.

It didn't take long for the music to start back again as the white cloaked figure leaped into action, flinging her daggers straight into the beast's eyes. I dropped straight down as I realized that the blades might hit me. They flew right over my head and sank straight through its skull, ending its life instantly. Moments later she pulled herself to its body, landing next to me. I let out a cry of joy. It is her!

Mom pulled out her daggers, spilling black ichor onto the pristine white snow, staining it black. The rest of the pack growled and dived towards her, ready to rip her to shreds. In response, she flipped each knife so that she held them ice pick style. Mom leaned forwards, ready to pounce at the descending horde.

A handful of Beowolves pounced at us. She responded by blurring away for a moment, before returning back to her original spot. A second later, three of the Beowolves fell to the ground limp, its foul liquids spilling out from several knife slices. Limbs fell away from their bodies in midair. My jaw popped open at her skill. So this was Mom, the hunter. One of the beasts dived at her from the side, aiming for her throat. She followed up by ducking and turning the tables on the beast, nailing her weapon into its throat first. With the beast now dead, she swung her arm over herself, releasing her blade and allowing the body to fly over. The would be ambushed tumbled into the snow.

I watched in awe as she destroyed the attacking horde. She was a white whirlwind beating against the sea of black. This whole entire time, the Spanish guitar played a fast, frantic beat, making my heart race. Her body moved like clockwork, every action using as little energy as possible as she slashed, stabbed, and swung her way through the horde. Chunks of Grimm soared through the air. Gallons of ichor stained the cliff side black as coal. Yet not a drop touched her. She remained pure in the chaos she stood in.

With a flourish, she ended her blade dance. And as soon as it began, the only Grimm remaining was the Alpha Beowolf and three of its lackeys. The alpha howled at the woman in displeasure. She responded by flicking the Grimm blood off of her blades. The beast was a lot more cautious than the rest of its pack, staying right outside of her effective range and watching, plotting.

It snarled, and the rest of the pack ran around her. Her head started back and forth, trying to keep all of them in her sights. Two of them decided to attack her back and side, leaping at her body. A jab towards her back and her left side ended their lives in a split second. The third one… wait, where did it go? I glanced around, only to realize it barreled towards me.

I screamed as I broke into a run, trying to activate my Semblance. I flopped to the ground, my superspeed failing to boost me away. My eyes darted back up to see the beast in mid-flight. At the last second, I rolled to the side, the Beowolf landing where I laid a split second ago. Mom turned back to look at me. That was her mistake. In an instant, she found jaws clamping down on her midsection. The sickening sound of cracking bones filled the area as her mouth opened in shock.

"Mom!" I yelled out. My feet dug into the ground as I pushed myself up. I'm ready to move towards her. The last Beowolf decided it wouldn't have that, leaping between me and my mom. With no other choice, I turned around and ran back, away from mom. I gave a spare glance at her to see her sink her weapons into the Alpha. It collapsed to the floor, bringing her down with it.

The snarl of the Beowolf brought back my focus to the most important matter at hand. The second I heard its growl, I threw myself to the side, allowing the monster to soar over me. With a couple of seconds bought, I looked back at the white cloaked figure. She strained as she yanked at the teeth around her torso. I need to get to her. My mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. The weight of a giant animal knocked the air out of me.

My head slammed right into the snow, sending the fluffy stained material up into the air. I shook my skull for a second to clear my head only to meet a set of fangs going down on me. With a scream, I threw my hands into the powdery fog. They felt something furry and oily, and without a second thought, I wrapped them around that object. The fangs found themselves stopped in place. A moment later I felt my ankle get crushed under what feels like paws, bringing another scream out of me.

My vision cleared up as the snow settled, revealing the snarling monster. My hands were grasped around its neck. The monster snapped at me, using its brute strength to attempt to rip my throat out. Its breath smelled putrid, like burning oil and rotting meat. I cried as used every ounce of my strength in pushing back the monster. I watched in horror as my arm strength started to fail me, and the Beowolf's sharp teeth drew closer and closer, scratching at my neck. I swear I can see the smug look on its eyes.

All of a sudden, the malice in its eyes died out. The jaw popped right open, freeing my neck from the clamp. One golden dagger sat stuck on the top of its skull. I felt the weight leave my chest as the body was pushed off, revealing the saintly image of Mom.

She looked terrible, with giant fang marks dotting vertically across her torso. Blood still seeped through the bite marks. A small part of her right side was ripped off, leaving a ghastly image. Her cloak was all but torn to shreds, except for her hood. But despite all that, she still had a smile on her face.

"You came to save me," I whispered. "Just like in your stories." I tried to push myself up, only to cry in pain as my ankle failed to support my weight. I collapsed back to the ground. In a flash Mom was at my side, pulling me up by my armpits to a standing position. I laughed in relief. We're okay. We can go home.

I looked back towards the forest and let out a cry of defeat. We were surrounded by Beowolves. Their red eyes stared at us as they stepped closer and closer.

"Mom. Leave me here. I can't walk on my own." A tear ran down my face. "I'm only going to hold you back." She didn't respond, instead taking a step back. The music started to reach a climax. Another step back. No, there's no way to run away. I felt the breeze hit my face. Yet another step. She can't possibly be thinking of-

My body went weightless. Before I realized it, my vision shifted, from the crowd of Beowolves to the dark night sky. Gravity started to tug at us as my face turned towards the rapidly approaching waves. We're going to crash! "Moooooooooom!" I screamed as the rocks came closer and closer. I felt her shift her grip, from around my chest to around my neck.

"Don't you worry," she spoke. It was one of the first times I could hear her voice. "I'll always be there to protect you." I felt my skin peel away and fall off. The pieces of flesh were red like roses. She pulled me tighter into her embrace. "My baby."

"We're about to hit the water!" I screamed.

"And thus kindly, I scatter." The guitar ended with a flourish.

We smashed into the surface of the water, exploding into a shower of rose petals.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = **

**Thank you guys for reading, and until then, see you next time!**


	2. Rolling in The Deep

**A/N: Hey everybody! I'm back with another chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure!**

 **First of all, I want to thank you guys for your warm reception. 386 views? 20 followers? Wow. I never expected this fic to find this much support by the community! I wasn't sure how people would receive a crossover, especially one where I'm choosing not to bring in established characters from one of the fanbases. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you everybody.**

 **Another group I want to thank are the guys who betaed for my second chapter, lochmere and Ph'Lop Phtagn! Their input helped me a lot in helping me refine this next chapter.**

 **There's more I want to say, but I don't want to keep this going any longer, so let's dive in!**

 ** _RWBY and JoJo are not creations of my own. RWBY is made by Monty Oum and the guys at Roosterteeth. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is written by Hirohiko Araki._**

* * *

The next thing I remember were the sounds of beeping repeating over and over. My breathing was labored, every breath hard to perform. It's like someone's sitting on my chest. Everything was pitch black, with nothing but darkness surrounding me. Am I dead now? Did I even die in the first place?

My eyes flickered open, allowing a small sliver of light in to dispel the darkness. Tiny hands flew up to shield them as the brightness overwhelmed me. Everything's so blurry and unfocused. I blinked as the world reformed around me. Blobs of color started forming more coherent shapes, revealing a rough outline of a room. Muffled voices registered in the back of my mind. Where am I?

A groan escaped my mouth, causing the voices to drop silent. "She's awake!" one of them yelled. I heard footsteps over the repeated beeping noises, coming towards me. As the clicking of footsteps approached, movement to my right caught my attention. The rough shape of a woman leaned over my laying body. A familiar white cloak shrouded her, leaving only her smile visible. Did we survive the fall? Mom brought me here, right? She looks okay. How is she still standing?

"Mom? Is that you?" I reached towards her face, slipping my hands under the cloak. I can't believe it. Is she… Has Mom returned from—?

Before I could touch her, a vibrant yellow form to my left slipped into view before gasping. The figure, I think a woman, pulled me up, and pressed my face on her chest, breaking my line of sight from Mom. There's something familiar about how she squeezes me. I felt her vibrant cascading blonde curls run down my back as the woman rested her head on my shoulders. Firm, but shaky hands combed down my hair.

"Ruby, you're okay." My vision sharpened in her grasp, revealing Yang's mane in all of its glory. I felt her tears soak into the light green patient garments draped over me. With my vision back, I took a good look at where I am. The room was small, filled to the brim with medical equipment and machines. The heart monitor to my right kept beeping in time with my heart. I tried taking a sniff, only to smell the sterile air. "After you fainted in the hallway, I saw what happened to your ankle. I was so scared of losing you, Ruby. You were about to leave me."

She squeezed even tighter, cutting off the air in my lungs. I started tapping her on the shoulder. "Yang… need air…" With a gasp of surprise, she released me. With my body out of her grasp, I took a couple of breaths, only to realize that something's in my nostrils. My fingers moved towards my nose to feel two plastic tubes. This must be where I'm getting air.

I wrapped my fingers around the objects and with a tug, started pulling them out. A sick, squishy sound accompanied the weird feeling of a plastic tube rubbing against my insides. With a final jerk, I freed the tubing from my body. I felt my face twist as I saw the clear plastic covered with a slimy substance. Ugh, gross.

Without another thought, I chucked the material to the side. With that out of the way, I looked around the room, only to realize something, or someone was missing. My head turned back towards my sister. "Yang, where's Mom?" Her face fell as I asked the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Mom, our mom, she was in the room right before you hugged me!" I sat up. Everything came back to me. "Oh man, you won't believe it! Me and mom, we were on the cliffs of Patch, fighting off this horde of Beowolves! You should've seen her! She fought with dual daggers attached to chains, and she was so fast! Almost faster than me! She—" My speech stopped as I saw the sadness appear in her eyes. I clamped my hands over my mouth.

"Oh no… We're both injured during that battle. My ankle was crushed by a Beowulf, and she had part of her side missing!" I started to throw my body out of bed, kept back by Yang as she hooked her arms under my armpits. I started to struggle in her grasp. "Let me go! I need to see if Mom's okay! She saved me from the horde, but she's hurt! I need to see if—" My eyes flickered to my right ankle. It looked perfectly fine, without any injuries whatsoever. The cut was gone. I gingerly touched the limb. It's still intact, like it was never crushed.

"Ruby," Yang started, choking back a sob. She shook her head. "You never left Beacon. You were here in the nurse's office the whole entire time. Your leg got infected from the cut. If your Aura didn't act up sooner, if the doctors didn't pump you with Aura boosters—" My sister left it at that, releasing me and turning her head towards the ground.

"No… it couldn't be a dream. I felt it; no I saw her moments ago! I know she's here, and she's alive! I have to go after her!" I leaped out of bed, running towards the door. I threw it wide open.

Only to face the imposing figures of Professors Peach and Goodwitch glaring down at me. "As great as it is to see that you're up," they stated in unison. A shiver went down my back. "We would prefer to see you resting in bed." I flinched. How they manage to say the same thing at the same time? It's like they're long lost sisters! Drooping my shoulders, I obeyed, placing me back in bed and throwing the blanket over me.

Professor Peach cleared her throat. "Now then, Ms. Rose. I'm going to explain what happened to you. When you fainted in the hallway, Oobleck found that your ankle was extremely inflamed. A significant amount of pus spilled out of the cut. He also reported that your skin was peeling away, although I couldn't find any signs of that in my checkup. You ran a bad fever, around 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Usual symptoms of a bacterial infection."

"However, your Aura managed to clear up the symptoms within a couple of hours after we brought you here. There was nothing left by last night. You yourself didn't wake up until—" She glanced at her watch. "6:23 in the morning, I suppose." The professor's eyes glanced around the room before she leaned towards me. I would lean back if I wasn't already lying on the bed. "Now, since you're awake, I would like to ask a couple of questions. We did some tests on the pus, only to come up negative on any pathogens. Same thing with your blood test."

The blonde brawler sprung up at the news. "But you just said she had an infection!"

"Yes, I did. That conclusion was before the tests came in. It is an unusual case, which is why your condition is listed as an infection. The last thing I want getting out is that there's an object within the school campus that could inflict someone like that. So I lied." Peach brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "I trust you two can keep it a secret?" We nodded.

"Good. Now onto my questions. Where were you when you got the cut?"

I tapped my cheek as I tried to recall the events of yesterday. "It was during my free period. I was in the forge, working on Crescent Rose when I felt something scrape me. I don't know what it was, but Jaune said it looked like an arrow." Peach nodded, jotting down a couple of notes. Goodwitch stayed content next to the doorframe, going through her tablet scroll.

"Can you describe how you felt before going to the nurse's office?" the nurse continued.

"Well, for a while the cut was just itchy. Then I got this huge headache during class. In the hallway, my muscles felt like they lit on fire. I was in a lot of pain."

The professor tapped a couple more buttons. "Okay. One more question. Do you still feel anything right now?" I shook my head. She made one final note before nodding. "Thank you for your time. Now, if everything goes well, we can get you out by the afternoon. However, I still expect you to get some rest. I'm going to prescribe you some sugar pills."

She pulled out an average looking pill bottle and set it on the nightstand. "Pretend they're antibiotics. Everybody in this room knows that you don't have an infection, but the rest of the school thinks otherwise. To keep people from panicking, try to take them. Besides, from what I heard about your eating habits, I don't think you would mind."

I perked up at that. "An excuse to eat candy? I don't see why not!"

She smiled. "I'm glad you agree. Now everybody else, let's step outside. We're going to need to give her some space to 'rest'." With that, everybody aside from me got up and filed out of the room. The door made a clicking noise as it closed shut.

I sighed as I adjusted my weight on the bed. So what I saw with Mom was just a fever dream. Maybe I shouldn't have brought my hopes up too much. My eyes started watering. She's still gone. For once, I wanted to see her again. Just one more time. I curled up into a ball and wrapped the blanket around me like a burrito.

A breeze picked up in the room. I looked at the window. That's strange. It's closed. How could a breeze come in? I turned my head back towards the door. My knees went weak as my eyes widened. The tears ran freely now. She's leaning on the side of the wall.

* * *

I paced around back and forth in the waiting room, clutching my blonde hair in my hands. The rest of teams RWBY and JNPR sat in their seats, watching my movements in concern. Weiss sat still, her stance uptight as she tapped her heel against the floor. Blake's skimming through one of her books, but her expression remained conflicted. My eyes flew to the clock. Six-thirty. They said that the infection died down early last night. Where was Yang with the news?

"Jaune, you should sit down," Pyrrha noted. She unlocked her fingers from her hands. "Pacing around won't bring any news of Ruby any faster."

"Yeah, fearless leader!" Nora popped up from her seat. "She got better! You don't need to worry so much!" Ren looked up and nodded, adjusting his seat. He opened his mouth to say something.

Before the quiet boy could say a word, the door to the patient rooms popped open, revealing Professors Peach and Goodwitch walking in unison. Yang followed closely behind, her normally happy mood replaced with gloom. Team RWBY shot up from their seats.

I walked towards the two teachers. "Is everything—?"

Professor Peach nodded, holding a hand up to stop me in my tracks. "Physically, she's made a full recovery. There are no signs of any infection, and it seems like she's not suffering from any aftereffects. She can leave my office in the afternoon, right before lunch." Everybody sighed in relief. She held up her hand again to stop us. "I'm not done yet." Everybody went silent. "Mentally, she might need some support from everyone."

Weiss stepped forwards at that. "... What do you mean, Professor?"

"I talked to Ms. Xiao-Long about this, and we've concluded that she might be having delusions. Apparently, Ms. Rose had a vivid fever dream, so strong that she believes her long past mother is still alive. In addition, we stood outside her door for a little bit, watching her through a camera. After referencing the footage, which was taken moments after we left, I can say that she's going to need help and time to recover." Peach punched a couple of buttons on her device, causing a nearby monitor to turn on and start projecting the footage.

The quality was fuzzy at best, but I managed to make out a person sitting on the bed. Her hair was easy to recognize. Ruby was curled up into a ball, shivering and making sobbing noises. She stared at a certain white object on the bottom of the screen leaning on a wall. It was extremely hazy, but it looked a little like a person wrapped in a cloak. The audio buzzed as Ruby spoke. "Mom? Is that you?"

Everybody stared in horror as the girl continued to have a conversation with the dead woman. "Where were you when Yang came in? Why didn't you show yourself earlier? Unless… you don't want anybody knowing that you're alive?" She leaned towards the white figure, only to flop to her side. The girl struggled to pull herself out of the blanket. "But why?"

"This might sound dumb," I started. "But she's talking to someone, right? On the bottom of the screen, there's a white figure." I lifted a finger towards the bottom part of the screen. "Doesn't it look like a person? She might be talking to that."

"What are you talking about?" Weiss rolled her eyes. "There's no white figure. Must be glare or something from your angle."

"Jaune, I don't see a white figure either," Ren noted. Everybody else made a hum of agreement. "Are you sure that there's something there?

My mouth opened to argue before I stopped. How can nobody see the figure? Granted, it's hard to tell, with the terrible quality and all that. But it's there! How can nobody else see it? It's even moving! That can't possibly be glare!

"Whatever the case might be, we still want all of you guys to give her support." Peach ended the video there. "Make sure that she doesn't undergo any more stress than needed. Keep her grounded to reality as possible. Delusions go away naturally, but not if she keeps thinking it's the truth. Ms. Xiao-Long, make sure that Ms. Rose goes to therapy. She needs to realize what's real and what's fantasy." From there Goodwitch stepped in.

"I've taken the time to excuse Ms. Rose from her classes for the rest of the week. This is to make sure she recovers and that there are no side effects of her infection. Team RWBY, I've decided that classes for you will be optional for this week. Despite that, I still recommend making sure you're still on top of academics and to provide Ms. Rose with notes. Team JNPR will continue on as normal. Are there any questions?" No one said a thing.

"Good. Team JNPR, remember class starts at eight o'clock today. Don't be late." The two professors left the waiting room, leaving the seven of us here to look at each other. The atmosphere became tenser between everybody. Learning about what happened didn't ease any of our fears. If anything, they heightened them. Everybody had a look of uncertainty on their faces.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

Yang looked up. "Exactly what Goodwitch said. You guys go back, get ready for class. We'll say here until Ruby gets released."

I swallowed. "Are you guys going to be okay? You know… after all of that?"

"We'll be fine." Her eyes glazed over as she stared at the door leading to the patient's room. "Go on ahead."

"... Okay."

* * *

I hummed as I checked myself out in the mirror. The patient garbs were thrown to the side in favor for my usual blouse and skirt. I flipped around, watching as the red and black uniform twirled in the air. Nothing looked out of place so far. I leaned in closer, checking to make sure every button and strap are in place. My outfit should be perfect for my reunion with my team. The last thing I need is Weiss complaining about me forgetting something.

I glanced into the mirror to see Mom still standing behind me. She's being shyer than her usual self, insisting on being behind me no matter where I'm standing. Despite my coaxing, she also remains stubborn on keeping the hood on and maintaining her silence. It's a little strange of her, choosing not to say anything, but one look at her smile removed all of my worries.

I let out a sound of approval. "Looks like everything's in place. Just one more thing before this outfit's complete." I turned over to the bed. Folded neatly on top of it was the pure red cloak that I love to wear. My hands gripped the treasured article of clothing, and I pulled it close to my chest. From the corner of my eye, I can see Mom looking at me.

"You know, I remember the day you gave this to me for my tenth birthday," I started, unfolding the cape. It cascaded down to its true length, beating my height by a couple of inches. "Not in person, of course. Dad handed me the cape, stating how you made it yourself. How you wanted to give it to me on my tenth birthday. I remember him tearing up as he handed me this cloak, and how I cried with him as well."

"Ever since then, I've always worn it in memory of you." In one swoop, I swung the cloak over my shoulders. "It reminded me of you and the dream you inspired in me. Ever since I heard your tales as a huntress, I wanted to follow in your footsteps. You coming back reminded me of that goal."

My deft hands fashioned the article of clothing to my dress, completing the outfit. One more glance in the mirror showed the finished product. A smile spread across my face. I looked ready to take on all of the Grimm in the world. Just like Mom used to do.

"You know, I don't really understand why you try to hide from other people." I looked at the reflection of my mom. "Dad and Yang, they miss you very much. What they wouldn't do to see you again, if only for just a moment." Her lips stayed passive, unmoving to my comment.

"But I guess after your apparent death, you didn't want to cause a scene. The frenzy that would happen if people found out that you were alive. Uncle Qrow… I don't think he could take it. So I guess I see why you decided to hide. I won't tell anybody that you're here with me." I placed my index finger on my lips. "It'll be a secret between the two of us, just like old times!" Mom smiled at that. I flipped around, trying to catch another glimpse of her in person. But just like that, she disappeared again.

How did she do that? The problem bounced around my head as I fixed up my hair. I don't recall her being able to transport. But then again, she only just revealed herself to me. Mom must've learned a bunch of new tricks if she was able to hide from everybody for that long. I let out a long hum as I walked over to the door, satisfied with my answer. It's time to meet up with the rest of my teammates. I slammed the door open, revealing the girls with surprised looks on their faces.

Blake took a couple of steps back. "Oh hi Ruby, we were kinda—"

"Team RWBY!" I squealed as I walked out of my room. They squawked in panic as I threw myself at them. We stumbled and fell to the ground. "It's great to see you guys again!"

Weiss grunted as she tried to pry me off, while Blake hissed at my iron grip. Surprisingly, Yang acted a lot more passive, half-heartedly returning my gesture. "Yeah, Ruby. We miss you too," my partner wheezed. "Now let us go, you dolt!" I complied, releasing them and rolling off. There was an awkward moment of silence as we picked ourselves off the ground. I beamed at the rest of the team, who looked a bit nervous as they brushed themselves off.

Blake coughed into her hand, grabbing my attention. "So, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I feel fine now. You guys don't have to dote on me." They gave me unconvinced stares. "Really guys! I'm all healed up! See?" I held up my right ankle, showing its pristine form. Our resident faunus still looked unconvinced.

"... That's not what I'm talking about." Blake glanced from side to side, before leaning in close to my ear. "It's about your mom and her being alive."

"Oh? Oooh! Blake, you don't need to know about that!" I waved away her concern, causing her to take a step back from me. "Mom's not going to bother anyone of you guys, if that's what you're asking."

"I wasn't asking about tha—" she stopped speaking when Yang and Weiss gave her an evil glare. Her bow drooped down a bit. "... Nevermind. Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Hungry? I'm famished!" A growl from my stomach helped to make the point clear. "Is it lunchtime already? Well, what are we waiting for? Come on, team RWBY! To the cafeteria!" I marched out of the nurse's office with them following close by.

A simple hum came out of my mouth as I walked through the hallway with my teammates. There was a bit of whispering between the three. They must just be talking amongst themselves, about what happened earlier. As great as it is to see that they are concerned, I think that their worry is unnecessary. I turned around, causing the three to freeze in place. They looked like I was going to hurt them or something!

"What are you guys doing?" I asked them. "It's lunchtime already! Come on, if we keep talking like this, there isn't going to be anything left!"

"Yeah! You're right!" Yang bounded towards me, wrapping her arm around my throat. "I thought we were getting food together!" She shook me in play, like she usually does. But somehow, this action felt different. Like it was too nervous, too forced to be confident or casual. Eh, it's probably nothing. The monochrome duo nodded, rushing towards me and continuing towards the cafeteria.

* * *

"... You don't believe that Ruby's going crazy, right Jaune?"

"Wha?" I snapped out of my thoughts as I dropped one of my chicken nuggets. Team JNPR sat in the cafeteria, having lunch. Nora stared at me, expecting me to say something. I sat up. "What kind of question is that?"

"Well, you see… You know what? Serious Nora time." Her posture stiffened a bit as she leaned over the table. I leaned back a bit at her intensity. When was she ever like this? "... I was thinking 'bout what you said earlier, about the white figure on the TV screen." One of my eyelids twitched. I didn't expect her of all people to actually consider what I said! "A human-like object. I know for a fact I couldn't see it. In fact, nobody can see it. Except for you. You were the only person to believe, even for a second, that Ruby might be telling the truth."

"Nora, you're over thinking it!" I waved my hands as she got within a couple of inches from my face. "It's probably just some glare, like Weiss said! I might be mistaken!"

"You would be, if it wasn't for the fact I was right behind you." I paled at that. When was she behind me that morning? Nora must've moved over to my backside as everybody else was watching the screen. "There's no glare. So, you must've seen something nobody else does." Her sky blue eyes stared straight into mine. I've never seen them be so serious in my time here! What is she going to do?

"What if you can see ghosts?" I fell to the floor at the suggestion. I think Pyrrha almost choked drinking from her cup of cranberry juice, judging from her spit take. Ren raised his forearm up to cover his face from the incoming red juice.

"Nora, I thought you were in serious mode," Ren deadpanned as he scraped his fork against his plate. He flicked a bit of juice off of his hand.

"Yeah, Nora," I groaned as I pulled myself back to an upright position. "Are you joking right now?"

"No! I'm being serious for once!" She pouted at our disbelief. "Jaune, what if your Semblance is being able to see the dead? That explains everything! How you can see what nobody else can see, uh…" Nora scratched her head. "Umm… how you haven't displayed your Semblance yet?"

"Nora, don't be ridiculous," Pyrrha coughed out. She wiped the remains of the red liquid off of her chest. "Jaune hasn't used his Semblance yet because he hasn't found it yet. Besides, Semblances are tied to the manifestation of a person's soul. What are you trying to suggest, that Jaune had a near-death experience and that he can see dead people because of it?"

"... I was about to suggest he secretly has psychic powers and unlocked his Semblance through sheer willpower, but your explanation made a lot more sense." She leaned back, relaxing her muscles again. "But Jaune, consider talking to one of those weird people who can talk to the dead."

"You mean necromancers?" Ren piped up.

"Yeah! Necromancers… ooh, it even has a creepy vibe." The hyperactive redhead let out a giggle. "That's a pretty cool Semblance, if I say so myself."

I sighed as I picked up the sandwich next to my nuggets and took a bite from it. Hmm. It's a lot thicker than I thought. I looked at the bite marks. I swore a second ago the bread was more porous than this. It's sliced bread, for heaven's sake! How is it so dense now… My thoughts were interrupted by somebody slamming down their plate. The leader of team RWBY smiled at us.

"Hey guys!" Ruby slipped into her seat. In her hands was a giant pile of mashed potatoes surrounded by a ring of strawberries. The rest of her team came in seconds later, taking care to surround her. The girl in black and red took a big scoop of the mashed potatoes and shoved it into her mouth. "It's great to see you again!" Her voice was muffled with the food in her mouth. Bits of crushed potato flew back onto her plate.

"Hi Ruby!" Nora cheered, quickly piping up. "You're out of the nurse's office pretty quickly!"

"Well, my Aura kicked in just in time, so I'm more or less healed up!" She kept shoving in mashed potatoes into her mouth, a lot more than necessary. Her cheeks swelled up to a dangerous level. I gulped in fear that she might accidentally choke on the mixture. "I feel completely fine now!" She swallowed the crushed vegetable, taking it all in with one gulp. We all stared at her plate, then back at her. She just finished half of the mound! It was around six inches tall before!

"Ruby, you should be taking more time into chewing and swallowing your food," Weiss reminded her. My former crush looked less strict and more concerned than anything. "It's bad manners!"

"Oh, sorry about that, Weissy. I couldn't help myself." Ruby took another scoop out of the white mound. "It's something I don't really talk about, but I remember how Mom was a terrible cook." Is this what Professor Peach talked about? "She was the best at making cookies, but everything else she had a lot of trouble with. It was a joke in my family that the only thing she knew how to make right were mashed potatoes. Also, it was a dish I hated." She blinked when she looked at the contents on her plate. "Huh. What a coincidence."

"So you're saying you didn't even realize that you got a helping of mashed potatoes?" Ren asked.

"No, not really. I kinda just been thinking to myself, and I guess I happened to get this." She shrugged, before shoving another scoop down her throat. "Oh well."

I swear, everybody looked nervous for Ruby. She's never been so absent minded as to forget what she ordered! And how she stuffed herself with a meal that she admitted to disliking! What is going on in her head? I glanced over to the rest of her team, hoping to get something out of them. They glanced back, hastily gesturing something to me. Sweatdrops fell down their foreheads as I tried to figure out what they wanted me to do.

"Say, Ruby," I started, causing her to look up. She was gnawing on a fresh strawberry. Some of the juices ran down her chin. How did she finish the plate? I looked away for ten seconds at the most! Oh crud, she's looking at me! What do I say? What do I say? "Um, what do you think about that mission that's happening in a couple of weeks?" Nailed it! I heard everybody slap their forehead in frustration.

"The search and destroy one?" I nodded. She cooed after chewing up another strawberry, wiping the juices running down her mouth. "Oh, that one! I'm glad that I can still go, considering what just happened. It's great that Peach said I would be recovered enough to lead team RWBY through the mission!"

"But Peach insisted on me taking these antibiotics. That was our deal. I could go if I keep up with my medication. Which reminds me." A white pill bottle slammed onto the table. "I gotta take a couple of these after eating." Ruby flicked open the cap and poured a handful. I paled.

"Um, Ruby? Isn't the normal dosage a single pill after every meal?" She gave me a strange look.

"No, I think she told me that to be completely sure, to take a few of them every meal."

I leaned forwards. "So ten pills is your definition to 'a few?'" She looked down at the heap that sat in her hand.

"Yep!" Without another thought, she threw back her head, shoving all of the pills into her mouth. The sounds of crackling could be heard as she chewed up the pills. Everybody aside from Yang looked at the girl with a bit of disgust. The blonde girl looked horrified.

"Ruby." I pointed at her. "Aren't those supposed to be swallowed?"

She looked up. "They were?"

"Yeah. Isn't the actual medicine bitter?"

The girl gnawed at the pills a bit longer before shaking her head. "Nope!" She swallowed the mixture. "Oh man, I'm full!" Ruby let out a belch. "I think I'm going to go to bed now. Team RWBY, are you guys good?"

"I am now," Weiss muttered, pushing away her half-eaten plate. Blake nodded as well, pulling away reluctantly from her half eaten salmon slices.

"... I got to go to training," Pyrrha stated hastily as she got up from her seat. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Yeah, Ren and I have to follow Pyrrha!" Nora jumped up to follow her fellow redhead. "You know, for motivation! Come on Renny, we got to go!" She yanked the dark haired man off the bench and out of the door.

"Do you have somewhere to be, Jaune?" Ruby asked.

I shook my head. "You don't remember? We share a free period after lunch."

"Oh yeah, I forgot!" She slapped her forehead. "Silly me! So do you want to go back to our dorms with us?"

The three girls stared daggers at me. They all expect me to come along with them. Thanks, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren, for ditching me with team RWBY. "How can I refuse?"

"Great!" Ruby hopped out of her seat. "So come on! Let's go!"

And with that, we made our way to team RWBY's dorm room without any further incidents. When we arrived at the door, Ruby stepped forwards and pushed her room door open. "Hey Jaune?" She turned towards me. "Thanks for being here. It means a lot that you're here."

I gave her the biggest smile I could. "Well, that's what friends do. Go ahead and get well soon, Ruby." She smiled and waved at me as she walked into her dorm room. A small nudge brought the door to a close.

The second she left our sights, team RWBY exploded into chatter. "What are we doing to do?" Weiss hissed. "She completely buys into the idea that her mom's still alive!"

"I don't know what to think anymore!" Yang lowered her voice to a whisper. "I've never seen her so obsessed with Mom. She's always been good at hiding her sorrow. The last time I've seen her like this were the days after the news broke out! It never bothered her after that! So why is it bothering her now?"

"I find it strange that she's so unusually happy," Blake mentioned. She scratched the back of her hand. "It might be a bad time to mention this, but I read somewhere that people about to off themselves tend to be a lot more cheerful and happy than before. Granted, that's right after a huge depressive episode, but still—"

"Are you saying that Ruby might be suffering from depression?" Yang's eyes shifted red at the mere mention.

"No! I mean, it's possible that—" Yang took a step forwards as her partner recoiled. "I'm sorry, Yang! I don't really mean it—"

"Ruby will get over it." The girls stopped moving and turned towards me, mouths slightly agape. "I haven't known her as long as you did, Yang. But I know for a fact that Ruby's a strong person. She isn't going to let this affect her. After all, being a huntress is her dream, right?" Our conversation back during the first day came to mind. "Whether she believes her mother's dead or not doesn't change it. Ruby's going to have a hard time with this, that's a given. But I know she'll pull through."

Yang lowered her gaze for a moment, eye darting around the floor. She opened her mouth. "But Jaune—"

She wasn't able to say anything as a high-pitched scream escaped from team RWBY's room. "Ruby!" everybody exclaimed, kicking the door open without another thought.

We found Ruby sitting on the edge of Weiss' bed. Her right arm clung tight to her left bicep. She let off a nervous smile. "Hey guys."

"Ruby, what happened?" Yang asked as she stepped into the room. "We heard you screaming."

"Oh? That. Yeah, um, that's an embarrassing story." She rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand, keeping her right hand clamped down on the bicep. "I was out of it, so I sat down on Weiss' bed to recover when I saw this, this weird looking bug! Yeah! And it was really surprising and not what I expected at all, so I screamed."

Blake hummed. "I guess stuff like that happens. We might need to get our room smoked... Why are you holding onto your bicep like that?"

"Ah, oh, uh, well I guess I'm feeling self-conscious." Ruby kicked something under the bed. It kinda reminded me of thin potato chips, if they had a white side and a red side. "With you guys worried about me and all that, I kinda feel embarrassed that I'm letting some things get to me." She let out a nervous chuckle, swinging her arm around.

The brawler squinted, looking doubtful at her reasoning. I had to squint as well. Something's… off. She seemed too uptight, even after a bug scare. In fact, was Ruby scared of bugs in the first place? Didn't she live in the woods with her family? Yang sighed. "Well, you gave us quite a scare that time. We'll go outside. Remember, we'll be there if you need anything."

"Great! I'll just be in here. Resting. Like I'm supposed to be doing." She glanced up at her bunk. "Man, this thing's higher than I remember."

"You've been gone for one day, Ruby," Weiss deadpanned.

"And I just recovered from being sick, so do… your thing and leave as I climb up this bunk!" Ruby stood around, glaring at us. "Well, aren't you guys going to stand outside? Shoo!" She waved her left arm like a marionette, flicking her wrist at us. We all sigh and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind us.

"Something's wrong with her," Weiss concluded. We all nodded in agreement.

"Yep."

"Strange." What was going on with Ruby?

* * *

I opened my eyes to see the room was darkened. It must be night by now. I sat up, taking a look around team RWBY's dorm. Blake looked asleep, muttering something under her breath. Most likely a dream or something. Weiss was in a similar position, taking quick, small, rhythmic breaths. I glanced below me to find Yang facing my direction. Her eyes were closed, and soft snoring came out of her mouth. Huh. She's less noisy than before. Must've learned to control her snoring.

I lifted up my blanket, inspecting my left arm. It was attached to my body. As it should be. That would've been embarrassing if everybody barged in to see… no, must forget the memory. I shoved the sight out of my mind. Whatever happened, it managed to fix itself. No need to worry about it. I slammed my head back on my pillow, causing the bed to rock slightly. Really shouldn't be doing that. Everybody's so uptight recently. If the bed fell apart now—

Movement at the window interrupted my thoughts. I lifted my head again, peering at what it might be. Mom sat on the windowsill facing the outside world. Her white cloak draped into the room, rolling down the furniture onto the carpet. I sat up in surprise.

"Hi Mom," I whispered. "Was your day okay?" She nodded in response. "That's good. As for me, I'm not having the best time." I glanced back down. "It sucks, being stuck here in bed, waiting to recover. Being forced to pretend I'm still sick. The thing that happened to my arm— You don't want to hear about that. I've had better days. But there's one silver lining to all of this." I grabbed a part of the bed as I leaned towards the window. "You're here with me. That's all that matters. Thank you for coming back."

I heard the sounds of rustling coming from the room. I glanced at the location of the sound. Yang was now facing the other side. Whew. I thought she woke up. I guess she just adjusted herself. Wait. One of my eyebrows raised up. Is she shivering? I squinted a little closer. She is. I looked back at the window to see Mom gone. The open window let in a little breeze. That must be the issue.

With a small grunt, I reached over and grasped the handles before pulling them shut. That should help Yang sleep better. I looked over at my older sister, waiting a couple of minutes. Despite that, she's still shaking. And now, I could pick up some faint noises. It sounded like whimpering. I leaped down to the ground, landing softly. Maybe she's having a bad dream.

I remember back when I used to have bad dreams, Yang would let me stay in her bed, and we would sit quietly until sleep claimed us. She worked so hard to keep me happy during those years. Even after what happened with her mother, she tried to be a good sister for my sake. I should repay the favor. I slipped under her blankets and wrapped myself around her back. Her whimpers turned to silent crying, her breaths becoming choppy.

"It's okay, Yang. Everything is going to be fine," I cooed in her ear. She responded by wrapping her fingers around my hands. Her hands were warm to the touch, like a chimney fire during a cold night. Did I wake her up? It doesn't matter. For the rest of the night, it was just me wrapped around my sobbing older sister, keeping her warm and safe. Just like what she did when we were young.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 2/3/17**

* * *

 **So, some order of business for me to take care of. It's about the posting schedule. I've decided on keeping a schedule where I post new chapters every other week on Fridays. There's a big reason why. I want to build up a buffer in the posting schedule, so if and when I have my bad days, there will still be something to post for you guys. Too often I see authors post rapid-fire chapters and then burn out, leaving their fans without any new content. I don't want it to happen to you guys, so I'm saying right now this is the schedule I'll keep as a policy of honesty. If for any reason I can't keep this schedule, I'll notify you guys as soon as I'm able.**

 **With that out of the way, on to the reviews!**

 **greenscoop1: And I can't wait to show you what Ruby's Stand is!**

 **frik1000: Aww, thanks man! There's only one way to find out if I can reach that height of bizarreness. I mean, Araki's done some weird stuff, and he has like 30 years to be as bizarre as possible. But here's to hoping I could reach those heights!**

 **FoxOnPie, Kamencolin, & doa570047: Yeah, I consider my writing chaotic at times. Looking back, I could be more clear in my POV switches. But the thing is, it's also purposeful. I want to the story to have disorientating switches. There's a reason why I choose to switch between character POVs, although it's not going to be obvious what it is. I'm sure everything will become a little more clear as the story continues.**

 **MrGreen37: Every Stand user will be named characters in RWBY. This is to make life harder on me and to create a better experience for you guys. The thing is, I feel that it's too easy to craft plot related Stand users out of OCs. Choosing named characters and sitting down and writing up their Stand abilities is a lot more satisfying from a writer's perspective. I feel that working with these constraints will push my creativity, and create a better story for everyone. Plus, I'm sure people will appreciate that some side characters will get some characterization.**

 **brassleader: To answer your question, there will be a mixture of both RWBY and real world songs. Now the question is, what's the ratio of RWBY songs to real world songs?**

 **Paradox the Ruler: My story's... good? *Gets down on knees* Thank you, Lord Paradox, destroyer of AI logic, recursive in your name, for your praise. I am not worthy.**

 **LordCommissarJep: *Zips back up to feet, picks up Earl Grey tea next to my desk* And my thanks to you, LordCommissarJep. *Holds up teacup in a toast* May you have the loveliest of days.**

 **So... Next chapter's after my birthday. Yay for me! Time for adulthood to whoop my ass in shape! Or pound me into the cement. Preferably the first one. Anyways, see you guys next time!**

 _ **Next Release Date: February 3, 2017**_

 **EDIT: After seeing greenscoop's review, I realized that I, the arrogant American that I am, didn't consider the fact that date formats are different in various parts of the world. Minor fix with the bottom release date, writing it out in full. The date next to the To Be Continued will be mm/dd/yyyy.**


	3. Down in The Mission

**A/N: So, I just celebrated my birthday yesterday. Went out with friends to a restaurant, had a great time. But hey! Consider this chapter a gift for you guys! ... Yeah, I'm sure this isn't how birthday gifts work, but also I don't care. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Thanks to lochmere for betaing for this chapter!**

* * *

A groan escaped my mouth as I walked towards JNPR's dorm room. Whew, that was a long briefing! How long was that, an hour and a half maybe? My eye fell on the filled manila folder gripped in my left hand. My other hand tugged at my tie before brushing through my blonde hair. I hope I didn't forget too much information. That wouldn't be good for us tomorrow. At least I thought of grabbing a physical copy before leaving the briefing room. Much easier to make notes on them and review later. Plus, if my teammates needed a look, at least they won't have to crowd around and strain their eyes over my scroll.

My pace slowed I reached my room. Speaking of which. I slipped my free hand into a pocket inside my blazer, pulling out my device. With a single tap on the scanner, the indicator flashed green. I heard the bolt make a loud clunk as it snapped open. And in I go.

I propped the door open, only to be greeted with silence. I stared at the four beds lining the back side of the wall, light from the afternoon sun raining down on them. Nobody. Maybe they are working at their desks? I stepped in, glancing to the sides. Again, not a person in sight. Huh. I guess everybody's out. I would prefer to have somebody to talk to while I'm reviewing the folder, but oh well. What can I do? I shut the door behind me before approaching the desk right to my left, tossing the folder on the table.

The dark blue swivel chair creaked as I pulled it out from under the desk, plopping myself in its grasps. Wow, that's an improvement to the wooden chairs last semester. I can't believe some guys would just leave a set of swivel chairs on the curb! I mean— I mentally slapped myself. Now's not the time to lose your focus, Jaune! There's mission prepping to do, and only half a day to do so! I slid myself towards my desk, swinging myself into place. One tug on the cord activated my desk lamp, showering the file with a soft orange glow.

With a tired sigh, I flipped open the mission folder and read the mission details yet another time. My mind went back to the private meeting with the Headmaster a short while ago. There's a nest of Ursa and Griffins on a peninsula around sixteen kilometers away from the upper-class district. So far, the pack hasn't moved towards the seat of the government, but there is enough concern from the officials to call Beacon up. As a result, Headmaster Ozpin assigned this mission to teams RWBY and JNPR. 'An eight-person squad can handle this low-risk pod of Grimm,' he said to us during the meeting. I hope he's right.

I flipped past the typed up description, peering at a detailed map of the area below several photos of the area from a bird's eye view. Several marker scribbles lined each of the images, making note of potential nesting areas, vantage points, and other useful places. I lifted one of them up, an image of a cliffside. I squinted at my messy writing, trying to make out the words. ' _Evacuation Zone.'_ For what is supposed to be rocky terrain, there's a surprising amount of flowers growing on top of it. The patches of white flora contrasted against the dull orange-red rocks.

My mind went back to RWBY's team leader as I picked up another photo. It's been two weeks since the incident. When I saw her at the meeting, it looked like Ruby's back to her old, normal self. At the same time, that arrow has changed her in a way. Yang kept whispering to my team about how Ruby would talk to some invisible person every night. Whenever I'm with Ruby, I notice how she has a lot of mood swings, going from happy to somber and quiet in a single conversation.

Coincidentally, she's more chirpy whenever she mentions her mom or talked about how the dead woman met up with her. Nobody's taking that well. The other girls talked about how Ruby's been going to therapy for her chats, but I guess it's not working. At this point, I don't think that anything the therapist says can change her mind about her mother's survival. Other than that, I don't notice anything else wrong with her. And that's concerning.

The image started blurring before my eyes. I tried focusing on it again. No matter what I try, I just can't focus. Another sigh escaped my lips. I need to take a break. My legs pressed against the legs of my desk, rolling me towards the center of the room. I leaned back, bringing me close to falling off. How did everybody find an excuse to be out of the room? With Pyrrha, she at least messaged me about how she needed to get something from the library. But Nora and Ren? Where did they go off to? Man, I could use someone to just chat with.

As if the gods answered my call, I heard somebody rapping on my door. I snapped out of my seat, a smile growing on my face. Maybe one of my teammates is back from whatever they're doing. I bounded towards the door, and threw it wide open, expecting somebody from team JNPR on the other side.

My smile dropped as the door opened to reveal the tiny girl in black and red, who flinched back in surprise at the forceful opening. I stared at my fellow team leader standing behind the doorframe, creating an awkward silence. "Oh. Hi, Ruby. Didn't expect you to be here."

The girl nodded, kicking her feet at the ground. Her silver eyes flickered to my face. "Hey Jaune," she started, her voice a bit muted. "How're you doing?"

"Fine." The silence afterward unnerved me. Maybe her teammates are out as well? "Do… do you want to come in? I need some time off from looking through the assignment details." Her eyes lit up.

"Really? Thanks Jaune!" The girl skipped into my room, plopping down on my bed. I pushed my door closed as she made herself at home. "Nobody was in my room when I came back, so I decided to hang out at yours for awhile. So what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I guess since we're team leaders, we should start with the usual mission stuff." I reclined on my swivel chair, grabbing the map on my desk and showing it to her. "How do you think we should split up the work? There's two nests that were found: the Griffin one in the middle of the peninsula, and the Ursa one closer to the tip. I was thinking that your team should take on the Griffins. Weiss and Yang are ideal against aerial Grimm, and you guys did take down that Nevermore back during Initiation. JNPR's more suited to fighting on the ground, so we'll take on the Ursai."

She stared out of the window as if looking at somebody. Did she get distracted already? My eyes drifted towards whatever she's looking at. I thought I saw something white drift out of my view. What is she looking at? "Hey, Ruby?" I waved my hand over her eyes, snapping her back to reality. The young leader looked back at me in confusion.

"Huh? Oh yeah, my team can take down the Griffins. But there might be a problem on your end. Ursai tend to spread out in their own territory, so JNPR's going to have to split up." Ruby rested her chin on her wrist. "That wouldn't be a problem with Nora and Pyrrha, but you and Ren are strictly one-on-one fighters. Splitting up would be a terrible idea if a group runs into either you or Ren."

"Yeah, I know, so I was thinking about splitting up the tip into three sections." I poked at the markings I made. "Nora, as the best area control person, will take the position closest to team RWBY. Pyrrha will take the middle section here, serving as the main damage dealer, as well as serving as the scalpel to root out the nest once she finds it. Ren and I will team up and take the corner and force any stray Grimm into Pyrrha's kill zone. I can defend Ren from flank attacks and he can use Stormflower to force any Grimm back. Plus, we get the benefit of a cliff behind us, so we should only expect Grimm to come out in one direction."

"The cliff side," she whispered. Her eyes glazed for a moment as she stared at the map, puckering her mouth. It didn't last for more than a couple of seconds before she shook herself. Ruby gazed back up to me, sadness in her eyes. "Sorry about that. Just remembering something that happened."

My breath hitched. "You mean what happened in 'the dream?'" She nodded, her gaze flickering toward her hands.

"People keep telling me that what happened isn't real, that Mom is still dead, when I know for a fact that she's still out there. She's still keeping watch over me. I know, I've been talking with her ever since I woke up in the nurse's office. But it's frustrating to hear people deny it. They think that I'm going insane." Her hands balled into a fist. "But I'm not!" She slammed them on my mattress, causing it to bounce a bit.

"The dream. I'm starting to think that it's just that, a dream. I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that it's probably not real. But to me, it felt so real! Every single thing that happened just resonates with me! It felt right!" She glanced over at me with desperate eyes. "You don't think that I'm insane, do you? You trust me when I say that my mom's still alive?" Her eyes widened as she said her question. Ruby looked like a puppy who just got kicked. I shook as I struggled to resist her sad stare.

I rubbed my eyes, breaking eye contact with her. I let out a long sigh. How do I answer this without provoking her? It can't be possible, but after what I've seen… I don't know anymore. "Ruby, you've been my best friend ever since we met up in that courtyard." I looked out of the window. "I remember how you were covered in soot, and how Weiss went crazy over the crater that you made. I didn't think for a moment I would be friends with you, the klutz who blew up the school courtyard on her first day."

Ruby frowned at my comment. "What are you trying to—"

"Let me continue. Throughout Beacon, I made a bunch of new friends along the way. But you're the only one who stuck with me through thick and thin. Team JNPR, they have my back, but they had moments where they doubted me. Even Pyrrha, my partner, had moments when she lost her confidence in me, like when I was still being bullied by Cardin. This is the girl who trained me to become a better Hunter, a better fighter. The girl that I trust with my life." I stopped for a moment, recollecting my thoughts.

"But you, for better or worse, always stuck by my side. You always trusted me, even when I broke that trust. You kept reaching out to me when I didn't deserve it. Whenever I was down, you gave me some advice to deal with my problems. Maybe it's because of your optimism, maybe it's because that's just the way who are, but you were always there to help me become a better person." I took in a long breath.

"I think I'm just rambling at this point, so let me say this: I trust you know what you're doing, just like you've always trusted me. I don't know if your mother's alive, nor can I hope to prove otherwise. After what I've seen, I'm not too sure. But as your friend, I will take your word for it."

She smiled at the response. "Thanks, Jaune. It means so much to me that you believe in me." I didn't say a word. Ruby might possibly be telling more of the truth than she realizes. My eyes glanced through the window. The white fabric I saw earlier had disappeared from sight. Maybe she is talking to her mom. I don't think she's lying about that. Nora's words came back to mind. But if what she said was true, and that I could see ghosts— How would Ruby react? What would she do if she realizes she's seeing her mom's ghost?

"Hey, Jaune?" I looked up at her, her question breaking me out of my thoughts. "Going off-topic, don't you play the guitar?"

"Oh, that old thing. Yeah, but I think you remember my past performances." I let out a chuckle, rubbing the back of my head as blood rushed to my cheeks. "I'm not exactly a master at it. Why do you ask?"

Ruby sat up on the bed. Now it's her turn to let out a nervous laugh. "Well, there's this tune in my head that I remember from my dream. A tune played using the Spanish guitar. I've been kinda obsessed with figuring out where it came from." The girl tapped her index fingers together. "I mean, you know how to play a bit of the guitar, so I was wondering if you can try to transcribe it for me."

"… Okay, I guess I have some spare time. I think we have enough mission prepping. Could you move over?" She complied with my request, hopping off and stepping away. I got down on my knees as I rummaged under my bed, my hands swiping at nothing but air. "Where is it? I know I kept it in here— aha!" My fingers wrapped around a handle covered in leather. With a firm tug, a black leather guitar case slid out. My deft fingers popped it open, revealing a simple wooden acoustic guitar inside.

"I don't know a lot about music theory," I admitted, pulling the instrument from its casing. "Just enough to write some basic songs. You're going to have to sing the note as best as possible." I twisted some of the knobs, strumming once in a while to check my tuning. "It's going to be a long and boring process, but we'll just have to manage. How good is your singing voice?"

"Uh, not so good." She fidgeted in place, looking uncomfortable. "I think the best way Yang could describe my singing is the sound of a dying Grimm on helium."

Oh. Okay then. "… Yeah, that's fine. As long as you can hit the general note. I'll just keep playing notes until we hit the right one." My eyes glanced at the clock. "It's around 1:20 right now, so let's start!" I'm screaming internally as I heard her first note. Ruby wasn't kidding. I winced. This is not going to be fun.

* * *

A quiet hum left my throat as I walked through the hallways of the student dormitory. Normally it would be the last place any Headmaster would want to be caught at. Accusations of teacher-student affairs were becoming all too common these days. However, I like to keep in touch with my students. After all, in a few scant years, they will become my peers. Why not make lifelong acquaintances as soon as possible? And besides, students like to see a more down to earth kind of authority figure, someone who's willing to take the time to see to their needs personally.

I nodded to the few who passed me in my walk, They, in turn, gave whispers of acknowledgment. A smile climbed across my face. Another reason I like being around the students. Even if it's out of respect, it helps me stay grounded in my work, to be able to see that I have an effect on people's lives. Too many Huntsmen and Huntresses forget their purpose, that they have a role to play in the world after years and years of tragedy. These children remind me why I'm still teaching at Beacon. It helped boost my confidence in my ability to lead them, that I'm doing the right thing. I am still a guardian to these people, no matter how they think of me.

Every step I made was followed by the distinct tap of my cane. I took a glance at my watch. Almost 6:00. I'll finish up this trip around the dormitories before heading back to complete more paperwork. One of the doors is open, with one of team CRDL standing on the door frame. I believe it was Dove Bronzewing, if I remember their names correctly. He smiled and waved at me. I nodded my head in his direction as I passed him. "Mr. Bronzewing."

To think of the potential that these students have realized in their two semesters here! Even team CRDL, who've I heard gained an infamous reputation in the past semester, grew to become better people, better teammates, and most importantly, better Huntsmen. I took a sip from my mug, letting the rich coffee soothe my taste buds. And to think that the person who organized this change is none other than Jaune Arc.

Ah, Mr. Arc. The name resonated in my head. One of the few individuals that had mountains of potential. He might not be strong physically, but his mental strength, willpower, and his sheer tenacity proved to sway my decision. To attempt and try to cheat his way into the school, with no Aura or training, now that impressed me. Few people would go that far for a dream, especially one they haven't trained for. I can see it in his eyes during his interview.

I remember it like it was yesterday. The boy sat in front of a mass-produced desk in a cheap plastic chair, with me behind it. His answers were complete garbage, all lies and cover up stories. I knew that from the moment he submitted his application. And his voice was shaky, unsure, submissive. But I remember the answer to one question. It was about why they wanted to join Beacon. One of the biggest deciding factors in determining personality, values, and whatnot. It also helped me with deciding how to assign teams later on, which is nice.

The answer I expected was a brag about accomplishments, strength, smartness. It could also be an emotional plea to the idea of becoming a Hunter. I've seen many of those kinds of people. But Mr. Arc, he decided to say that he wanted to become more than himself.

When I asked why, he told me about his family lineage, one I am more than knowledgeable in. But in his eyes, I saw the admiration he showed to his family name, the shame of not living up to the family name. His eyes revealed a simple wish: to live not for himself and his dreams, but for others. He might not be good with words, but he's honest with his heart. I've expected as much from an Arc. Despite all of that, I made the decision to bring him in over several arguments with Glynda.

He has yet to disappoint me. His growth as a Hunter is beyond impressive. While he's still considered lower tier in terms of Hunter skill, his growth from zero combat experience to now exceeded my expectations. In terms of leadership, he has blossomed to be capable. I've seen the initial plans he submitted to me about tomorrow's mission. Strong tactical sense for a first-year student.

Speaking of which, I glanced at a simple wooden door coming up. This is his team's dorm room. He came in my office for a briefing this morning. As much as I want to pop in for a surprise visit, I think the other students won't appreciate any kind of favoritism. So, I walked pass by, not expecting much. A couple of steps later, I jerked up when I heard a terrible wail coming from inside their dorm. I froze in my tracked, pivoting towards the door. Was that an attempt at singing? That sounded like the wail of a Nevermore who smashed into a glass window. I chuckled at the memory. Never gets old, even after so many years.

But the screech sounded like Ms. Rose. Didn't she go to the nurse's office a couple of weeks ago? I found it interesting that she managed to recover in time for the mission. Even with our modern medical procedures, she should still be in bed. It's a miracle within itself that she's up and running. Reminds me of days long past… I waved the thought aside. What's important is the present.

What is she doing inside JNPR's room? I looked at the coffee remaining in my mug. The surface of the brew reached the halfway point in the mug. It's a shame. I'll savor it next time. With a single swig, I chugged down the rest of the brew and wiped the rim of the glass. It hasn't been a second, and I already miss the sweet aroma. I placed the mug on the door frame and placed my ear on top, listening in.

"Ruby, are you sure that note sounded like that?" The voice sounded like Mr. Arc. "It kinda sounds off compared to the rest of the song."

"No, no! I'm sure it sounded like that! The note lingered for a bit, just like that!" And that is Ms. Rose.

"Really? Okay, so maybe this?" He strummed a note that resembled the off-key note Ms. Rose sang.

"It was a bit higher than that!"

"How about this?" Another note was plucked, a couple of keys higher than the previous one.

"Hmm… maybe like a half note higher?"

Yet another note, soon accompanied by her cheering. "Yeah! That's the one!" Now, what were they doing in there? My curiosity peaked to new heights. Were they composing a song? Well, it's time to find out.

I removed the cup from the door and rapped it on the wooden door. The conversation became a lot more audible from outside.

"Who was that?" Ruby asked.

"Probably one of my teammates. I guess we'll pack it up, just let me get the door—" The blonde boy pulled the door open, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of me. "Professor Ozpin?!"

"Good evening, Mr. Arc," I greeted. From the corner of my eye, I noted an acoustic guitar laying on the bed. I nodded at the girl inside. "And good evening to you, Ms. Rose. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I heard something going on in here, and my curiosity couldn't help it. Are you composing something, by any chance?"

"Yes sir, Ruby just wanted me to transcribe something she heard." Mr. Arc started stammering. "If we're being too loud, we can stop—"

"There's no need for that." I held up his hand, interrupting his sentence. "If anything, I'm interested in what you're working on." I gestured towards the room. "May I come in?"

"Yes! Sure!" The blonde boy stepped to the side, allowing me to stride in.

"So, Mr. Arc, Ms. Rose." I leaned on one of the sides of the walls. "How much of it do you have done so far?"

"Well, I think we managed to have roughly half of it," Jaune started, plopping down onto his chair. "We've been working on it for quite some time." The boy grabbed and fiddled around with his guitar. "Just to let you know, it's still a work in progress."

I shifted my weight. "Well, I don't mind that. Just play what you have right now."

"Okay." He strummed the guitar a couple of times before going into the main song. It was fairly simple in terms of composition. There's little usage of proper chords, instead focusing on playing single notes for dramatic effect. The performance was slow and methodical, each note carefully plucked. There was a hint of wistfulness, almost melancholic. Like a yearning for something, or someone. It wasn't so bad so far. To think they managed to get this much in this amount of time, from the singing of a tone-deaf person, no less.

Mr. Arc paused for a moment before switching gears, playing a faster beat. The performance was more frantic, more action paced, like a Huntress in combat. The sadness of the previous part was gone, replaced with feelings of excitement, movement, energy. There's something familiar about this piece. I don't recall hearing it before, but it still manages to catch the core emotions of some person. Maybe it was a former student. Who was it? In the background, Ms. Rose smiled and rocked back and forth with the music. Ah. Now I remember.

And just as it reached a crescendo, Jaune stopped, slapping his hand on the strings to stop the vibrations. "That's it. That's all we have so far," he stated, putting the guitar to his side. I have a polite applause to the boy, tapping my mug against my cane.

"That was a marvelous performance," I praised. He beamed at the compliment. "Even though you said it was a work in progress, I can't help but applaud you for how well you played it. And you said that the song is Ms. Rose's?" He nodded. "If so, I have to applaud you as well, dear." I smiled at the girl on the bed. "Not a lot of songs these days can evoke emotion so well. What did you intend on naming the song?"

"Oh, um, I didn't really get the chance to name it." She chuckled. "It was something just bouncing around in my head."

"Well, it should have a name. Names give meaning to everything. From us Remnans to every object we know of, a name gives purpose and meaning to something that would otherwise be forgotten."

"Huh, I never really thought of it that way." She hummed for a moment, kicking her feet on the side of the mattress. Ms. Rose perked up as an idea hit her. "How about… Red Like Roses?"

"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful song," I smiled. I know the white figure floating behind her had a crescent grin as well. I got back up to a standing position, looking at my watch. "Well, I have to take my leave now. I still have my duties to fulfill." I started out of the door, before stopping and looking back. "Oh, and you two? Do show me Red Like Roses when you're done. I'm interested in hearing how it ends." They nodded. The ghostly figure disappeared from sight. "Until then, have a good evening."

I continued my walk down the dormitory hallways. Now that was an interesting turn of events. I read the reports of Ms. Rose's hallucinations, how she's been imagining that Summer Rose is still alive. They're both right and wrong, in a sense. But to think the arrow chose her… that means something's going on with Salem. What is she plotting this time? To think somebody would go so far as to awaken more users… I might need to get back into the game. Stand back up for the sake of the Remnan race. I swung my cane back and forth, humming the slow opening verse of Summer's song as I made my way back to my office.

* * *

Before we knew it, the day of the mission arrived. I stood with teams RWBY and JNPR as we waited for the Bullheads to pick us up, checking Crocea Mors' slicing edge. My team was their usual selves. Nora bounced around Ren as she loaded grenade shells into Magnhild, counting them as they slid in. That sent a shiver down my spine. The boy and green ignored her antics, instead taking a lotus seating position and meditating. Pyrrha looked down the edge of Milo, checking the weapon for imperfections. Her eyes remained focused, ready for the mission to come.

Team RWBY in comparison was on edge. Weiss loaded her rapier with various Dust vials. However, every moment was stiffer than usual. One time she fumbled placing a red Dust vial in, nearly shrieking as she snatched it in mid-air. Blake kept her weapons on her back, twirling the ribbon tied to the handle of the katana in her fingers. Her eyes flickered around in time with her bow. The brawler focused on loading her shotgun gauntlets, loading each clip carefully instead of slapping them in. They all gave wary glances once in awhile to their team leader.

Ruby doesn't seem to notice her teammates staring at her in concern, humming Red Like Roses as she slapped the magazine into Crescent Rose. With a firm tap, she chambered a bullet before unfolding the weapon. The sniper rifle clicked as the scythe blade popped out. The silver metal contrasted against the chrome red body, gleaming at anything that would stand in its way. She ran a finger down the side of the blade. "We're going to be hunting soon," Ruby cooed at the gun scythe. "Just you wait, my sweetheart."

I resisted the urge to jerk back in fear. The scene would be more creepy if Ruby's affection towards her scythe wasn't well known amongst her friends. If anything, I find it kinda quirky. But then again, don't we all have our quirks? Helps define us as individuals. I took a step forward, turning to face the sister teams.

"So we remember the plan, right?" I asked the group, checking once more that Crocea Mors is ready for battle before sheathing it. They nodded.

"It's just like you said. RWBY takes the Griffin nest, while JNPR faces the Ursa nest." Ruby recited it like it was nothing. "Service in the peninsula is going to be spotty at best due to a malfunctioning CCT repeater, so I'll serve as a messenger once she takes down the Griffin nest. The rest of team RWBY will look for and replace the repeater in order to bring service back."

"And we know our positions in dealing with the Ursai!" Nora piped up, saluting me for no apparent reason. "Don't worry about us, fearless leader! The Ursai are as good as dead!"

I nodded. "That's good." A pair of whooshing noises cut into the air, stopping everybody from speaking any further. My eyes flew towards the roaring vehicles. "And there's our ride!" I shouted, watching as the two Bullheads landed. "Happy hunting to you, team RWBY!"

"And to you too!" Ruby waved as her team piled into their Bullhead. "We'll see you down in Forever Fall!"

We waved at each other as team JNPR climbed into our own Bullhead. The last things we saw of each other were our grinning faces as the doors slammed shut. I strapped into the Bullhead and took a long breath in. This is going to be a rough ride.

"Jaune?" My partner finished fastening her seat belts and looked at me. "Do you want to take some motion sickness medication? I have some right here." She pulled out a white pill bottle and shook it around, gaining my attention.

I shook my head. "Normally I would, but not today. We're only traveling ten minutes away at most. The pills will take too long for them to be effective. Besides, they make me drowsy anyways." I took in another breath. The Bullhead hasn't even launched off yet, and I could feel my stomach churning. "Last thing I need when I'm fighting Grimm." Everyone on in my team gave me a wary look. "What? Don't worry, I didn't eat anything before this! The worst that could happen is dry heaving and nausea!" They relaxed a little at that.

My stomach dropped as the Bullhead took off. My head started to spin as the ship stopped flying up and started moving to our drop off location. Uh, this is not going well. "Guys, talk to me," I gagged. "Say something, anything to keep my mind off of my nausea."

"What was Ruby doing in our room yesterday?" Ren piped up.

"You're already hitting me with the hard questions?" I sighed. She did slip out right as the rest of JNPR came back. "She had a song stuck in her head, and wanted me to transcribe it on paper."

"Oh, that's it?" Nora asked.

"We also talked about today's mission, but yeah, that's the gist of it." My stomach protested, threatening to send the empty contents up my throat. I curled down into a ball, moaning. Pyrrha rubbed the back of my neck. It helps a little, but not by much. "Something else, talk to me about something else." I flicked my wrist in a circular pattern, gesturing to them to keep talking.

"... Do you think we might find something awesome and cool in the Forever Forest?" Nora hopped in her seat. "Oh wait! Isn't that the place where we got the red sap for Professor Peach? Hey Jaune, once we're done, do you think that we can go around and tap more trees? I might need another batch to replace the missing syrup that I didn't totally consume for myself." Her blue eyes glanced back and forth at us, as if daring us to say otherwise.

"Don't think so, Nora," I wheezed. "It's illegal to tap trees in the forests. It is a protected national park, after all. The only reason why we tapped the trees for Peach was for research purposes. We just took the extra sap. And remember:" I pointed a thumb at myself. "This person's allergic to red sap."

She whined. "Aww, but Jauney—"

"Sorry, Nora. But no red sap for today. Maybe during one of our vacations, I'll ask the Headmaster for a permit to extract red sap." The hyperactive girl piped up at that.

"Really?"

"Yep. An Arc doesn't go back on their word, remember? Guys, you're doing a great job, ask something else." My nausea came back with a vengeance, causing me to dry heave again. "How long has it been since we left?"

Ren looked at his scroll. "Apparently, two minutes." I paled at that. This is going to be a long ride.

* * *

I ran my fingers over my crimson scythe as we flew to the peninsula in silence. The rest of the team was either looking out of the window or staring at the floor of the airship, waiting for the action to start. This was always the worst part for me, the anticipation. The actual hunting's easy. It's the silence that makes you worry, makes you think about all of the ways it could go wrong. That doubt could be the life or death factor.

We all have ways of trying to beat back the silence. Blake read one of her novels, as usual. Yang had ear buds sitting on her ears. Loud rock music blared from the speakers, so loud I can hear it from the other side of the Bullhead. Weiss fiddled around with the chambers of Myrtenaster, making sure the vents leading out of the sword were clear from any debris. For me, it was checking each rivet and crevice of my baby.

It looks like every bolt is in their place. A quick peek of my scroll shows our landing zone approaching. I attached Crescent Rose to its mag holster on my back and glanced up at my teammates. One by one, they met my eyes. Yang tapped on her scroll and pulled out the earbuds.

"Team RWBY! We're a minute away from our landing zone! Due to the population of Griffin we'll be facing, we'll be doing a high altitude jump. We'll take down as much of the Griffins in the air as possible, before landing and storming the nest!" Every single one of them had a look of concern in their eyes just for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "We've been training at Beacon to fight Grimm! This is our moment to shine! Do a cheer with me!"

"Yeah!" We all said in unison, throwing her arms up. Smiles ran across all of their faces as I felt the adrenaline kick in. Just then, the side doors opened, revealing the open sky. I looked out. Dozens of Griffin fluttered below us. We're outside of their range by around ten or so meters. I looked up to see the JNPR Bullhead pass by. Here's to a good hunt, guys.

"Come on, team RWBY!" I yelled, activating my Semblance. With that, I zoomed out of the Bullhead. I flew in the air as I grasped my weapon. "Banzai!"

"Banzai!" The other three members shot out of the vehicle, following my lead. Gravity yanked down on me as Crescent Rose folded out into its war scythe form. I gripped my weapon as I soared down towards the ground, point facing the flying horde below us. One of the Griffin were approaching closer and closer… now!

I shifted Crescent Rose into its original form just as the tip stabbed into the Griffin's back. Instead of piercing through it, the blade hooked into the beast, sticking firmly and stopping my fall. The bird shrieked as it fluttered down due to the extra weight. It recovered, regaining some altitude before realizing that I was hanging on to it. Once its situation became clear, it started twirling in the air in a dive. Both hands grasped tightly on the shaft of the scythe as my body was yanked with it. Oh no, you don't! You're not throwing me off today!

In response, I threw my body in the opposite direction. That managed to cancel the Griffin's spin, forcing to fly straight down instead of a spiral. I grabbed a tuft of its fur as I climbed onto its back, letting out a heavy grunt.

From the corner of my eye, I saw everybody else land on their own Griffins and started wrecking havoc. Yang wrapped one of her arms around her Grimm's neck and fired at the others with her free hand, causing mass confusion amongst the horde. Blake took a more surgical approach, focusing on slicing one monster into ribbons before jumping to the next. My partner did a great job in bouncing from target to target, skewering them in the neck before creating another glyph to fire off again. It was a sight to behold.

But it's not fair if they get to have all of the fun. I wrapped my finger on the trigger as I aimed the barrel of Crescent Rose. "Bye bye, birdy," I whispered as I squeezed the trigger. The .50 caliber shot out with an ear-shattering boom, blasting the Grimm's head off and showering me with ichor. There's no time to think, as its death marked its final descent to the ground. I unhooked Crescent Rose and rode the Griffin down like a surfboard, glancing around for any attempt of retaliation.

It came in the form of another creature of Grimm, who dive bombed me in the hopes for revenge. I watched as it cawed at me, maw open as to swallow me whole. One swing of my baby flew at the bird, slicing its wing clean in two. Without its right wing, the bird veered off course, missing me by a good meter or so. I took a deep breath in as I saw the ground coming up. The wind smacked me in the face as I stood up on top of the dead Griffin. I could see the nest some distance away from my current location.

I breathed out as I pushed off of the Grimm, sending its corpse away from me. The move put me back on course to the location of the nest. Twenty or so Griffins laid on their dug up patch of dirt resting, unaware of the anarchy to come. I'm not going to let them attack the city of Vale. I moved the blade towards my back, readying my next strike.

I landed on both feet at an angle, sliding past a pair of the creatures on the loose dirt at supersonic speeds. My scythe was extended forwards in front of me. Moments later, the twin Griffins had their heads fall down to the ground. The headless monsters flopped to their side, rousing the rest of the pack. Every single one of them looked up and screeched, raising to their feet to challenge me. Three other thuds sounded from behind me. I don't need to look back to know who it is.

"Yang, Weiss, stay back and handle any swoopers. Blake, you're with me." The black feathers of the Griffins contrasted deeply with the red of the Forever Fall trees. I swung the curved blade, sending the ichor on it off into the dirt. With the foul fluids off, I spun Crescent Rose around, ending with me slamming the hilt into the ground. I flicked my cloak into the air, making myself look bigger, like a hero. I gave the monsters a huge grin. "Let's take this nest down!"

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 2/17/17**

* * *

 **Before I get to more general announcements, I want to give an opinion on something that happened this week, particularly the 2nd year anniversary of Monty's death. A general retrospective of sorts. Go ahead and skip this if you want. It's just going to be me rambling.**

 **I think it was middle school or so when I found Dead Fantasy, a popular video series of his. I was a big fan of Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts and all that, so when I saw the series, I decided to give it a try. It blew my mind. The animation is just sheer brilliance, especially considering he used Poser the whole entire time. That is an achievement to be sure. I loved his animations so much, when I heard he worked on RvB, I gave it a second chance. Before, I didn't really like Roosterteeth and RvB. I hated the idea of machinima. It felt too limited in scope, and I thought the humor is hit or miss at best. I only truly started liking RvB when Monty came on and brought something I did like: cool action scenes. Because he kept me watching RvB, I finally gained an appreciation for the better qualities of the show. Because of him, I changed my mind about the show. Then he announced he was creating RWBY, and I hopped on to this fandom.**

 **What impressed me about Monty was his ability to work around limitations. I always considered Poser to be a terrible program for animation. To me, I felt that what it offered was just too limited to work with. When I dabbled in 3D animation, I quickly decided that Poser wasn't good for me. But he managed to just make it work. He took something that's suboptimal for what he wanted to make and created a legacy. I also admired his dedication. Monty always seemed to throw himself at everything he was passionate about, and add a ton of detail. There are few people I know who can work with something unconventional and create such great works at the same time. He will be missed.**

* * *

 **So I looked through the list for RWBY x JoJo crossovers, and I realized that at least three of them share the same name as mine. For the sake of clarity, I added a subtitle to differentiate my fic with others. Also made a minor adjustment to the cover image to reflect that. Hope that didn't confuse too many people.**

 **Also, I'm looking for a beta reader to stay on for the long haul. So far all of my betas came from me asking the Discord channel. lochmere is a great beta reader, especially for the last two chapters. I would prefer to have two people looking through my work, however. If you're interested, PM me.**

 **Now with that done, time for review responses!**

 **greenscoop1: Once again, thank you for making note about the date formatting. That was something I didn't think through while I was writing the A/N. As for the actual review, thank you for the compliment about the delusion aspect. One of the things I loved in JoJo that I find to be so underutilized was the interactions between Stand users and non-Stand users. I loved Hayato in Part 4. By far one of the most useful members of the Duwang cast, and he's not even a Stand user! I want to try and have more of those moments, where Stand and non-Stand user can interact with each other. And as for your observation, let's just say the upcoming arc will reveal her Stand ability.**

 **Paradox the Ruler: Oh, sire, serious Nora is not one to be trifled with. I don't know a scarier person besides for electrified Nora. Or Nora on a sugar high. Or Nora with her hammer. I think I'm just scared of Nora in general. I can only comply with your request for a new chapter, unfortunately. I hope this chapter may be to the sire's liking.**

 **Thaqif: Can you clarify what you mean by "its own bizarre complication?" I'm assuming you meant compilation. In that regard, yes. All of the Stand abilities are going to be ones that I came up with myself, aside for one. Who it is I'll save until the reveal. I plan on using multiple villains for the gang to fight, so I guess Villain of the Week can describe the story's format. The answers to the last two questions will be revealed soon and soonish, respectively.**

 **Slen D. Man: Thank you for the comment! The slow ramp up is actually inspired by Parts 4 and 6 of JoJo. Slower beginning, but will ramp up to the bizarre. We're going to start delving into that soon.**

 **Anyways, enjoy a brand new February, and I'll see you in the next update!**

 _ **Next Release Date: February 17, 2017**_


	4. Grimm Oddity

**A/N: Hey, everybody! Man, that was one hell of a finale for RWBY! The battle against the Nuckelavee was awesome, the Renora is real, characters are finally moving towards Mistral where the story can finally pick up. While I didn't like the pacing of V4 (I personally think that four more episodes a la V1 would help squeeze in the screentime needed to flesh out the characters), CRWBY did a good job with this volume. Pretty good considering how they had to make V4 while moving buildings. So without further ado, welcome to the hiatus! Just in time for my story plot to really kick in!**

* * *

 **Unfortunately, didn't get a beta to look through my work this week. Everyone's too busy. Again, if anyone wants to beta for me, whether it's because you want to help or you just want an early peek at the new chapter, just PM me or leave me a review. Anything to catch my attention. But anyways, enough out of me. Into the new chapter we go!**

 **EDIT March 3, 2017: Fixed up a bit of dialogue/monologue as well as touched upon a scene.**

* * *

Ren stared at me with concern as he stepped off of the Bullhead. "You okay there, Jaune?"

His words were drowned out by my gasps. It felt like the ground was spinning below my feet. "Yeah, I just need a moment to get my breath back," I answered, holding back a retch. My body keeled over to rest on dusty stone. It felt like my stomach was ready to give up on me. At least I didn't throw up in the Bullhead. That's an improvement to the beginning of the year. I pushed myself back to a sitting position and wiped my forehead. "Whew, I've gotten better at dealing with the motion sickness."

The Bullhead rested on a rocky clearing on the tip of the peninsula. I could see a sea of blue span across the entire horizon. Sunlight from the morning sun reflected off of the water, creating a light show of red and orange for everyone to see. A light breeze brought the scent of salt to my nose, further drowning out the terrible feeling of dizziness as well as sending my messy hair flowing back. It's a beautiful sight I wished everyone could see.

This part of the peninsula contrasted greatly from the Forever Fall. The ground right below the trees was completely littered with red leaves. I don't think anyone can take a step without the leaves crackling under their feet. In comparison, the rocky terrain we're on is barren. The only things that grew on the cliffs were some long patches of white flowers. I plucked a bud out from the ground and inspected it. The stem's firm yet thorny, like a rose. I tossed the blooming plant off of the cliff and watched its descent. Its bud shattered into individual petals in the middle of the air and they floated down to mix with the seawater below. As they touched the water, I let my mind wander in thought.

There was an old folktale about this place my Grandma liked to say to me. She stated how the Forever Fall was a place where two lovers used to meet, back when it was less of a forest and just a single tree. This cliff was their favorite spot. Back before the city of Vale, when everybody still struggled to survive, the couple would travel to the tree and just look into the sea, listening to the song of the wind.

It wouldn't stay happy like that for long. One of them died to the Grimm. An Ursa smashed the boy's head off on that cliff. His blood stained the grass and the leaves of the tree crimson. The story says that the forest is red because of that event. The other, wanting to join her partner in the afterlife, threw herself off of the cliff. After this happened, the gods looked at this event with pity, and created a batch of white flowers on the cliff side, to represent their pure white love in the sea of red. The thorns were placed to ward off the animals that wanted to take away their love. It's a tragic story.

I shook my head as I pushed the thought out of my mind. Now's not the time to think about folklore, Jaune! Get a hold of yourself! I pushed myself back to a standing position. My feet were still a bit wobbly from nausea, but it will do for now. I activated my shield and raised it up. "Come on Ren. The Ursa pack should be around here somewhere."

I nodded towards the landed Bullhead. The pilot waved back and took off, flying towards the safe zone. With our ride gone, it was now just Ren and me on this cliff. Nora and Pyrrha were already deep within the peninsula, pushing the Ursa back. Time to do our part in the mission. "Stay behind me, and watch for any Grimm trying to flank us," I ordered as I started my slow crawl into the forest. I stopped right at the border between the two environments. "Sense anything, Ren?"

He closed his eyes and focused for a moment. "It's a fairly unpopulated area," he muttered. "There's five, no six figures southeast from here. I can make out some big, burly crunching sounds. Very clumsy steps." He opened his eyes to look at the trees. "There's minor damage to the bottom branches of the tree, but that's it. Likely a small pod of Ursai prowling the area for food."

"Alright, then." I glanced at a trunk of another tree species. Unlike the rest of the firm trunks of the trees around it, this one was thinner with more wiry branches. Instead of the normal single leaves of the trees around us, these leaves were more fern-like than anything. A smile crawled up my face. If I'm right, I think I know what kind of tree this is.

"Ren?" The boy turned over to me. The flat of my sword tapped at the trunk. "I think we got lucky. I might be wrong, but this looks like an Ailanthus."

The boy nodded as he kneeled down to inspect it. "That's right. A unique strain of the Ailanthus tree, local only to the Forever Fall." He hesitated for a moment. "What are you planning to do with it?"

"You know how bad the bark smells to Ursai when it's lit on fire?" I jammed the sword into the ancient wood, splitting the bark from the trunk. The tree cracked as I yanked the rough wood off. "I'm thinking we start a small fire here. That'll push the rest of the Ursai into the forest, where they'll run into the girls. Wouldn't take them long to deal with the beasts." Ren let out a hum of acknowledgment.

"Good plan, Jaune. That should push the majority of them away from this cliffside." Before long, I had a pile of decent sized chunks. I licked my finger and raised it in the air. Wind's moving towards the mainland, and pretty fast, too. Perfect. The boy went up to me. "What do you want me to do?"

"Ren, when I'm ready, I want you to set this on fire," I stated as I made a tent formation out of the removed bark a couple of meters back. I started scooping up the leaves lying on the ground and threw them into the makeshift fire pit. "We can smoke this pod out, push them inwards, and then we make our push." He nodded in agreement.

I threw in the last batch of leaves. "Alright, it's all you now." Ren stepped towards the tipi formation I made, jerking out one of his Stormflowers. Deft hands unloaded the weapon and chambered a bullet tinted red instead of silver. With the squeeze of a trigger, a burst of fire flew towards the pile, igniting the leaves ablaze. The flames quickly overtook the wood, causing it to crackle and pop as embers flew out into the sky. Black smoke started spewing into the forest.

A quick whiff caused me to recoil. "Whew! That's a bad smell! Well, now I guess we wait a couple of minutes for the smoke to set in. Ren, go ahead and sit down. Do some meditating. I'll make sure the fire doesn't go overboard. We don't to end up with a burning Forever Fall." He gave me a chuckle. I sat down in front of the fire, watching the leaves char and burn up before falling apart into ash.

* * *

The four of us girls stood in a circle with our backs pressed against each other. Crescent Rose rested in my hands as I surveyed the situation. Several severed limbs dissolved around us as the Griffin pack continued to circle us with caution. Many of them were getting wary, given that they wore clipped wings or sliced off tails as battle injuries. One of them even hobbled on three limbs. I think that one was Blake's fault. The sky started to brighten up, now that the majority of the Griffins were grounded. The rising sunlight shined down on the ruined nest, illuminating us in the center.

The Griffins screeched at our continued survival. They looked furious, ready to pounce and rip us apart. They don't know what they're about to get into. "There's around twelve or so left," I muttered, checking that a bullet is chambered into Crescent Rose. "I don't suppose we can take on three each and then call it a day?"

"Fine, little sis." Yang grinned as she wiped her chin, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was definitely feeling the adrenaline pumping through her. "But I still intend on getting the highest kill count! Don't cry when I have to swoop in and save your butts!" She pounced for a cluster of three, firing off a couple of rounds to group them up. "These are mine!"

Weiss called out, "I have the few trying to escape!" A couple of chunks of ice flew into the sky following her call, nailing a creature of Grimm in mid-air. Blake said nothing, leaving a shadow where she used to be. A dive-bombing Griffin pierced through the figure a second later, dispersing the illusion. It squawked in confusion before collapsing. The faunus' falling form landed on its neck as her katana shattered its beak, sending bits of it flying.

"Two left," she noted as she followed up by decapitating its head. Smoke fizzled from the open stub as the muscles loosened up. Blake stepped off of the beast before running out of our circle to find more Grimm.

"So I guess it's just you and me now, right Weiss?" I laughed as I turned to view my partner pressing against my back.

"Just keep your eyes open. Believe it or not, I do have to focus when I use glyphs." She rolled her eyes. "Didn't you say that you were going to take three Griffins of your own?" My eyes glanced forwards, revealing an angry Griffin charging me. In a flash, Crescent Rose whistled as it sliced through the air, cutting the rampaging monster in half from the bottom up. A slight twist in my wrist changed my cutting direction so that instead of hitting Weiss behind me, the tip smashed into the ground a couple of meters to her right. The two halves of the Griffin separated as it flew past us, covering us with its ichor. A smile formed under the black fluid as it dissolved off of me.

I clicked my tongue in satisfaction. "You were saying?" Weiss rolled her eyes even harder at the comment, flicking as much of the substance off of her ponytail as possible.

"... Just take care of the rest." She went back to firing at the airborne Griffin. Two more creatures of Grimm bounded towards me, stopping a couple of meters out of my blade's range. Both of them had holes or cuts in their wings. In fact, one of them lost a part of their tail. They stared at me with pure hatred, growling and snapping at Weiss and I. With a single tug, I yanked Crescent Rose out from the ground. The blade gleamed in the sunlight. I held it so that the blade hung right behind me, ready to counter any of their movements.

These monsters had gotten warier of us. Instead of trying to leap at us, they stayed back at a distance, pacing just outside of my scythe's range. Now that just won't do. Crescent Rose folded into its sniper rifle form. I took quick aim before launching a sniper round. The bullet blasted one of them in the skull, causing it to recoil in shock. It didn't do too much, considering the round bounced off of its bony armor before it could do any real damage.

However, it did its job in baiting as the other Griffon, smelling an opportunity, snaked to my side before lunging. It made a fatal mistake. My body twisted to face the charging monster. My Semblance shot me forwards as Crescent Rose's thorn popped back out, hooking the beast mid-air. It screeched as it got caught flying backwards with the blade cutting into its throat. With a single press of the trigger, my baby barked, slicing through the Griffin's neck within moments.

I didn't stay around to admire my handiwork, spinning my body one-eighty degrees so that I faced the stunned Griffin. Another burst of my Semblance launched me towards it. The monster looked up and let out a cry as I made my swing. Its cry for help was silenced as the tip of the scythe pierced through one of its glowing eyeballs, exiting from the other end of the head. The light faded away in its eyes as I yanked my weapon out of its skull.

"Team RWBY, how's everything going?" I yelled out, glancing around the field of uprooted dirt. My sister was going one v. one against a Griffin. Blake had a bit more on her hands, trying to fend off against two of the flying creatures. Weiss gave a glance at me as the last ice bolt struck the sole remaining flyer, sending it crashing into the earth.

"There's no more airborne Griffin, Ruby," the white haired girl pointed out. "It's all ground fighting from here."

"Go ahead and support Blake." I pointed towards the faunus girl. "She's going to need some Dust support."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Also support Blake, but from a distance." My sniper rifle formed back within my hands. "Scythes aren't exactly friendly towards teammates." My partner nodded, before running to help support Blake. I raised the scope right to my eyes. The girl in black held up fairly well, using dual blades and a lot of shadow dodging to stay alive so far. Her odds will get even better once Weiss joins her. But to be absolutely sure…

The crosshairs landed on one of the Griffin's limbs. They say that one of the hardest shots for a sniper to land is the head. It's a very small target that is well protected. Although I do agree with those points, I've thought that a body part even harder to hit is the legs, especially in creatures of Grimm. Because their movement is erratic, and they move often, shooting a Grimm in the limb is an achievement. Besides, why would anybody shoot a Grimm to stop it in its tracks? It's better to kill it.

But hey, Blake still needs two kills. I can't deny that to her. The Griffin I'm sighted on paused for a moment as it readied itself to screech. Crescent Rose roared as it spat out a bullet, piercing the monster's upper leg and forcing it to collapse to the floor. Blake, up on a tree, took advantage of this, jumping down and swinging her blades at the nape of its neck. A solid chunk flew off of its neck as it lost control of its body. The other Griffin backed away and glanced around to see where the shot came from.

It howled in pain out of nowhere, causing me to flinch. It turned around to see Weiss with Myrtenaster through its thigh. It hissed at the heiress, raising its paw to put her in place. Slender claws sprang out, ready to rip her apart. Before it could do so, it found a katana piercing through its throat. Blake sat on top of it, straining to push the blade through a couple more inches. Its eyes rolled back as it made one last pitiful move to hurt my teammate. The monster fell in silence, missing Weiss by a meter.

"Ruby, is that it?" Blake called out as she ripped the blade from its meaty sheath. I glanced around the area with the scope. No Grimm in sight. A smile crawled over my face.

"It seems like it!" I yelled back. "Yang, did you deal with your last Griffin?" My sister popped out from behind one of the dissolving corpses and waved at me.

"Yep! I don't see any more of them! That's a job well done!" She slapped her hands together, dusting them off.

"It's a bit early to celebrate, Yang! We still have to find the repeater and replace it!" I yelled. "Team RWBY, form on me!"

As they made their way to the center of the ruined nest, I caught a foul scent in my nose. It reminded me of burning rubber. I pinched my nose, wincing at the smell. The rest of the girls seemed to notice it too. Their faces scrunched off in disgust.

"Whew! Jeez, what's with this foul odor?" Yang waved her hand in front of her face as she walked into the circle. "That is some bad stuff! Is anybody burning something around here?"

"It would be bad if we happened to have a forest fire now of all times." Blake glanced at the generous amount of leaves on the ground. "This is a tinderbox ready to explode."

"We don't have time to worry about that," I coughed. "We need to find where the repeater is." I glanced at a map installed into my scroll. Without any service, there's no indication of where we are. It's simply a picture of a map. "North is currently behind me, but there appears to be some giant metallic antennas we can use as reference points…" My mind started to doze off at the boring details. "Umm…" Yeah, I'm not good at this. "Weiss, can you figure out where we are?" I shoved my scroll into her hands, much to her displeasure. She still did as she was asked, glancing up occasionally to note any potential landmarks.

My partner let out a cough. The smell still hasn't faded away. It must've taken a toll on her. "Okay, so based on my calculations, we're around here, on the bottom left part of the peninsula." She pointed it out on the scroll. "The repeater is N30ºE from our current position, which is…" Her finger tapped the metallic object as she looked at the clearing. She pointed in one direction. "That way. We just walk that way until we happen upon the repeater."

"Great! Weiss, Blake, Yang. I'm going to check on team JNPR. I'm sure you have this covered, right?" A glimmer of doubt flashed in their eyes before they nodded. For some reason, I don't think it was because they couldn't fix the repeater without me. "Alright! I'm off!" They couldn't say another word, as I've been long gone, replaced by falling rose petals.

* * *

Our silent wait was interrupted by an unusual hissing noise. It didn't sound like anything that fire would have made. "Ren?" I asked, clambering back up to my feet. "What was that?"

The boy in green paused for a moment, scratching his head before shaking it in confusion. "That sounded like a King Taijitu. But they couldn't be in this area. The last sighting of them in the Forever Falls was years ago!"

"I don't know about that." Sounds of rumbling came from the forest. Crocea Mors flew back out of its scabbard. "Get ready for a fight, Ren." He nodded, pulling out Stormflower and loading the magazine back in. We stood silent for a moment, me in front of the forest, while Ren rested his machine pistols on the top of my shoulders. The rumbling went silent, sending shivers down my spine. Did they go away? "Maybe they're gone," I whispered. "I don't think-"

My words were interrupted when an ashen head leaped out at me, fangs extended and jaw unhinged. I cursed as the teeth dug into my shield, keeping me away from harm. I responded by jabbing my sword into its cheek, causing it to reel back in pain. My body shook as it twisted and turned to escape my sword. "Ren! Shoot it!"

"I can't!" He cried, leaping away. A dark colored snake landed where he was a second later, trapping me between the two heads of a King Taijitu. Sweat started running down my face. This was bad. Real bad. Without another thought, I pulled my sword away and vaulted over the downed snakehead, pushing off just as the ashen snake moved its head up to hiss at me.

"Why is it coming towards us?" I yelled. From the corner of my eye, I saw its tail smash into my makeshift fire, scattering the embers over the rocks. They fizzled for a moment before its body slammed against them. Wisps of smoke escaped from under the Grimm as the last traces of fire were extinguished. My eyes widened as the realization hit me.

"It's putting out the fire!" It all made sense now, why there are so many leaves on the ground, despite the fact that no Remnan bothered to walk here. "It's trying to protect its home from burning up in flames!"

"And it found us." Ren fired a burst of rounds at the snake. The rounds served as a minor inconvenience at best, bouncing off without leaving so much as a mark. The rumbling entered our ears again. The rumbling wasn't from the snake? Who else is there?

With a furious roar, three Ursai popped out from the foliage and glared at us with their beady eyes. Not a lot of Grimm, but what caught my attention was the fact that they all had enlarged spikes growing out of their backs. I paled at the sight as my last memory of this forest came back to life. Ursa Majors. And three of them at that. They stomped on a nearby flower patch, knocking the white petals into the air. The wind caught them and blew them into the forest, never to be seen again.

The quiet boy placed his hand on my shoulder, surprising me for a moment. He took a long and deep breath. Within moments, my body lost its luster, turning black and white. Ren turned monochrome as well as his Semblance took full effect. All of the Grimm pulled their heads up in confusion. The Taijitu flickered its tongue out as it tried hunting us down, while the Ursa sniffed the air in curiosity.

"Jaune," Ren started as he leaned towards me. From the corner of my sight, I could see his magenta eyes glance upon the Grimm in front of us. "What are we going to do? We might not be seen by the Grimm, but it's a matter of time until they bump into us." He has a point; we are standing in the open, after all.

"Well, us two can't take all of them down at once." My mind went back to my first time in Forever Fall. Didn't I take down that Ursa Major? I should be fine holding off against three until we get some help from the others. "We're going to have to split up. I'll lure the Ursa Majors away by coating my shield with a bit of red sap. You attract the snake and take it down. You've taken down a King Taijitu by yourself, right?" He nodded. "I'm going to get outmaneuvered by the Taijitu, while there's a chance that the Ursai could knock you down in one hit. This is the best choice if we both want to survive."

He let out a sigh. "I wish there were better plans, but I guess there aren't any better choices." Ren held up Stormflower. "Stay alive, Jaune."

"And you too." He went off to take on his opponent, breaking his connection to me. My skin regained their color as the Ursai collectively turned their heads towards me. I glared at mine, stabbing one of the sap trees. The blade came out with a sticky goo surrounding it. Good thing my allergies only affect me through direct skin contact. I rubbed the substance over my shield before banging it, attracting their attention.

"Hey, you beasts!" I yelled. They strode over to me, curious to see what is going on, before noticing the sap on the shield. Drool escaped their mouths as they walked towards me. I held my sword pointing towards them, backing away from Ren as much as possible. "Come get some!"

* * *

It was a rush, running through the forest with my Semblance. The trees swished past me at blazing speeds as I pushed towards the center of the peninsula. I felt free moving through these trees without any care in the world. My eyes glanced left and right searching for a certain redhead. I should be firmly in Nora's area by now. She should be spottable anytime now. An explosion sounded left of me, followed by the death cry of several Ursai. Or I could just follow the destruction. That'll work, too.

With a grunt, I pulled myself up on a tree and did a quick search for her. I found the girl taking a stand next to a particularly thick tree. She had a manic grin as she aimed her grenade launcher towards a pack of Grimm. Six Ursai cowered at the sight of her with their backs against a dense pack of trees, glancing around for an escape route. There's no way Nora would let them go. She let out a crazy laugh as she launched another shell. It landed in the middle of three Ursas, sending bits and chunks of them flying. I winced as some bony shrapnel whizzed past my arm.

"Okay now!" Her grenade launcher shifted into a hammer. She did a couple of test swings as she approached them. "It's time to get up and personal! So, who wants to get the Nora treatment first?" None of the Ursai moved, afraid for their lives. I had to swallow a laugh. That's funny, seeing fear incarnate scared of a Huntress. One of them flinched, causing Nora to turn towards the moving figure. She gave it a smile.

"I'm glad that you volunteered!" She let the warhammer drop towards the skull of the Ursa. It caved in as it made impact, ending the monster in an instant. Ichor splattered all over the surrounding trees, darkening the colorful leaves of the forest. "Aww, I hit him too hard!" She pouted for a moment, before looking at the Ursa next to the corpse. "I guess that means you're next!" It howled, trying to crawl away. But it was too late. The metallic weapon flattened the back legs of the Ursa, causing it to release one of the worst sounds I've ever heard.

I clamped my ears as the poor Grimm twisted and turned in pain. Some semblance of tears ran down its face as it pawed at the ground in front of it. Nora stood over the beast, hands on her hips. Her weapon rested on its back, causing it to shutter. "That's better. But just in case," she heaved up the hammer and let it fly down onto its head. The pained screams stopped as the hammer crushed its brain. The forest was silent yet again.

"Just one more left," she mentioned to the last survivor. At this, the Ursa stood up to its full height as it found its courage. The beast let out the most ferocious roar it could. It was all in vain, as the hammer knocked its head clean off before it could even raise a paw. The headless corpse flopped to the ground, muscles twitching their last. Nora sighed as she looked at her work, spinning the foul liquid off of her weapon. I think she's good now.

"Hey Nora," I said, jumping down from my perch. She turned around and rested the warhammer on her shoulder.

"Oh hi, Ruby!" She smiled as if what she did moments ago didn't happen. Her tone was more chirpy and happy-go-lucky. "Did ya manage to deal with all of the Griffin?"

"Yup." I nodded. "The rest of team RWBY's looking for the repeater right now. How's the rest of your team?"

"Oh, I don't really know about Jaune and Ren, they're way too far for me to know. I did smell burning Ailanthus, though. Ren used to do that when we went hunting to drive off the Grimm. I think Jaune decided to do the same thing. Pyrrha currently doing fine right now. All of the Ursas are coming to her and probably falling down like a stack of dominoes! I think that she'll be finished killing all of the Ursai soon."

"Alright, then." I turned back towards the trees. "I'll go look for Pyrrha and check up on her."

"No need for that," a voice spoke from the foliage. The redhead champion popped out from a nearby thicket. She brushed the leaves sticking in her hair as she gave us a wave. "I took care of the main nest. There was a lot more Ursai than usual, but then again, I did smell burning rubber and smoke. Is there a fire nearby?"

I nodded. "The guys are smoking the Grimm towards us. I guess that means you haven't checked up on Jaune and Ren?" The girl shook her head.

"I didn't get the chance to. There's too many Ursai to keep tabs on. Besides, the two of them are farther away from all of us." She's right. We're around the middle of the peninsula now. It would take a good half hour to walk to the end, where Jaune and Ren are. But that's why they got me! I could make it to them in time! Pyrrha sniffed the air, frowning. "Do you smell that?"

"You just said it smelled like burning rubber," Nora piped up.

"I know, but that's not what I'm talking about. I don't smell it anymore." She sniffed again. "The smell is gone." We all paled at that. Wouldn't the smell last until we completely cleared out the area? If the smoke is fading away, then something must've gone wrong on the guy's end.

"Guys, I'll make my way towards Jaune and Ren." I leaped to my feet. "Try to get there as fast as you can!"

I shot forwards, using my Semblance to push myself as fast as possible. I've got to save the two boys of team JNPR! That's the only thing in my mind right now as I rushed past the trees. Leaves blew off of their branches as I sped past them, floating in the air before landing on the ground. Come on now, Ruby. Got to push yourself faster! They can't have much time left!

The image of a woman appeared in my head, distracting me long enough to crash into a tree. "Oww," I muttered as I rubbed my forehead. What are you doing, me? Jaune and Ren are in danger! Why think about that now? I glanced around the area I'm in right now. These trees look like the ones in my dream. I slapped myself in the face. Not now! I can't think about something that happened weeks ago! Focus, Ruby! Focus!

A few rose petals fluttered in the air, catching my attention. I grabbed one of them. It was as white as snow. Just like Mom. Wait, isn't there white roses growing on the cliffs of the peninsula? I snapped up in a panic. There must be a fight going on! They must've disturbed the flowers while defending themselves! I licked my finger and held it to the air. The wind is coming… northwest! That must be where the guys are at! I sprinted in that direction. Whoever's fighting, hang on! I'm coming!

* * *

My breath grew ragged as I stared down my adversaries. Six red eyes stared back at me, peering at my tired form. Turns out, three Ursa Majors are way harder to hold off against. And I thought I could last long enough for Ren to back me up. My arms felt like they were on fire after taking several dozen hits from each of them. One of their muzzles twisted into a snarl, before lunging at me with another paw. I lifted my shield up, only to feel the impact knock me off of my feet. Coughing, I checked my Aura levels. Way too close to red for comfort. Come on, Ren. Hurry up!

I pulled myself back up, only to throw myself back down at the sight of yet another swing, crashing into the rocks. My Aura flared as it prevented my skin from breaking. There's no way I can keep being defensive. I have to take down one of them. I can't keep three at bay for much longer, but I might possibly be able to make it with two. I got back up, taking a few steps back to get some distance. How am I going to do that? Back during the field trip, I beheaded one dodging a blow and countering. Maybe I should do that here.

My eyes flew around the area, trying to spot my teammate. Where's Ren right now? Was he forced to retreat into the forest to fight the King Taijitu? Come on, Jaune! There's no need to doubt him. He's going to come in time to pull me out of this situation. I just have to even the odds a bit. But what if I fail? I threw the thought aside. No! I'm not going to mess up here! My stance widened. I'll make it out okay! I felt like I glowed with confidence as I steeled myself for the task at hand.

I pointed my sword at the closest one and gave it the meanest look I can give. It took the bait, growling as it lumbered towards me. Just have to wait for it to raise up its paw. The Ursa scratched itself before raising its left paw up. I paled. Last time I blocked the right paw! But I have no choice. This is going to be awkward. I threw my shield arm across my chest, catching the blow. I spun on the balls of my feet as its claws slid off harmlessly. My sword hand followed a deadly arc as I completed my turn, embedding the blade deep into the Major's neck. It felt like the weapon became denser in my hands as it stopped within the monster's spine.

Wasn't as clean as last time. But its dimming eyes showed that it was still effective. It's going to die. I breathed out in relief as the beast fell down to my feet. Alright, now to do that two more times. I tugged at Crocea Mors. It wouldn't budge. What? I pulled again, harder. It stayed stuck and good. It's like my sword got stuck in stone! Sweat beads started to form on my forehead. How am I going to take down the rest of the Grimm?

I didn't get a chance to answer my own question, as a paw smacked me right in the side, knocking me away from my weapon. I groaned as I landed on the ground hard. My ears managed to catch the sound of a crackling noise, followed by a sudden feeling of vulnerability. I looked up to see yellow tendrils snake around my body before disappearing entirely. No, it can't be. My eyes flicked to my scroll. That's it. My Aura levels are empty. I dropped my head back to the ground. It's going to be over for me.

A looming shadow cast over me. One of the Ursa Majors stared back, gleeful to see my condition. I forced my limbs to push backwards, to do anything to escape the beast. They responded, but not fast enough. The Grimm sat on top of my chest, cutting off my airflow and my chance at escape. Am I going to die here? The Ursa opened its mouth, ready to bite my head in. I closed my eyes. I'm sorry, everybody. I let everyone down. Goodbye.

* * *

I managed to make it out of the forest, ending up on the cliff side. The first thing I saw was the sheer amount of roses growing on the surface. It's like snow— no Ruby! Focus! My eyes were drawn to a prone figure. An Ursa Major lay on top of him. I managed to catch a bit of messy blonde hair drop to the ground in defeat. Jaune! The Ursa Major opened its jaw. I have to kill it now! Crescent Rose flew out from my holster, and within milliseconds, I had the creature lined up in my cross sights. A crack vibrated through the air as my weapon spoke.

All it took was one bullet to shatter the monster's jaw, splattering all over the boy. It screamed in pain, stepping off of Jaune as its paws flew to its mouth. I racked the bolt back, loading another bullet before firing another round into its neck. It flopped over to its side, surprise visible in its eyes as it bled out.

"Jaune!" I yelled out, zooming towards him. Crescent Rose dropped to my side I knelt beside him. His eyes were closed. Is he? I grabbed him by the shoulders, causing his eyelids to snap up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, barely." He gave me a sheepish smile as he got up. "My Aura's broken, although you shot that Ursa before it could do any more damage. Thanks for that." He walked over to the corpse of another Ursa Major, which had his sword buried in it, and yanked it out of its prison. A splatter of ichor fell on the roses, staining them black. "There we go. Weapon got stuck."

Now that the threat is passed, I finally took the chance to look around. This cliff looked a lot like the one in the dream. The formation, the sea, the forest behind us is all so familiar. The only difference is that there isn't a gravestone in the middle and that there are flowers instead of snow. I took a deep breath and sighed. "That's an odd coincidence."

"What's that?" Jaune walked up from behind.

"To think that there would be a cliff with a field of white roses here," I muttered. "And for it to look a lot like the one in the dream."

"We don't have time to worry about that." Jaune held his sword up. "We still need to take care of the last Ursa Major." He looked behind me. "Come on, Ruby! It's right there! Let's kill it first before we worry about the flowerbed!" A howl came from behind me, shaking the boy. "What in the—"

I turned around to see the last Ursa Major keeled down, whimpering at something. That's strange. Why is it like that? Suddenly, the biggest Ursa I've ever seen broke through the forest. There was almost no black fur to be seen aside from the insides of the joints. The spikes on its back made it look as tall as the trees. What is that thing?

It grabbed the Major's head before crushing it with its bare paws. I paled as the headless corpse flopped to the ground. That thing's strong! The beast towered over the rest of the bodies as it stood upright. That must be the alpha, judging from the sheer amount of armor on it. Its beady eyes landed on us, and the monster started striding towards us. Unlike the others, it seemed as if it had no fear of us at all.

"Jaune, stick behind me," I ordered, stepping in front of him as I unfolded my weapon. "I'll take care of it—"

A paw cut my sentence short, forcing me to block the blow with my scythe. I tskked. It's so fast! It was in the forest just a couple of seconds ago! How could it cross over to us so quickly? I responded by letting the Ursa push the scythe back, flipping me around in the process. A yell escaped my mouth as I slammed Crescent Rose into its neck. A loud clang sounded from the impact. Yet the tip couldn't get past the armor, stopping barely a centimeter in. My eyes widened in shock. How is its armor so dense?

The beast, letting out a bored humph, smacked Crescent Rose out of my hands and off of the cliff. A cry escaped my mouth. I ran over to the side and watched in horror as the seawater swallowed up my weapon, forever out of my reach. "You monster!" My eyes flooded with tears as I jerked myself towards the monster, only to receive a paw to the face. The blow knocked me back towards Jaune. I took a deep breath in. That knocked the wind out of me. My Aura's going to crack soon. I got to do something quick.

"Ruby." The boy grabbed my shoulder and jerked me upright. "We got to run away now!" He turned towards the monster. "Without backup, this thing's going to kill—" He never finished his words as the Ursa connected its paws to his legs, catching me in the process. I felt my Aura shatter with that one blow. I landed on a batch of roses as the Aura flickered and dissipate. A cry escaped my mouth as the thorns stabbed into me. Oh gods, it hurts so much! Was this how normal people felt when they got hurt?

Jaune landed next to me before letting out a murderous screech. I looked over at the blonde boy who landed next to me. Tears ran down his face as he clutched his legs. I placed my hand over my mouth in shock. The joints were bent the opposite way. Nausea punched me in the gut. It doesn't look like it would support his weight even if we manage to kill the Ursa. He might not be able to walk again. It looked so unreal. To rub salt in the wound, a small pool of blood formed behind him, the thorns stabbing into his back. It doesn't look like he's aware of anything around him.

I glanced back at the monster of an Ursa. It remained content as it plopped down to the ground, waiting for us to make our move. It's smart to think that we might have a trap set up. If only we did have one up our sleeves! I can't trust the beast that it would let us go, but I'll take any spare time it'll give me. We have to escape now! I smacked Jaune as hard as possible, yelling: "Jaune!" He snapped out of his haze and looked at me.

"Ruby," he whispered, tears still running down his cheeks. It cut a channel across his dirtied face. "It hurts so much."

"I know Jaune. I know." What do I do? He's in no condition to run away, and I'm out of Aura! If I leave him, he's going to die! But if I don't run… I gripped my hair, consumed by indecision. What do I do? What do I—

My thoughts were interrupted by yet another vision. The roles were reversed this time, with Mom lying down on the ground and me looking down. Even with blood running down her face, she still had a reassuring smile. I brought myself back to reality. Do I…? I looked down the cliff. It's a long drop down, and we have no way to know if we'll survive the fall! I don't want to do this, but it might possibly be my only chance.

A pale hand stroked my face. A glance of the edge of my eyesight revealed the white cloak of my Mom. That's right. Didn't she say that she would protect me no matter what? My heart filled with courage as I stood back up, facing the beast. Maybe I have no weapon to defend myself with. Maybe I have almost no chance of surviving, but I know Mom is going to be there at my side. That's all she ever wanted to do.

The Ursa saw my stand of defiance and snorted. It brought itself standing back up to its full height. Fear struck me for a moment before being replaced with determination. Heroes protect others, no matter the cost! I understand now. Just like how Mom jumped off of the cliff to protect me from the Beowolves, I must be willing to throw myself at the Ursa to protect Jaune! I must be willing to put my life at risk to save the ones I love. My hands balled into a fist as the Ursa leaned forwards, ready to charge. If I can buy him a couple of seconds, just a few, there's a chance that somebody can help save Jaune and hopefully me if I'm still alive.

"Ruby," the boy whispered. I gave him a sad look. It's time for me to do what's right. Weiss, Blake, Yang. If I don't make it, keep moving forwards without me. Become the greatest Huntress team Remnant has ever known. I'll always be watching you from up above. Mom… if you're watching, please protect me. The rose bush responded in kind. I could see the rose petals fall off of their stems. The wind caught them in a tornado, flying around me as their center.

"Jaune, I'm sorry." I turned back to face the monster. I took a step forwards, taking the Ursa's challenge. The alpha let out a howl.

"Ruby?" I ignored him, letting out a ferocious scream as the Ursa charged. I could see its snarl, its fangs bore out to kill me. I stared back at it, feeling at peace with the world. I leaped up at it, my tiny fist flying towards the bear's nose. From the corner of my eye, I caught an incoming paw coming up towards my head. There was no way I could dodge the hit without my Semblance. But then again, why would I? It's time to let the petals scatter.

"RUUUUUUBBBBYYYYYYYY!" I didn't feel the hit. The last thing I saw was the Grimm's face as my vision exploded into rose petals. Then it faded to nothing.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 3/3/17**

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 **I don't think there's a lot for me to say this time, so on to the reviews!**

 **Paradox the Ruler: Thank you, sire, for the praise. May you enjoy this for as long as it goes on.**

 **FoxOnPie: I mentioned this earlier in the PMs, but everybody don't panic. Stands are going to appear in the next chapter.**

 **greenscoop1: I mentioned this with greenscoop in the PMs, but for readers who are wondering, I did not arbitrarily stick Ozpin in as a POV character. I'm not going to mention this in any A/N (until the end), but I do have a rule that I follow when it comes to who becomes a POV character. There's a reason I chose to not introduce who's POV it is. For those who want a hint, I'm just going to say that every POV character has something in common with each other.**

 **Za Warudo- OVA HEAVEN: Thank you for reading the fic! That being said, I'll say this upfront: I am not actively looking for any Stand names/inspiration. I already decided all of the names for all of the Stands. There's also a list of 90+ songs if I ever change my mind on a certain song. Even if anybody sends in any songs that I think would work, the name's probably not going to appear in the story. Sorry guys!  
**

 **Also special thanks to Gadflow for the critical review! The review is for a little game that we have on the Discord channel called Review Tag, where we review each other's works with a more critical eye. I appreciate the help! Others who are looking for writing help can check out the review. I'm a believer in learning from my/other people's mistakes, and I think this might help prospective writers in checking their work.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading everyone! See you next time!**

 _ **Next Chapter Release: March 3, 2017**_


	5. Roses on A Breeze

**A/N: Happy Friday, everybody! This Monday this fic hit a milestone: 2,000 views! Thank you guys so much for the support over the past two months! It means so much to me to see so many people read and enjoy this story. Thank you for the love!**

 **Again, no beta this week. Something tells me I'm going to be flying solo for now on. I still wouldn't mind if anybody can contact me about this. But that doesn't matter! It's time to get back to the fields of Forever Fall!**

 **EDIT 3/3/2018: Rechecked lyrics, realized what I wrote didn't accurately reflect why I chose Everyday Boy, especially the second point. My bad, changed it to the correct reason.**

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A smack to the cheek brought me back to reality. My eyes blinked rapidly as I tried to clear up my blurry vision. I could see nothing but vague shapes of black, white, and red. What hit me? A small figure kneeled next to me. Is that Ruby in my face right now? "Jaune!" she yelled. My pupils contacted, allowing me to see the girl with almost perfect clarity. She looked worse for the wear: her forehead was leaking blood, sliding down her pale skin and staining it red. Dirt dotted her face, ruining her otherwise clear complexion. Silver eyes glanced at me with concern.

I winced as pain shot through my legs again. My arms flew to the hurting limbs and clenched hard. Tears streamed out as I pressed through the pain, assessing the damage. A finger dipped down the top of my knee. A groan escaped my mouth. Both of my knee joints are inverted. I'm lucky that they weren't ripped off from the blow. However, there's no way that I could walk and get out of here anytime soon. This might just be it for me.

"Ruby," I whispered to the girl, looking into her silver eyes. I can see a hint of fear flash through them. My throat feels so sore just trying to speak to her like I screamed for a long, long time. "It hurts so much."

"I know, Jaune. I know." Her pupils dilated as she lost herself in her thoughts. Wait a minute, is the Ursa still here, or did Ruby manage to kill it? I strained my head to look over Ruby's shoulder. The Ursa sat on one of the rose beds, pawing the ground as if it was waiting for us to react. My teeth ground against each other. The monster's mocking us! My friend gets disarmed, it inverts my legs, and then it decides to play around in the dirt? I glanced back at Ruby, to see the last vestiges of a pale white hand disappear into the air. My heart skipped a beat. What was that?

Whatever it is, it changed something in Ruby. Her eyes went ablaze with a fire that I've never seen her have. It was the look of sheer determination. I swallowed. She never had that look in her eyes throughout the entire school year; not even when she was building weapons! She looked like she was ready to fight all of the Grimm in the world alone. A cough escaped my mouth. Just what was that hand, and what happened to her?

I gasped at the girl as she stood up from the rose bush. What was she doing? In the back of my mind, the answer sat there. It didn't stop me from denying the truth. I shook my head as best as possible. Please, Ruby. Just run. You can't fight it alone. You couldn't even touch it with Crescent Rose; you're not going to get it now! Find Ren, or Pyrrha, or any of our friends! Get them to help you. We need more Huntsmen to kill this thing.

She balled her hand into a fist. Another gasp escaped my mouth. No, don't do it, Ruby! It's suicide! "Ruby," I whispered. The pain that I felt in my throat brought my voice down to a hush. It's just about ready to give out. She turned around and gave me a sad look. Panic ran through my aching body. "Don't do this." Even I could barely hear those words leave my mouth. Something tells me she didn't hear them either. A flurry of rose petals started floating around us, obscuring her form from my view. I could only make out a blurry figure standing in the hurricane of flowers.

Her next words froze my heart cold. "Jaune, I'm sorry." Her silhouette started running towards the Ursa.

"Ruby?" My question went unheard, as she screamed at the bounding beast. No, no! Don't do it! I dug down into the ground, trying to pull myself towards her. A cry escaped my mouth as my legs protested, ending my progress. All I could do now was watch.

The rose petals wrapped around her tightly as she leaped towards the maw of the Grimm. I could make out her throwing a fist towards its face. A silhouette of a paw flew towards her head in turn. Why isn't she doing anything to avoid the blow? She must've seen it! The paw's going to hit her! She's not going to make it! I threw my arm out towards her in vain. "RUUUUUUBBBBYYYYYYYY!"

At my sound of my voice, the cloud of rose petals cleared up, showing me the two fighting. The Ursa's paw smashed into the side of her head, bursting her skull open into several pieces. Blood flew all over the rose patch they stood on and stained the white roses red. Pieces of her head mingled with the white petals surrounding her. Those shattered bits flattened and rounded themselves out into crimson rose petals. That must be the last bits of her Semblance acting out. The mixture of red and white floated down to the ground, decorating the ghastly scene.

Her headless body went limp as it was sent flying towards the forest. It landed on another rose bush, one unaffected by the battle. She landed gracefully, not bending or harming the flowers underneath her in any way. Her black and red outfit contrasted with the pure white of the plants. They held her up like a casket, showing to the world the fate of my friend.

My arms pushed against the ground to get up and run towards her. I cried out as pain gripped me again; forcing me to fall back down to the cold, hard ground. Crocea Mors slipped back into my hand. I'm not leaving my friend behind! The blade sunk into the ground with a thunk. With a grunt, I pulled myself towards her body. Tears ran down my face as my whole entire body shook with pain, but I didn't care. This can't be happening. She can't. The Ursa didn't bother attacking me, instead choosing to step back to watch the scene. It was agonizing to stab the ground, pull forwards, remove the sword and stab again. It felt like an eternity as I crawled across the thorny field. My mind and body wanted to quit. My heart wouldn't.

At last, I pulled myself to Ruby's side, collapsing as my arms gave out. My breath was ragged. Can't… stop… now… Please be alive, Ruby. You can't stop living. I pulled myself up to a sitting position to see the extent of the injuries.

That was a mistake. I gagged at the sight. It was worse than I thought. A giant puddle of blood formed where her head should be. The stump thankfully didn't show flesh and bone, replaced with a budding rose. Small strands of her red Aura sparked through the flower bud, trying to heal what was left of her. It was a fruitless endeavor. My friend, from the beginning, the only person I could trust… is headless. There's no way she could've survived the blow. I slumped back in despair. She's gone. There will be no more talks about weapons or leadership motivation speeches or silly antics between friends. All of that lost in a single hit.

I heard the ringtone of her scroll ring out. Without thinking, I turned her over so that she was facing the sky. I fumbled to where the device was vibrating from and pulled it out. Blood stained the device as I popped it on. My eyes raised up in surprise. Somebody's trying to call Ruby. Did the signal get restored? I hit the answer button before it slipped out of my hands; it landed on the dirt with the camera face down.

"Hello?" A familiar rowdy voice called out. I glanced away from the device. "Ruby? It's me, Yang. We found the repeater and managed to fix it back up. Where are you right now?" My throat hitched. I don't want to say a single thing to the blonde. In fact, I don't know what to say! I can't stand to tell her what happened.

"Um, Yang?" The calmer deadpan voice of Blake come out of the speaker. "You got to look at this." Some movement could be heard over the microphone before a cry overloaded it, causing the sound to distort.

"What?! No, no, this must be a malfunction," the blonde stated. I could hear pacing noises come from the scroll. "Are you sure, Blake? Like, the Aura bars start from zero and load back up, right?"

"No, our bars are already loaded up." A soft set of footsteps pattered in the conversation. "The only one that hasn't is—"

"NO!" A pounding noise could be heard. "She can't!"

Weiss' sharp voice entered the conversation from there. "Yang, you have to calm down—"

"I can't calm down! My baby sister, she's hurt!" More pacing around, but this time it's mixed in with ragged breathing. "Her Aura's down, and she might be in danger, and I didn't come for her! I have to do something!"

"Look, Yang. We still have a chance." The heiress kept a neutral voice and tone talking to her teammate. It's impressive considering that I could hear a bit of wavering in her words. "I'm tracking her location. Her scroll's ten minutes away from us at most, close to the landing zone we agreed upon. If we hurry up, we can call for the Bullheads and get her out of there!" Silence. A tear rolled down my face.

"Yang. You have to trust that Ruby can take care of herself." Blake again. My heart throbbed at her words. She has no idea. "End the call and call team JNPR. Tell them to get to Ruby's location. They're closer to her, and they will get her out of there. JNPR wouldn't let Ruby die."

"... Okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have panicked. She's a strong Huntress, now. It's so hard to remember that. But you're right, guys. She's going to be okay." The call ended, leaving a long dull tone ringing.

A new set of tears started pouring out from my eyes. My gods, they're going to be crushed when they find out! I smashed the ground with my fist. Why? Why? I failed Ruby! I failed her team! How could I call myself a hero, a Hunter, when I couldn't even protect my own friend? Why? It's not fair! The moment my scroll started ringing, I threw it to the side without opening it.

A sound that sounded like giggling erupted from the Ursa. One glance showed the monster rolling around the ground, jaws open with glee. It swung its paws in the air in play, like it was smacking at butterflies. I gave the Grimm a look of pure hatred. "You." I slammed the blade of the sword into the ground, sinking the blade deep into the ground. "You monster!" I'm going to destroy this thing!

Pain shot up my legs as I pulled myself up to a standing position. They shook as more weight was applied to them. My broken limbs want to collapse so bad. I won't let them. Meanwhile, my arms burned like never before as they held me up. I might be hitting my breaking point. Sweat fell down my brow as my upper body strength started to fail me, causing my body to sink down. My grip readjusted as I slammed my chest on the pommel. No! I have to get up! For Ruby! For everyone else! This thing is going down!

In that moment, I felt something flare within my soul. I felt the weight pulling on my arms disappear. With renewed strength, I yanked myself up to a standing position with a holler. It's like I got a second wind! My spirits soared. Maybe I do have a chance after all! I yanked my sword from the ground.

A gasped escaped my mouth as I looked at my upright self. My knees were still inverted, yet I'm standing up. And I don't feel any pain at all! I don't feel any weight bear down on my messed up joints. How is this possible? This shouldn't be possible! If I was able to stand the whole entire time, I could've just—

I mentally slapped myself, pushing away the wonder in my mind. Does it matter how I managed to get up? It's going to mean nothing if I fail now. A single goal remained in my mind: bring down the monster that took my best friend's life. I pointed Crocea Mors towards the Ursa, causing the Grimm to get up in interest.

With a grunt, I started limping towards the Ursa. Every step brought me an inch closer to the monster. I growled in frustration. While my knees don't feel any more pain, it's still impossible to run towards the beast. All I can do right now is make my way towards the armored Grimm. Its head cocked to the side as a grunt escaped its muzzle. The Ursa was probably wondering how I'm still up and standing. I don't know either, but I know I'm going to take this beast down. For Ruby.

The monster finally realized the scope of the situation as it stiffened up. It growled as I got within five meters of it, standing up to its full height. I responded by brandishing my sword. "Come at me! I'll cut you down!" It roared at my act of defiance, spraying a hot mess of saliva at my face. My free hand wiped the slobber away as I gave it the best glare I can manage. With an arrogant snort, it raised its paw back for a strike. I tightened the grip on my weapon as a response. We faced off like twin duelers on the sands of Vacuo, waiting for high noon to come.

We both howled in fury as we swung for each other. My sword bounced off the armor like it was nothing. I paled. This isn't going to go well. Before the paw hit me, my shield shifted to its true size on my shield arm. I have to tank the blow! A familiar feeling flared through my soul, the same feeling I felt right before I stood up. The paw smacked at the shield, yet it didn't knock me back. All I felt was a light push back. It's like I've been hit by a stuffed animal instead of pounds of pure muscle!

The Ursa widened its eyes in surprise before narrowing. It swung again and again, each paw colliding into my shield with a loud clang. Yet the exact same thing happened. What is going on? Is this my Semblance? I glanced at my Aura levels. Still zero. It can't be my Semblance. I have no Aura powering it. How is this possible? I'm using a Semblance without any Aura! I glanced at my hand. Something's off about it. It's almost impossible to see, but it looks like there's another ghostly hand overlaying my own. But there's no time to think about that. This miracle might fade away, and then I'm going to end up like Ruby.

I looked over my shield as the Ursa pounded at me. Think, Jaune, think! There's got to be a way through that bone carapace! What did Port say about plate armor? Memories of random stories appeared in my mind. Okay, not that. What else is there? Come on, he has to have lectured about something! Even something about Ursa would help!

A hazy memory drifted into my thoughts, one where Port talked about how he wrestled an Ursa. Wait, I might have something! I scrunched my forehead in thought. Why did he have to wrestle the Grimm? Something about having to abandon his weapon. Come on, I know I didn't sleep through that whole entire lecture! Bone armor is—! The memory became crystal clear. That's right! His axe couldn't break through its bone armor because of its density. Cut and stab wounds rely on separating flesh from each other, he said. Bone armor is compact enough so that the separation doesn't happen. That's why we don't use blades on bone armor.

But something's still missing. He choked out the Ursa afterward, but that's not something I could do at the moment. Not in my current condition. I could feel the hits starting to increase in strength again. My luck's just about to run out; I have to come up with some way to get away from this Ursa and fast. But how am I going to get away from this beast? I gritted my teeth. If I hesitate for too long, this thing is going to launch me— My eyes widened. Of course!

My muscles tensed as I threw myself backward, angling the shield to take the next blow head on. There's no way I can dodge the blow. Trying to tank it is just going to knock me off my feet and get me to fly off in a random direction. However, if I could angle myself just right, I can control my flight through the air!

I felt my feet lift up from the ground as the paw crashed into my shield. With a yell, I soared across the field away from the beast. My body twisted down while in the air, pointing the shield towards the ground. I pulled my head as close to the shield as possible as we landed. Instead of the usual pain of the crash, I felt myself slide across the field of roses at a frightening speed. My shield served as a makeshift sled, protecting my torso from the prickly thorns.

My sword slammed into the ground close to Ruby's body, jerking my body and forcing it to a stop. Both arms screamed as they yanked me back to the standing position. Okay, that should buy me some time to think. How am I going to get through that thing's armor without using my sword? There are chinks where the limb bends, but I have to be agile to get those points; my legs aren't going to help me in that regard. But maybe I'm going at it wrong. What if I trick it into running off of the cliff? No, but I have to get hit again, and that sledding stunt is going to get dicey on the edge.

The beast let out a roar that echoed through the forest before leaning forwards and pawing the ground. I paled. I'm out of time! It's going to charge me! I have to do it! I pulled my sword out. Wait a minute! Ruby's body's here! I glanced down at what remained of her. If I do my trick again, who knows what's going to happen to the body? Can I let this Ursa further damage her corpse for my plan?

My lips pressed together as my forehead furrowed. No. It's not. I limped so that I was between her body and the attacking Ursa. It's such a selfish choice to make, but in my heart, I couldn't let what's left of her be destroyed. A grim smile ran across my face. I hope you forgive me for this, Ruby.

Crocea Mors raised up to the air as the Ursa pushed off, making a beeline towards me. White and red rose petals flew into the air by both the stampeding footsteps and the increasing wind. My shield folded back into its sheath form. No point of keeping this up if any hit was going to send me flying away from Ruby. These were probably going to be my last minutes. I felt determination run through me as both hands gripped the sword. My eyes gazed into the glowing eyes of the monster, waiting for the Grimm's final attack.

At that moment, a white figure flew out from the flurry of rose petals, blazing to intercept the Ursa. My eyes widened as I dropped my sword in surprise. The person was wearing a white cloak that flowed through the air, mixing and mingling with the roses around them. Is that… Ruby's mom? The figure in an instant smashed their fist into the monster's side, sending cracks through the armor. I let out a gasp. They did it! Whoever it was, they damaged the armor! I'm saved!

The Ursa howled in pain as it started veering off course. With a relieved laugh I used my free hand to push away the monster. My soul flared yet again, and to my surprise, the Ursa flew through the air. It had a look of shock as it squirmed through the air, unused to being in the air. I shared its disbelief as I looked at my hands yet again. Where did this power come from? Before I could barely hold off against an Ursa Major. Now I can literally push this hulking mess into the air! I squeezed my free hand. I don't feel any stronger. In fact, I can feel the exhaustion take its toll on me. How is this possible?

I ran through what happened in the battle right as the beast smashed into the ground, sending more cracks through its armor. When fighting against that group of Ursai, my sword grew extremely heavy, cleaving right through its neck using just the weight of the weapon. Right after Ruby died, I was able to stand on broken legs, absorb several hits from an Ursa, and now push said Ursa into the air. Hmm… now that I think about it, during each of those events I felt something change in me right before each of those things happened. It's like the mass of everything I touch changed— It felt like the last piece of the puzzle clicked. Does that mean I can control the density of an object?

It makes sense with what I'm seeing so far. It feels like there's no weight on them at all. Does that mean I made my body so light that the inverted knees can still keep me up? I glared at the Ursa standing back up. Black ichor leaked out of the fractures in the armor. Whatever that person did, it managed to hurt the monster. The new cracks must be because I brought its density down to almost nothing! It locked eyes with me as it licked its wounds. I can see the rage coursing through its eyes. Whatever intelligence it had earlier was buried under the desire to murder me.

The white cloaked stranger reappeared from the edge of my sight, arms up and ready to fight. "Hey!" I yelled. The figure turned their head slightly towards me. "Excuse me, but are you here to help us?" Their head made the slightest nod. A smile ran across my face as a coherent plan formed in my mind. Maybe we might be able to make it out after all. "I need you to do something." My finger extended towards the Ursa. "You seem like a powerful person, and I'm in no position to move. Can you send me flying towards that thing? We'll tag team it. You smash through the armor, and I'll end it."

They didn't answer. Right after I finished speaking, they made their way to my back at lightning speeds. I blinked. When did the person get over here? Before I could ask, I felt a palm slam into my back, followed with me flying through the air again. The cloaked figure zoomed towards the beast, not even a second after I went airborne. What is this speed? Is this the true strength of a Hunter?

The stranger let out a scream, bringing their hands out from their cloak. A flurry of blows flew at the beast at breakneck speeds, forcing the Ursa down into the ground. Instead of cracking the armor, entire chunks just flew off, exposing the dark fur within. The ichor started dripping out of the Ursa's mouth as its jaw bobbed around in shock. Perfect.

I felt my sword grow heavy in my hands as the tip moved towards the monster's chest. It's time to end this. I let out a yell. "Switch!" The figure in an instant stepped to the side. Crater-like formations dotted the monster's torso. The armor from the Grimm was gone from head to toe, making the monster vulnerable for my sword. Crocea Mors pierced through its chest as I landed, causing it to let out another howl. It felt like landing on a mass of pillows instead of flesh.

Within moments I threw myself on its neck, making sure it can't escape. The Ursa snapped, straining to get up. It's no use, you monster. Your muscles are too unpacked to do anything, and I'm heavier than you at this point. I unsheathed Crocea Mors from its chest and aimed the tip between its eyes. My other hand pressed against the area between its eyes, reducing the density of its skull. A grim look overtook my face. "This is for Ruby." I slammed the blade down, piercing through its skull and brain like it was nothing. It stopped struggling instantly. I can feel the muscles slacken between my supposedly broken legs.

I let out a long sigh as I looked into the sky. What do you know, it's just about noon. I yanked the blade out of its skull, splattering ichor all over my body. That didn't bother me as much as it should have. It's over. I've avenged you, Ruby. I felt my throat hitch as the adrenaline faded away. Now, it's time to grieve for our loss. I pushed myself to a standing position with the help of my sword before limping towards the girl's body. My knees are still holding up, but I kept Crocea Mors as a makeshift cane. Just in case this ability fails me.

I looked around for my savior. They're gone; it's like they never existed in the first place. "Thank you!" I yelled out. "Thank you for the help!" No one responded. I let out a shiver. It felt spooky thanking this person for saving my life. What are the odds that they would come upon us? The thoughts escaped my mind as I focused on the rosebed approaching me.

Before I knew it, I found myself in front of the flowerbed carrying the headless corpse of Ruby Rose. Rose petals fluttered around the body, dancing in the wind. I let a tear run down my face. "Ruby. I'm sorry that you had to end up like this." I paused for a moment. What do I say? How great of a friend she was? How I trusted her in terms of leadership?

"Jaune!" I glanced up. The rest of team JNPR burst through the forest as they ran into the clearing. Pyrrha had a concerned frown on her face. Her eyes roamed over me. "What happened? When we saw your Aura levels go to zero, we thought— oh my gods, your knees!" Her hands clamped over her mouth. "Jaune, you're hurt!"

"Yeah, the Ursa wasn't too kind to me," I muttered, staring at the roses around me instead of my team. "It's a good thing they're just inverted. I can get them snapped back by a paramedic."

"You mean that Grimm right there?" Ren pointed behind me at the one I had just killed. "Jaune… that's an Ancient Grimm you just killed. Looks like it lived for centuries. Entire teams of Huntsmen would fail at hunting these creatures. And you not only do… all of that, but also walked away with only inverted knees to worry about?"

"Not just inverted knees. We lost a lot more." I stared at Ruby's body. Their eyes followed my line of sight before they muttered sounds of disgust and shock.

"Oh gods." I heard Nora take a couple of steps back. "Poor Ruby… How did this happen?"

"She tried to defend me without her weapon. Tried fighting the Ursa hand to hand." I choked up as the scene flashed through my mind. My mouth quivered as my voice stopped working. Get it together, Jaune. They deserve to know what happened. "Th— The Ursa spla— splattered her head before she could even get a single hit."

"... Jaune, that's horrible," Pyrrha whispered. She pulled me into a hug. I could feel teardrops fall on my shoulders. "I can't believe it. Never in my life would I think… a young girl like Ruby would be taken away from us." At this point, I couldn't keep it in anymore. My nose started stuffing up with mucus as I let all my sorrow out. The tears flew out in a torrent in mourning of my friend. I looked at my partner's face.

"Pyrrha, what am I going to do?" She said nothing, choosing to rub the back of my neck like she used to do during my periods of nausea. "Team RWBY's coming soon. How can I tell them about all of this? That their leader is—"

"Guys, what's going on?" I looked behind me to see Weiss, Blake, and Yang standing near the trees. They had their eyebrows raised at the scene in front of them. Yang stepped forwards. "What's with all of the waterworks?" Ren glanced at me before stepping in between the two groups and raised his hands in defense.

"Everybody, you have to understand—"

"Ren, you can stop," I sighed. It's time to face the music. "There's no point in trying to hide it." I looked up at them with tearful eyes. "You guys, I have terrible news. Please understand when I say that I'm sorry." I stepped to the side, showing them the fate of their leader. Weiss' face contorted in horror, clamping her mouth shut with her hands. Her eyes slammed shut as her cheeks scrunched up in an attempt not to scream. Blake's jaw flew open as her amber eyes twitched back and forth. Despite how disturbed she looked in this situation, she's taking it the best. Her body stayed more composed than the rest of her team.

Yang let out a horrified shriek. "Oh my gods, Ruby!" she yelled as she ran across the clearing. The bed of flowers was disturbed yet again by the heartbroken blonde in her quest to get to her sister. She dropped down to her knees as she grabbed one of Ruby's hands. "No, no, this can't happen. You can't leave me, too! Please, please…" Her shoulders throbbed up and down as she made hiccuping noises. A minute passed, then two as everybody stared at the two sisters. I grabbed her shoulder and squeezed them as a show of comfort.

Suddenly I felt her hand squeeze my wrist almost to the point of snapping it, sending a wave of pain through me. I looked down at Yang only to find my face meeting her fist. Blood shot out of my nose as I recoiled and reached for my face. A groan escaped my mouth as I swam through agony. I looked at the brawler. Her eyes were crimson red and her teeth were gritted in rage.

As I was distracted, the brawler grabbed my collar and threw another punch at me, the blow landing on my cheek this time. I took the blow and allowed the pain to shoot through my face. I do kind of deserve it. My jaw nearly dislodged at the hit. Within moments my partner pulled Yang away from me. The girl in yellow screamed as she struggled to get free of Pyrrha's grip, still swinging in my direction.

"Yang, you have to calm down," the redhead said as the brawler bucked around. "Jaune doesn't have any Aura left."

"I don't care!" Her judging eyes stared at me. "Why didn't you protect her, Jaune? Why did you let her die?"

A bit of blood flew out of my mouth as I coughed. I rubbed my hurting jaw. "Ruby protected me, Yang. I wanted her to run away and let me die. She wouldn't have that." Yang stopped struggling, staring at me in confusion. Her eyes started swelling up as they faded back to their original lilac. I continued: "Even with her Aura down, she stepped up to fight against the Ursa. She's a hero."

"I don't want my sister to be a hero! I want her to be alive!" She broke down, letting the tears run down her face. Pyrrha let her go, content that the brawler wouldn't try anything. Yang crawled over to the headless Ruby, bringing her up to her chest. The girl started stroking the arm of the body. "I want my sister back."

My eyes flickered to the ground, not willing to meet anybody's eyes. I felt a hand clamp my shoulder. The faunus let out a sigh. "If it's any kind of reassurance, you did the best that you could. Don't blame yourself for this." Blake patted me before joining the circle of friends mourning Ruby. Seven people standing over and crying over a loved one. I wished we didn't have to experience this so soon.

A floating rose petal caught my eye. Is it just me, or is it floating towards Ruby? I looked outside the circle. A trail of petals was coming towards us. But the wind stopped some time ago! How could they be moving towards us? I watched the petals in fascination as they swam through the air before rushing into our little circle. Everybody gasped as the trail entered the rose bed. Yang pulled away in surprise as she felt the rose petals surrounding Ruby.

Bit by bit, the petals landed on the stump where the head used to be before forming back into flesh. Our jaws fell open as her head was rebuilt bit by bit. From her chin to every strand of hair, every petal completed more of her. The last two petals landed where her eyes would be, forming two eyelids. With that, she's back to normal. It was like Ruby was never hurt by the Ursa.

Yang gasped in shock as she squeezed the sleeping girl. "She's breathing." The elder sister pressed the side of her head onto Ruby's chest. Her mouth quivered as she listened in. "She has a heartbeat. My gods, she's alive." It was too much for Yang. She pulled her sister's head to her chest and started crying. "She's alive, she's here." Everybody else started tearing up at the miracle in front of us. Yang continued: "I'm never going to let you go, Ruby. Your sister's going to be with you. I won't let anyone hurt you." If it wasn't for my legs, I would collapse right there. I— I can't believe it. Ruby's going to be okay.

"Mom?" Yang pulled the girl away. The reaper's eyes were open, but they remained unfocused, looking past Yang. "Is that you, Mom? It's just like you said. You were there for me." She lifted her hand and reached over Yang's shoulder. "Come here, Mom. Give me a hug. I want to thank you."

Yang looked over to her shoulder to see what Ruby could possibly be looking at. "She's seeing things again," Yang stated, lifting the girl up, pulling the girl's arm back down. "We have to get her out of here now! Ruby doesn't have any Aura. We can't stay here for long." Everybody nodded, getting on their scrolls to call for the Bullhead.

I looked over to where Ruby was pointing to. Standing where everyone entered from was a white cloaked figure. She was relatively small like Ruby. Her hood was up, cloaking the majority of her face. My eyes widened at the stranger's reveal. Isn't that… Ruby's mother? "You," I whispered under my breath. "You came back." I took a few steps toward the figure before tripping and falling over.

"Jaune! You have to be careful!" Pyrrha ran over to my prone body. "Your knees are still bad! Here, let me carry you!" I looked back at where the figure stood. She's gone again. I swear sweat started running down my face. Maybe Ruby's mom was a ghost after all. My partner meanwhile hooked her hands through my armpits before yanking me up. As my balance stabilized, she wrapped one of my arms around her neck. Pyrrha let out a hum. "Jaune, you're unusually light. What's your current weight?"

"Uh, around one hundred and eighty pounds?" I shrugged.

"That's weird. You feel like you're ninety pounds or so. More than half of that seems closer to your legs."

I waved away her concern. "Yeah, I don't really know how to explain it. Could we talk about it when we're back in Beacon?" She looked concerned but nodded to my request.

Within moments, two Bullheads streaked to the sky, slowing down as it swung to its side. The engines stopped humming as the vehicles landed. The side entrance popped open on each ship, revealing the pilots.

The one on my ship coughed into his hand. "We heard that we have injured, is that right?" Everybody nodded.

"Ruby and I have no Aura," I spoke out. "Also I need somebody to snap my knees back in the right way."

They hissed as they saw the condition I was in. "... Alright. Cammy, take care of the girl. I'll get the boy's legs right." My pilot stepped off of the Bullhead and ran towards me. "Sit down for me." I complied. He grabbed my left leg. "Now, this is going to hurt a lot, especially with your Aura gone. So bite something, scream your heart out. It will only take a moment." Before I could say anything, he smashed his hand behind the knee, snapping it back to its correct spot.

I howled in pain, shivering as the joint moved back in place. Firm, assured hands rubbed the realigned limb as to get the blood flowing. "You're doing good, Jaune. Buck up, man. We still have one more to go." The other leg snapped back in place before I could protest. Another scream of agony escaped my mouth. The man sighed as he finished his evaluation. "Okay, your limbs are back to where they should be. But just in case—" He lifted me up bridal style. His eyebrows raised up as he tested my weight. "You seem really light for someone your size."

"Yeah, my partner said that before." I gritted my teeth. "Don't ask. I don't know either." My pilot didn't say a word as he carried me back to the Bullhead, my team following close behind. The last thing I saw before he strapped me in was the field of white roses. The white petals flew into the air and into the sky, dancing like two lovers in a ballroom.

* * *

My head snapped up as I woke up. I'm in a hospital bed again. This is the second time in a single month I've been hospitalized. I groaned as I scratched the base of my neck. What happened? I looked at the tubes hooked up to my body. A clear liquid pumped into my body through the tube. Oh, right. I ran out of Aura. After that, I threw myself at the Ursa. But I can't remember anything that happened afterward. How did I get out of there alive?

"Hey, Ruby." I glanced over to the bed next to me. Jaune smiled as a similar liquid pumped into his body. His bed looked around two meters away from me. "Nice to see that you're finally awake."

"Jaune?" I tried pulling myself up. "… What happened?"

"You don't remember?" He adjusted himself in his seat. "You lost Crescent Rose when the Ursa hit you, then you tried to fight it with your fists. Your head splattered into pieces right afterward."

Wait! If that's true then… then I should be dead! I patted my face. Nothing feels off. I don't feel any scars or stitches, so they didn't do surgery on me. But if what he said is true… I must've died the moment it hit me! How am I still here?

"But the weirdest thing happened," Jaune continued, leaning towards me with a smile on his face. "The pieces of you turned into rose petals. Eventually, those rose petals built you back together, and now you're here with us, alive." I stared at him for a moment. "You don't believe me? Everybody else was there too. They all saw it." He scratched his head, nervous. "And, uh, I saw your mom. I think." My eyes widened.

"So I'm not insane! My mom is alive!" I let out a relieved laugh. "Did she say anything to you? Did she show herself to everybody else?" His grin dropped.

"Ruby." He looked down at the floor. "I was the only one to see her. She helped me destroy the Ursa. You were saying stuff about how your mom protected you right after you rebuilt yourself. I saw her, but everybody else thought that you were shaken up from the blow. They thought you were having delusions. I don't know, but I think we're seeing the ghost of your mom." I paled.

"But— No. That can't be. She must've protected me then and there. She cupped my cheek earlier. My Mom's watching over me, over us!"

"And I don't think you're wrong." Jaune pulled himself up into a sitting position. "She is protecting you, but not directly. The rose petals, they must have something to do with her. Your ability to turn your body into flowers: that must be her doing." He looked behind my back before turning pale. "What in the— That's her right now!" He drew his hand back. "I swore she wasn't here earlier!"

I glanced behind me, spotting a cloaked figure floating behind me. Now that I think of it, why did she always stand behind me? Does she not want me to see that she's just a ghost? This time, however, she floated in front of me. The familiar lips smiled at me, but now I regarded her with a bit of doubt. Before I thought this was my mom, but today something's changed.

"Who are you?" I asked. With that answer, she lifted her hands out of the cloak. They weren't human at all; they were more angular and unnatural instead of round. They were white, with red stripes running on the backhand.

" _My apologies,_ " she spoke. The voice sounded a bit like my mom if it was more robotic. " _I did not intend on deceiving you. I am not the woman Summer Rose, as you think I am. That is simply the form you gave me._ "

"Me?" I asked. With that, she lifted the hood off of her head. I gasped. The lower mouth still had a pale humanoid look, but the rest of her face is covered with what looks like a mask. The mask part was crimson red, aside from the eyes, which is pure silver with lines running down the eyeballs. She threw the cloak behind her, revealing her body. She had a slender figure with parts that resemble armor attached to certain parts of her limbs. Her body was mainly snow white with scarlet highlights adorning her body. A thick ribbon with my emblem ran down both of her arms, stopping right before her wrist. Shoulder guards with adorned with crosses completed her look.

" _I am a Stand,_ " she stated. All I could do was stare at the ethereal form in front of me. " _Born from the core of your soul. You named me_ **「** ** _RED LIKE ROSES._** **」** _I serve to protect you._ "

I sat up. Red Like Roses, wasn't that the song that I had in my mind? Does that mean the song is my soul? I leaned towards the Stand. "How did I get you?"

She turned to stare at the door. " _The Arrow. It awakens the core within your soul, and I am born. Once I exist, you control me through your willpower. Only the strong-willed can control Stands._ " So I had her ever since I got cut by the Arrow? That explains all of my talks with my mom. That's my Stand I was talking to. I curled up into a ball. And I thought that Mom was still alive. She floated over to me. " _My appearance. You love your mother a lot?_ " I nodded. " _She must be a good person to have such an effect on you. She still lives on in you. Me being here says so._ "

My Stand looked over to Jaune, who stayed silent up until now. " _You can see me too, don't you?_ " He nodded, jaw dropping. " _Another Stand user. One where the Stand is part of your body, too. Interesting indeed._ " She floated around the boy, inspecting him. " _What is your Stand name?_ "

"I don't know, ma'am." He covered himself with the blanket, looking insecure at the floating Stand looking around him. "I didn't even know that I'm a user until today."

" _Think hard. There must be something that your soul is drawn to you. What resonates with you?_ "

Jaune grabbed his hair and closed his eyes, thinking hard. "… Weakness. Stories of normal people rising up to become great. I was an everyday boy before— Wait." He opened his eyes again. "I felt something, saying those words. Everyday boy. It's like music to my ears." He looked up. "That's my Stand name, right?"

My Stand nodded. " **「** ** _EVERYDAY BOY._** **」** _An interesting Stand name._ " The sound of rustling caught our attention. We looked over to the door. Somebody's opening it. Without another word, my Stand disappeared. The door opened, revealing Headmaster Ozpin standing in the door frame.

"Good evening, students." I glanced at the clock. Six o'clock. Was it already evening? When did we come back? Our Headmaster walked into the space between our beds. "I'm glad to see that everyone's awake. It makes this debriefing a lot easier. Your teammates already did their report, but now I wanted to hear from you two." He grabbed a nearby chair, flipping it around before seating himself on it. "Now, I heard about how you two both lost your Auras fighting against the Jambavan."

"The what?" Jaune and I said at once.

"The Ancient Grimm. It was the heavily armored one if the descriptions are correct. It's concerning to see an Ancient Grimm wake up so close to Vale, but now I'm getting off topic. I heard that Ms. Rose was… taken out of commission after taking another blow from the Grimm." I winced. That must've been horrifying for Jaune. "What happened after that, Mr. Arc?"

"Well…" Jaune rubbed his hair, thinking. "… I managed to get a second wind, and fought against the Grimm face to face." He looked at me for a moment with a bit of doubt into his eyes before looking back. "I must've found my Semblance because I managed to make the Ursa less dense."

The headmaster raised his eyebrows. "Making something less dense?"

"I don't know how to describe it, but when I pulled at this feeling in my soul, I somehow made the Ursa light enough for me to pierce through its armor, killing it."

"Hmm…" Ozpin looked thoughtful. "That's interesting. You managed to find your Semblance and use it despite having no Aura?"

"It's weird, but that's the best way I can describe it!" Jaune stuck his hands out. "I'm telling you what I did and saw!"

"Mr. Arc, it's fine. I trust your judgment." Ozpin turned to me. "Now after the battle, teams JNPR and RWBY reported seeing your condition, and stated that your head reformed due to… rose petals?"

I nodded. "I don't really know, but if everybody said that it happened, I'll agree with them."

"Hmm… Again, another usage of a Semblance without Aura." Ozpin took a sip from his mug before getting up. "Thank you. That's all I have to ask. Considering your current level of recovery, we can release you in the morning. However, you know how the current medical policy works. You're on medical leave until Monday." He left the two of us alone. The second the door snapped shut, I felt something in my soul. Like a loose string. I imagined pulling that string with my willpower, and **「** ** _RED LIKE ROSES_** **」** reappeared.

"Jaune, why didn't you tell him about the Stands?" I stuck my hand out. "About what happened with my Stand? Wouldn't it help everybody figure what's going on?"

"Well, think about it. You saw your Stand for weeks, and everybody thought you were having delusions." The blonde let out a sigh. "I think it's better to keep it secret. Nobody will think that we're insane, and besides, nobody else could see them anyways. There's no way to prove what we can see."

"I guess." I looked over to my floating Stand. "What was my ability? Everybody keeps saying that my head reformed from rose petals. Then the thing with my arm a few weeks back—"

"Wait, what arm thing?" Jaune asked.

I bit my lip. "... I didn't tell anybody, but when I got released two weeks ago, when I went into my room, my arm fell off." His eyes widened at my confession. "The ends of the limbs were petal shaped. In a panic, I stuck it back in my arm before you guys came in. By the time you guys left, my arm was back in place. So what is it?"

" _Ah. It is similar to your Semblance._ " She raised her hand up. " _Your Semblance I believe allows you to move quickly, with the side effect of creating rose petals. Your Stand ability reflects that in a way. You can transform any part of your body into rose petals._ "

"Really?" I looked at my hands and willed them to break apart. I watched as my fingers started to peel away, turning into rose petals before flying away. "Oh geez!" I willed them to come back and the petals responded, sticking to the stubs where my fingers used to be. They solidified back into fingers. I wiggled them. All of them work just fine. "Wow. Just… wow."

" _It is something that you need to get used to._ " My Stand floated towards me. " _The experience is very… bizarre, beyond comprehension._ " So this is how I survived the blow. I turned my head into rose petals, and the Ursa passed through the cluster with me unharmed. Once it was safe, I built myself together almost by instinct. I looked at the Stand.

"So I can bring you here by willing you to come out?" She nodded. "Thank you." The Stand disappeared from sight. I turned over to Jaune. "So what now?"

"I'd say we rest first. It's going to take a while for our Auras to be back in tip top shape. But after that, we need to find the Arrow." He threw his head onto the pillow. "What would happen if that arrow awakened more Stand users? What if they're bad people? We can't let any more people receive Stands. So, we need to get the Arrow before it could cause even more havoc."

I nodded. "You're right. Besides, what will happen if a person doesn't have the willpower to control their Stand? What will happen? No, the best thing is exactly what you said: get the Arrow." I laid back down. "Good night, Jaune. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. You too." He shuffled around in his bed. "You too."

⇐ ** _TO BE CONTINUED= 3/17/2017_**

* * *

 _ **Stand Descriptions:**_

 **「** ** _RED LIKE ROSES_** **」- User is able to turn any part of her body into rose petals. When called back, she is able to reform them in any way she wants, allowing herself a degree of body modification.**

 **「** ** _EVERYDAY BOY_** **」- User is able to change the density of himself and any item that is non-living. Unlike most Stands that appear out of the body, this Stand is integrated into the user's nervous system, making it effectively a part of him.**

* * *

 **I've decided that it might be fun to write a retrospective on the fic every fifth chapter, kinda like how manga artists write about their opinions on certain aspects of the manga they were drawing. For anybody who doesn't really care about this stuff, you can just skip to the next section.**

 **RWBY's Bizarre Adventure was actually conceived around a month after V3 had ended. I had just gotten back into RWBY, I discovered JoJo. Somehow I thought it would be cool to merge the two together. At the same time, I didn't want to use the typical format for writing a crossover: the "character gets transported into another world, they meet up with characters of other world, hijinks ensue, etc."**

 **It felt so limited of a format because the author would have to follow the formula to the letter, and that didn't appeal to me. Plus for a long time, the only plot I had for this story was Chapters 1-5. I felt like this would be a dumb idea, and it sat around in my mind for most of 2016. Instead, I focused on writing an OC fic where the challenge was to write as normal characters as I could. It was mainly writing practice; I never intended for the OC fic to ever appear on the internet. Maybe I should clean it up and post it here for the giggles.**

 **Funnily enough, I started writing RWBY's Bizarre Adventure because I had a challenge with technology. During the holiday break for school, my family traveled to Reno in order to go skiing. I wanted to focus on writing the OC fic; the problem was that I liked to write on my phone on the go, and Google Docs on mobile liked to crap out on fics that reached 50K words. Like major lag. And the OC fic at the time had 80K words in the master document. I think that at that point, one letter took five seconds to register in the document, it was that bad.**

 **I've tried multiple alternatives, but somehow Google Docs worked the best. So I thought, why not try drafting out RWBY's Bizarre Adventure? So fun fact, I wrote the first five chapters on my phone while I traveled on vacation. Somehow I thought that what I had was good enough for publishing, so when I went home, I cleaned up the first chapter, posted it here, and you know the rest.**

* * *

 **I'll post song references for those who want to hear the songs I mention.**

 **Ruby's** **「** ** _RED LIKE ROSES_** **」** **is a reference to, you guessed it, Jeff and Casey Lee Williams'** _ **Red Like Roses**_ **. This is more for the JoJo fans, but it's a symphonic rock that is iconic within the RWBY fanbase. This is Ruby's theme, which is why I chose it. For anybody who paid attention to the review responses, this will be the only Stand that will reference a song from RWBY.**

 **Jaune's** **「** ** _EVERYDAY BOY_** **」** **is a reference to Joan Armatrading's** _ **Everyday Boy.**_ **It's a pop song released in 1995. I chose this name for three reasons. One, it highlights Jaune's role as the everyday man in the show (at least in V1). Two, it's a song whose lyrics is about a person living with AIDS, yet showing resilience and courage in spite of their disadvantage. Kinda like Jaune. Finally, the singer's name. Really, what are the odds? Joan Armatrading. That's really close to his inspiration of Joan of Arc! It's a match made in heaven.**

* * *

 **Now for the reviews!**

 **greenscoop1: Making Ruby rush for Jaune does help with showing the resolve that would give her full control of her Stand. That was my first and primary intention. However, I do like my parallels. I'm not going to mention it here (at least until the second retrospective.) It'll be cool to see if you guys can figure it out.**

 **Mr. Green37: You can drop the pitchforks, my friend. Ruby is not dying today!**

 **Cross177: I think it's clear from this chapter what the answer is to your question.**

 **Za Warudo- OVA HEAVEN: Thank you for the compliment! Next chapter will delve in a bit on how the mechanics of Stands work in this fic. After all, can't use a punch ghost if you don't know the power of balance that surrounds having a punch ghost.**

 **Gadflow: Yeah, Chapter 4 in comparison is pretty rough when it comes to dialogue. Kinda pushed dialogue to the side in favor of action. I agree wholeheartedly on your points on the inner monologue and characters generally sounding the same. The Jaune and Ren scene was more of a failure on my part to communicate the situation correctly. My intention was that they backed off/hid long enough to create a strategy and execute on said plan. I somehow missed the backed off/hiding part during my edit, and I've fixed that. Updated Chapter 4 will be on the same day as today.**

 **Anyways, that's all for today! I'll see you guys again on the date post below!**

 ** _Next Chapter Date: March 17, 2017_**


	6. Veiled in Gray

**Hello, everybody! How's everybody doing? Life's been getting a bit rough, especially with college decisions coming out right now. But that's not stopping me from bringing you another chapter!**

* * *

A heavy book landed on the table with a small thump. I cracked my neck as I brought my hand back to the other book in my lap. Moments later, Ruby plopped down with another stack of books, grabbing one from the top of her pile before cracking it open. Her face grimaced as she started reading the large text. My fingers clicked against the table and my eyelids started fluttering. I snapped back awake right as my head started to bob. Come on, Jaune. Try to focus!

I groaned as I glanced through the wall of text that sat in front of me. The page of words started to blend together in my mind, becoming a mash of disjointed ideas that I couldn't understand. I tried to pull the words back into sentences, but my brain doesn't want to cooperate. Everything feels like mush at this point. By my side was the girl in red and black, flipping through a book of her own. She looked just as bored as I am, using her breath to blow at the pages. Ruby looked just about ready to collapse and sleep right there.

Maybe I'm just exhausted right now. I leaned back and took a deep breath in. It's just study fatigue hitting me hard. Remember what Pyrrha said about dealing with that. Look away from the book, take a brief break, and let the information settle in your mind. My eyes glanced up at the ceiling of the library. Huh. There's a painting on the ceiling, like in those old Mistralian temples.

It was an image of two god-like deities, fighting against each other. Dark colors clashed against light for domination, forming an unusual spectrum of colors. Creatures of various shapes sprung out from each of those colors, filling up the ceiling space with their image. Despite the huge contrast between the dark and bright shades of color, the balance in shading felt… right. It would feel wrong for the dark colors to be dominant, as well as the light. They worked in tandem in order to make something beautiful.

My hand reached out for the book I threw earlier. I lifted it up, checking its weight. It felt lighter, a lot lighter. So my ability only keeps working when I'm holding the item. If I let go, then it'll return back to its original density. That's a limit I'm going to need to keep in mind. The reading fell out of my hands and back onto the table.

Okay, enough of all of the distractions! I threw myself back at work, taking another glance at my book. I smiled. Just like that, I could see every sentence again! It really does work! I should really thank my partner for this trick. And I should use this more often. Maybe I'd do better in class. Now rested and focused, I scooped up the book, looking for anything about the arrow. My good mood dropped as I scanned the pages. Nothing. No write-ups about the Arrow, no theories about Stands, just more useless filler! And this was supposed to be a book on the supernatural? Somebody should've come across the Stands!

To think that the day we get out of the nurse's office, the first thing we do was hit the library and read up on anything on the arrow! It'll be helpful, I said. We might pick up something about the Stands, I said. We have the entire Friday off, and after hours we still don't have anything!

I groaned as I slammed the book shut, tossing it into the ever increasing pile of unhelpful readings.

Ruby must've come to the same conclusion, yawning before snapping her own copy shut. "Hey Jaune," she whispered, glancing at the receptionist table two tables away from us. "Did you find anything yet?"

"Not yet." I tapped a finger against the wooden table. "I haven't found anything helpful. All of the scientific articles are either non-serious experiments or just crazy cult talk. You?"

"The closest thing I found to anything helpful were ancient fairy tales." She glanced through a small pile next to her before pulling a book out and offering it to me. Guardian Angels, it said on a dark brown leather cover. "The way this book describes guardian angels reminds me of Stands, but after that, it goes off on a random tangent. Nothing about Stand abilities, or Arrows." She tossed the book on a table. "Ugh!" she grunted.

"Shh!" We both jumped to see the librarian glaring at us. Her index finger rested on her puckered lips as she gave us her warning.

"Sorry!" I whispered. I turned back to my fellow team leader. "Ruby, it's ten o'clock. We've been in here for three hours already, and we still found nothing! Do you think that we should end our search for today?"

"Weren't you the one to suggest this idea in the first place?" Her voice was barely a whisper now.

"Well, yeah, turns out it wasn't a helpful idea." I got up from my seat. "Come on. There aren't any well-written sources on Stands. Maybe they're more of a 'learn as you use them' kind of power." I started for the door.

"Wait, Jaune! Wait for a—" She let out a big sigh behind me. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we got somewhere important to be— yeah, I know. We'll make it up to you— goodbye!" Just as the door closed shut, Ruby blew it back open with her Semblance, catching up to me with her super speed. "Jaune!" she hissed. "We just left the librarian to deal with the mess we made!"

I blinked. "Oh, we did?" My face paled. "We did."

"We had entire stacks of books laying on the table and the ground, and we just left without putting it away!"

"Well, that's going to be awkward later on." I scratched the back of my head as we walked across campus. "I guess I'll figure out a way to make it up to her later. What were we talking about earlier? Oh yeah!." I pointed at her. "There's a big chance that Stands is something that everybody keeps secret if they have it. That includes us. So that might be why there aren't any written sources. So, we have to learn how to use them the old fashioned way."

Ruby raised her eyebrows in interest. "So what do you suggest?"

"Well, I was thinking we should just try and use it, and see what happens. I did a bit of testing with **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** earlier. Basically, I can change the density of anything I touch, but there's some interesting stuff I found out about this." I fished out a paper clip in my pocket. "Density is just mass over volume, right? Turns out, I can affect both of those numbers." The paper clip shrunk in my hand until it was the size of my pinkie fingernail. "The volume has gone down, and mass increased, so now I can do this."

I flicked the paper clip at the wall. We both flinched as the wall cracked on impact, flinging bits of plaster at us. The sound of someone yelling followed shortly. "Okay…" I let out a nervous laugh. "I didn't expect that to happen. Sorry, whoever's there!" My face turned towards the girl. "How much testing did you do with **「** **RED LIKE ROSES,** **」** Ruby?"

"Not much. I know I can separate my limbs from my body, but I've never gotten the chance to actually see just what I can do with it." Ruby shrugged her shoulders as she gave me an awkward grin. "I mean, how many people in Remnant do you know who can remove and reattach themselves like machines?"

"Hmm… good point." I rubbed the base of my chin. "But what could we do that— Oh! I know!" I turned towards my friend. "Maybe we could go reserve a training room and have a spar!" She gave me a weird stare. I continued: "Here's the thing. We know nothing about our Stands beside what abilities they have and their names."

I threw my hands out as we walked down the hallway. "We should learn what we can do and cannot do with our Stands. It might be the difference between life and death if we ever needed to use them in a fight. It's a good time to experiment with what you can do with your Stand. And besides, Crescent Rose is still in the sea, right?"

She nodded. "Don't know why it's taking so long to fish it out," the girl muttered. Her eyes widened. "Unless... oh no! Do you think Crescent Rose broke up into hundreds of pieces? Then there's no wonder they couldn't get it after a day!" She threw her hands up to her face as she teared up in sorrow. "Oh, my precious baby! My poor sniper scythe might be shattered!"

I frowned. Now that I think of it, this was one of the few times when Crescent Rose isn't close to Ruby, whether in person or by the rocket lockers. For the first time ever, she's weaponless. The relationship between Crescent Rose and Ruby was different than how most weapons Huntsmen use. Most treat weapons like an extension of themselves. But Crescent Rose, that's as real as a person to the girl. And seeing her cry over realizing this…

A sigh escaped my mouth as I placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ruby, I really do. I wish we can do more, but we can't. All we could do is figure out what to do from here. And what you need is to learn how to fight with your Stand. You're going to need to learn how to fight with it anyways because if we don't get your scythe back before we go back to combat class, you can't fend against anybody in our class." She winced at the statement, before wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"... That's true. I'm defenseless without a weapon. I know Yang tried to teach me boxing, but it's just not for me. Maybe this is a good time to learn an alternate fighting method. At least until I can get the pieces of Crescent Rose back." She perked back up, all of the tears in her eyes gone. How did she recover so quickly? "Come on, Jaune! Let's go!"

We only walked for a couple of minutes before she scratched the back of her head. "What can I do with my ability?" A mischievous smile flew across her face. "Yeah… maybe that will work." The girl looked at me. "You know, when I was young, my Dad used to tease me and pretend he can take off his own thumb. I remember crying when I thought he lost a thumb before laughing when I realized the truth."

"Uhh…" I swallowed. "Okay… Why do you mention that—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Ruby snatched her thumb and pulled it off. Small rose petals took the place of blood as the finger separated from her hand. A red bud formed where the stump would be. The finger wiggled and squirmed under her fingers like a worm trying to escape from the ground. It took all of the willpower I had to keep nausea down. She looked conflicted with the sight, her face a mix between creeped out and amazed. "Wow… That's… I don't even know."

"Disgusting?" My hand flew to my mouth. "Ugh, that's not a pleasant sight to see. It doesn't help that I know that it's still part of you." I looked away. "Ruby put the thing back! Put it back!"

The girl did, re-attaching the limb like it was nothing. She rolled the finger around. "That's so weird. So I can still use anything that I separate from my body." A hand clamped over her mouth. "My gods… I can recreate The Hand!"

My eyebrows flew up in confusion. "Wha?"

"You know, The Hand! Remember the book series Journals of the Weakling Boy? In the books, they have this fictional movie called The Hand, which is basically a decapitated hand that does nothing but crawl on the ground and chokes people in their sleep!" Her hands shook as she held them up in front of her face. "Yang used to scare me all the time with that story! Wouldn't it be fun if we—"

"No."

She let out a whine. "You didn't even—"

"Again, no." I looked at her. "I don't know, it doesn't feel right. We have supernatural powers that break every rule in the universe. It doesn't feel right to use that to scare people."

"Aww… Now that you say that, that makes a lot of sense." Ruby placed her palm on her cheeks. "That's a stupid thing to use this power for. Plus, didn't I say yesterday that we're trying to prevent this kind of power from destroying the world? That includes us as well. We can't abuse these powers and— I'm sorry that I even thought that!" She muttered something under her breath.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing!" Ruby waved away the thought. "Let's just get over and let's figure out what we can do with these powers." And with that, we continued our walk in silence.

* * *

Before we knew it, Jaune and I stopped in front of one of the practice rooms. The shiny metallic door stood out against the stony concrete structure it was based around. I perked up as we came to a stop. "Here we are! So, how are we going to do this?"

He pulled out his scroll, placed it against the door and inputted a couple of things. "We'll lock the door so that nobody can walk in. I think that's the last thing we need: somebody walking in to see you break apart or something like that." I nodded as the bolt unlocked itself, causing the door to pop open. Jaune offered a hand. "After you."

"Oh, stop it!" I giggled, slapping his hand away as I walked into the combat room. There was a feeling of comfort as the huge spotlights came on, illuminating the giant room. On one side, there were bleachers for any viewers. On the other side rested a giant panel where a scoreboard would be displayed, if it was on. The rest of the room was dedicated to combat. Concrete formed the majority of the building, giving off a gloomy look. Some colorful posters of various famous hunters hung on the massive walls, which livened up the room a bit.

My feet stopped as I reached the middle of the arena as my eyes took in the hunter's names. Names such as Carolina Windham, Peridot Castro, and several other tournament winners caught my eye. Above their names was a colored silhouette of the victor with their emblem printed on their hearts. Back when I was in Signal, I could only dream of learning in the same academy that produced these kinds of people. And now I'm here in Beacon!

A sigh escaped my mouth as my eyes stopped at one poster. Summer Rose, 28th Winner. I stared at the silhouette of my hooded mother with the heart of a rose. Dad said that how Mom became champion their year was unusual. She wasn't much for winning the championship. Originally, Uncle Qrow and Yang's mom was supposed to go to the doubles tournament. However, Yang's mom had to drop out because she happened to catch some kind of bird flu, and Dad volunteered to take her back to Beacon, leaving Mom and Uncle Qrow to compete. Qrow decided to let Mom continue on to the singles match, and now she's hanging on the side of the training room for the rest of time. Weird how things work sometimes.

I took my eyes off of the poster and bounced on the heels of my feet as I stood in the center of the gray arena. Jaune was still on his scroll trying to activate the scoreboard showing our Aura levels. With a final press of a button, the screen came to life. The UI appeared quickly, displaying Jaune on the left side and me on the right. A satisfied feeling emerged as I watched the Aura bars fill up to one hundred percent.

"So, how is this going to work?" I asked, crossing my arms as he met me in the arena roughly ten meters away from me. How did I bring out my Stand last time? I just have to will it to come out, right? Like back in the nurse's office. With a slight tug at my soul, **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** popped out of thin air. The action felt a lot easier than last time; I didn't have to think too hard to bring my Stand out. The motherly Stand floated behind me, letting her cloak flutter through the air. I glanced at the scoreboard. My Aura's still at one hundred percent. "What are we going to try out?"

"Well, how about interaction?" Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors before tossing it by my feet. It landed a meter away from me. "Can your Stand grab stuff?"

"Okay, that's a good start." But how do I get my Stand to grab the sword? Maybe I think about grabbing it. I threw dagger eyes at the blade, imagining myself picking Crocea Mors by the handle. Nothing. My Stand still floated around behind me, again choosing to keep her silence. How about willpower? Maybe I have to want to do something. If I placed my willpower into **「** **RED LIKE ROSES,** **」** maybe she will do something.

The moment I wanted to pick it up, my Stand moved away from her spot behind me towards the fallen sword. With a deft scoop, she lifted the blade off of the ground. That's interesting. If we want something to happen, the Stand will act to make it happen. "Alright, Jaune." **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** tossed the family blade back to its owner. The boy stepped to the side to dodge Crocea Mors before picking it up. "So Stands can pick up things. What if I wanted to attack? What would my Stand do?"

"I don't really know," he said, holding his shield up. For a moment, I thought I saw a glow start to surround Jaune. But it faded as quickly as it started. Did he summon his Stand? He gave me a nod to go. "But let's find out." He banged the sword on his shield. "Hit me."

" **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " I shouted. My Stand flew towards the boy at breakneck speeds, reaching him before I finished saying my Stand's name. The sudden appearance caused him to flinch back before he righted himself. A fist flew out of the flying cloud of white cloth, crashing into the Arc emblem within milliseconds of my command with a clang. I heard a grunt from him as he took a couple of steps back. My mouth dropped open. That exchange happened in a fraction of a second.

"My gods, Ruby, that was fast." He lowered down his shield arm. "And from ten meters away… you can ambush a person with your Stand. But that hit… it actually wasn't that bad."

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"Yeah, it's stronger than Yang's hits, but it wasn't overwhelming like I expected. It's a manageable blow. And I'm not using my Stand ability here, this is just me taking the blow. But if I did use it…" He heaved the shield up again. Jaune looked a lot more solid, and I'm not talking about his form. His body actually looked denser, even though there's no change to his figure! "Hit me again, Ruby, but multiple times."

As he finished those words, **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** threw a jab at him, smashing into it again. This time he's not budging. It felt like bashing against a solid plate of titanium. With a cry, my Stand sent a barrage of fists his way, each landing on his shield to little or no effect. If anything, the concrete ground was giving up first, shafting and splintering as his feet made a long gash through the floor. A bit of powder flew into the air, staining his jeans in the process.

All of a sudden, I felt a yank on my soul. My Stand was swinging at Jaune, but no matter what, she can't get any closer to the boy. He lowered his shield and raised his eyebrow in surprise. Maybe there's a range limit for Stands. I took a couple of steps closer and just like that, my Stand can easily reach him again.

"My Stand has a range!" I yelled to my companion. "It looks like **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** can be ten or so meters away from me!" Another glance revealed that our Aura levels didn't change. We're both still at one hundred percent. "How about you try attacking my Stand, Jaune? Try going on the offensive this time."

"Alright. Let's get Red Like—" He paused for a moment. "Umm, shouldn't we come up with a nickname for your Stand? I mean, saying Red Like Roses over and over would get annoying."

I rubbed the base of my chin. Maybe that would be a good idea. I don't really need to say the full name unless I needed her to do something. "How about just Rose?"

"Rose works. Alright." He widened his stance as Rose circled around him. Her hands were held up in a guarding position. Neither opponent made any big moves.

"I'm ready when you're ready, Jaune. Go ahead and attack at any time."

He nodded, taking several deep breaths before pouncing, swinging his sword in a wide arc. The cut he made came short, missing Rose by a couple of inches. Jaune groaned as he pushed at the Stand, slicing with near abandon. Crocea Mors became a silver blur, cutting through the air and the concrete with ease. But despite all of his efforts, all Rose had to do was float back in order to dodge the onslaught.

Before we knew it, Jaune stepped back. Sweat ran down his face as he stared down the opponent. "Oh gods, she's fast! Rose's dodging everything I'm throwing at her! Even I managed to get a few hits into Pyrrha!" His eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe I'm going at this wrong. I have to think smarter than this. But what can I do—!" Jaune's eyes widened. His shield arm flew to his pockets before pulling out… something. Whatever he grabbed, he gripped it in a tight fist for a couple of seconds. What was he trying to—

With a flick of a thumb, the leader of team JNPR shot a tiny object at Rose at breakneck speeds. My eyes widened. The paper clip! Didn't that manage to pierce a solid wall? The cloaked Stand threw a hand out to knock away the flying projectile. At the same time, Jaune rushed towards her in a lunge. Right as she redirected the paper clip, Jaune stabbed Rose in the hand.

His aim was true as the blade drew a small amount of blood from Rose. A split second later, I felt a cut moving through my hand. I gasped in surprise as blood shot out from my right palm, nearly spraying me. I clenched my wrist in pain, keeling forwards. Jaune, seeing this, dropped the sword and started over to me. "Ruby! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I stated beneath gritted teeth. "I'm just surprised, that's all. Somehow I managed to get cut even my Aura on." My eyes flew to the scoreboard to still see my Aura levels at one hundred percent. Huh? Nothing's changed? I called back my Stand. The second she faded out of sight, I saw the red glow of my Aura surround the cut, pulling the skin back together before my very eyes. Within moments, the wound sealed up, leaving no scar behind.

"Hey Ruby, look up at the scoreboard." I did, catching my meter go down roughly two percent. "From the looks of it, our Auras won't protect us while our Stands are out." Jaune walked over to me. "Rose did say that Stands are the core of our soul, right?" I nodded. "Call it a hunch, but when we project our Stands outward, they must take our Aura with them. That's why you got cut when I hit your Stand. Then there's the matter of only affecting you when my Stand hit yours. Maybe Stands can only hurt other Stands."

"That makes a lot of sense," I hummed, thinking about what we've learned. "At least we know that if we get hurt, we can always bring our Stand back. That's going to make healing easy." I looked up at the boy. "But you know what?" I summoned **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** back out. "Let's have an actual spar." I stiffened my body, sticking out my hand and waggling it like in those ninja movies. "You come after me. Don't hold back, okay?"

"Alright, Ruby." Jaune held his shield up, kneeling down to snatch his weapon back up. He pushed off, rushing towards me with his sword arm up. It looks like he might start off with an overhead slice to my left. Easy enough to dodge. I tried calling on my Semblance. Nothing happened. My face twisted in panic as I saw Crocea Mors come down on me. Oh crud! My usual dodge was replaced with a dive. The blade scraped across the back of my skirt, but otherwise there wasn't too much damage.

My hands slammed against the ground as I pulled myself up. A squeak came out of my mouth as I took a backstep. A deadly arc swung where I stood a second later. Okay, so I can't use my Semblance while my Stand's out. A sidestep made his jab miss its mark. Rose flew towards Jaune, fists upraised for a beating. His kite shield swung out to receive her, blocking another barrage that carved craters within the steel. A swing of his blade kept me from going in. That's not good. At this point, nobody's going to get anywhere. I need to trick him somehow. But how— my ability!

Rose pulled back, freeing him to make another attack. A yell escaped his mouth as he ran towards me, making a vertical cut this time. I shifted my weight to balance myself better, ready to receive his blow. I bit my lip. This might hurt.

The metal blade sank into my shoulder, sending rose petals into the air. Before I knew it, my left arm flew off, decapitated by Jaune's weapon. I looked at the stub. My skin looked scaly, like rose petals about to fly away from the flower. The bud of a vibrant red rose replaced what would be bone and muscle on the end. Bits of my Aura sparked in little electric arcs; most likely to keep my tissue alive. He gasped as the limb landed a meter away from him, ballooning his cheeks as he turned green.

With that Rose flew forwards, landing a punch on his face and knocking him off of his feet. He coughed out a bit of blood before standing back up. So he had his Stand out, just like me. From the corner of my eye, the limb peeled up into red and white rose petals, floating back towards my stub. Within seconds, they rebuilt my arm back onto my body. Just in case, I rolled the shoulder. It's like it was never decapitated.

"Now that's not fair," Jaune muttered as he wiped the blood off of his chin. "Can't believe you got me with that."

"Yeah, it isn't fair," I replied, hopping in place as I waited for him to recover. "But it did break the stalemate. Ready for another go?"

The boy didn't say another word, sheathing his sword before throwing himself back into combat. He started by swinging his right fist at Rose. She easily blocked the blow with her forearms. His form wasn't nearly as organized as Yang; it's a lot more sloppy. However, they did have an effect. I winced as I felt the punches bruise my arms. His face grimaced as he through his volley of fists, hoping for… something to happen. Whatever it was, I couldn't figure it out.

Eventually, he swung a bit harder than he should have, leaning a bit further in the follow through. My Stand's knees crashed into his stomach, lifting him into the air. I could see spit fly out from his mouth as his body curled up. Rose followed up with a haymaker into Jaune's chest. I could hear the sounds of bone cracking as the blow sent him flying into a wall. A wall of dust flew into the air around where he landed, hiding him from my sights. What was he planning to do?

* * *

I felt my lungs fill with dusted concrete as I struggled to stand up after that hit. This battle's not doing well for me. I felt my Aura knit my broken bones back together. Good thing I called back the Stand before she launched me. The cloud's going to buy me some time.

None of the cards are stacked my way, that's to be sure. Ruby can split apart into petals, which means weapons are out of the question. She'll fake an injury, spook me, and then land a hit on me while I'm distracted. But what about non-lethal methods? She's only split into rose petals two times: when I cut through her and when the Ancient Ursa smashed her head open. Both would kill a person. But if I can beat her into submission… maybe that might be her weakness.

The problem is fighting **「** **RED LIKE ROSES.** **」** Her Stand has a range of ten meters, which is pretty far. That means if I could get past Ruby's Stand, I'm not going to make it even a meter before Rose catches up. Alternatively, I could attack Rose, but I also know that she can hit me harder than Yang. I could handle the Stand with **「** **EVERYDAY BOY,** **」** but knowing my fights against Yang, I'm going to lose no matter what. I have to get Ruby.

Then there's the issue of my Stand ability. Having the ability to change the density of any object I touch is great. But that's the problem: it only affects objects that I happen to be touching. The second I let go, the object will slowly revert back to its original density. If I use **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** on Rose… wait… it might work. I have no idea if it works on a Stand, but I can weigh down the cloak! Ruby would have to pull Rose back to defend herself, but I could end the fight before she does that. I hope.

It's kinda weird thinking about beating up your best friend, but since Rose is her only weapon, we have to learn what weaknesses Ruby might have and fast. The cloud of cover around me is quickly settling down. My eyes darted back and forth, looking for the hooded Stand, before landing on the floating cloak a meter to my right. She's outside my cloud of debris, still looking for a sign of me. I took a deep breath. Sorry Ruby, but I this is for your own good.

In my head, I counted to three before charging out of the cloud of dust, grabbing the cloak before Rose or her user could realize it and throwing myself onto the ground. The second I wrapped my fingers around it, I felt my Stand channel its energy into the fabric. And with that, the cloak sank to the ground with a thud, snagging Rose down with it. From the other side of the building, Ruby yelled as she herself was yanked to the ground. So anything that happens to the Stand can happen to the user as well. That's nice to know.

My eyes flew back to the struggling Rose. Again, I don't have much time after I let go, but I think I can run ten meters and hit Ruby before her Stand gets back up. I pushed myself up into a sprint, charging the prone girl. Her eyes widened and she tried to roll out of the way. She wasn't fast enough. A grunt left her mouth as I felt my foot sink into her stomach, flinging her into the air. She floated in the air for a brief moment, providing me with a perfect chance to hit her.

One of my fists winded back for another punch when I noticed her legs dissolving into rose petals. Wait a minute. Why is she breaking down those? I know that I didn't hit her there— Before I could think about it further, I felt heavy boots smash into the back of my knees, sending me careening to the ground. I pulled **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** back, wincing as I braced for impact. This was going to hurt.

My face smashed into the ground with a decent amount of force, causing my Aura to flare and earning a groan out of me. Ugh… oww… I gotta get back up before Ruby— Wait, shouldn't Ruby be landing on me? That means—

I flipped my body over so that I faced the ceiling and swung a fist at the still falling Ruby. This time it dug into her shoulders, causing her to cry out. The punch instead carried her body over my head to somewhere. I scrambled back to my feet, glancing behind me for whatever hit the back of my knees. The last parts of her severed leg disappeared back into petals, already flying back towards the downed girl. So she can reform body parts away from herself. Instead of pressing my advantage, I took a couple of steps back, allowing Ruby to get back up. I must've been five meters away from her.

We both looked at each other, both of our breaths labored. "Why… why don't we stop here?" I asked, wiping the sweat off of my brow. "I think we had enough fighting for now. Let's call it a draw."

"... Wait… One more thing first…" Her skin became scaly before my eyes. She ran towards me as fast as her legs can carry her. With a yelp, I unfolded my shield as I stepped backward. She got within three meters from me before exploding, sending her rose petals in my direction. The floral pieces of her drifted towards my direction in a carefree pace. It sent shivers down my spine.

Was she trying to attack me with her petals? Or was she going to create another limb to hit me with? I scooted up against a wall, taking care to not let any big gaps to exist between me and the structure. Now I should be able to see what she's trying to do without any surprises. I pressed my shield into my chest, eyes looking at the stream of rose petals. They floated towards me a couple more meters before stopping, content in staying in one place. What was she planning?

Before I can figure out what Ruby was doing, I felt a fist hit me in the side, knocking me off balance. That's impossible! I didn't see a single petal move towards me! There shouldn't be a fist. I looked to the side where the hit came from, only to drop my jaw in surprise. I forgot about Rose! The petals are a ruse to get her Stand into position! The Stand threw one more fist, this time at my jaw. A small grin formed on my face as I closed my eyes. I guess that means I lose.

But the hit never came. One, two seconds passed without feeling anything touch me. I lifted one eye open. Her fist didn't collide with me, instead hovering a couple of centimeters away from my face. Rose backed off, floating back to her reforming user. Ruby had a big grin on her face as her skin merged back together. With a smile, I held out a hand to the victorious girl.

"Hey, good match, Ruby. That was a pretty good trick you pulled off there." She beamed at that, leaping and gripping me in a death hug. I stumbled as she squealed in delight.

"Thanks, Jaune! You weren't so bad yourself."

"Nah, compared to you, not really." She looked up from where she hung from me.

"I mean it! It might be an accident, but you yanking down Rose with your ability, all to get to me, that was smart!" The tiny girl finally released me from her grip. "You were at a disadvantage from the start without any Stand you can use to attack, but you still managed to hold up against me!" She glanced at her hands. "You showed us that we need to not only understand these powers; we have to also be smart with them!"

The young girl's face turned to a frown. My smile dropped as well. "What's wrong, Ruby?"

"... I don't know, Jaune. I— I guess I'm just worried. It's cool having Rose by my side and all that, but… how are people going to react when they see my ability? Are they going to panic? Get grossed out? It— It just doesn't feel right with me." She sighed. "Maybe it's just me, but I kinda hope that I would never have to use Rose. I mean, I do want to be a hero, but I also want to be a normal person, and—" Ruby groaned as she wrapped her hand around her forehead. "It's all so confusing!"

"Yeah, it is confusing. I don't know why we have these powers, or why you happened to come across the Arrow. It doesn't make sense." I scratched my hair. "But one thing does make sense: we can't ignore the fact that we have Stands anyways." I glanced down at the ruined floor. "You know, I feel the same way. I hope I never have to fight somebody with my Stand. But hey, at least you're not alone in this." I jabbed a thumb at my chest. "You got good ol' Jaune here by your side!"

Ruby smiled. "Thanks." She held out a fist. "Fistbump?"

"Fistbump." Our fists met. A quick whiff of my body caused me to wrinkle my nose. "Man, I'm all sweaty. Come on, let's get cleaned up before we head back out." She raised her eyebrows in suspicion. Oh… that came out wrong. "Not in that way!"

* * *

I let out a long sigh as I walked back to the RWBY dorm room by my lonesome. A quick look at my scroll revealed that it was five o'clock in the evening. Jaune already went ahead of me, saying he had to meet up with his team. Something about a team dinner. I wouldn't have minded walking and talking with him a little more, but oh well.

A sigh escaped my mouth. That was a really good spar. I think I got a good handle on what I can do with **「** **RED LIKE ROSES.** **」** My ability to split into roses is defensive at best, but Rose makes up for that as my offensive option.

Now that I think of it, what else can I do with my rose petals? Yeah, they seem unhelpful to have at first, but if I can figure out some more tricks out of it, my abilities can act like a multi-tool knife. But what can I do with rose petals? I know that I can move my limbs independently from the body. If I had Crescent Rose, maybe I could try throwing my arms for a long distance shot! Ooh, that would be really cool!

Somebody bumped into me, causing me to yelp. I looked up to see a dark-skinned boy with scars along his arms. "Sorry about that," he muttered, stepping to the side before continuing on his way. Well, that was weird. What was I thinking about? Oh! I could maybe attach myself to the sides of buildings if I was ever in that kind of situation! Hmm… I wonder if I can make my rose petals sharp.

But enough of new ideas for now. I stood in front of my room. I don't know why I feel more nervous than usual, but for some reason, there's a sense of dread coming from the room. It's… menacing, to say the least. I shook my head, knocking the thoughts out of my mind. It's probably nothing. Don't get all worked up, Ruby. I tapped my scroll into the door. The lock mechanism turned green as I heard the lock click.

A pair of heads perked up as they saw me walk into the room. The two monochrome girls were both reading books at their respective desks. My partner had a giant tome labeled Logistics and Shipping in Vale: 3rd Edition. I mentally shook my head. Always the perfectionist. Didn't expect less from the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Blake, on the other hand, had a more casual reading in her hands, more specifically, her favorite "romance" series. I struggled to hold back a grin.

"Hi guys!" I waved my hand as I moved towards my dresser. "How was your day?" Blake twitched at the question. Her amber eyes peered at me as if she thought I had some hidden message in my statement.

"Uh, good." The cat faunus set her book down before spinning her chair to face me. "Classes were like they always were."

"We brought you some notes from Port and Oobleck today," Weiss interjected. "But when we came back to the dorm, you were gone." The white haired girl let out a sigh as she bookmarked and closed her text. She gave me a stern glare that sent shivers down my spine. "You know you should be resting." At that the dark-haired girl leaned forwards, steepling her fingers.

"Where were you the whole entire day?" My head reeled back by the faunus girl's question. I just walked into an interrogation, did I? "Look, we're concerned about you, Ruby. There are so many strange things happening to you over the past month, and everybody's on edge. You getting up and leaving the dorm almost sent everybody into a panic."

Weiss let out a long sigh as she got up from her seat. "As hard as it is for me to show it, I'm still your partner, and I do care about you. This past month, something's been bothering you."

She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. Did she find out about… "Is… Does it have something to do with your mother?" I blinked. "I know you might still be willing to think that your mom's still alive, but you have to—"

"Is this what it's about?" I asked. She froze in place as her voice failed her. I forgot that I thought that Mom was alive still. They must still think that it's still affecting me. I turned my head towards the ground. "You don't have to worry about that anymore. While I was in the nurse's office recovering, I had a lot of time to think to myself, and I guess I wasn't thinking straight." I let out a long sigh. "My Mom's not coming back to life. She never will come back into my life. I've accepted that."

The other two girls in my team looked at me, eyes glancing into my eyes. Weiss formed a fist with her hands for a moment before stomping over to me and wrapping her arms around me. A small gasp escaped my lips. "Ruby, this must be so painful to go through. I— I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything, Weiss." I returned the gesture, burying my face into her shoulder. "I had a long time to get used to this. There's no more need to worry about the past, I have team RWBY to take care of now." I glanced up to see Rose floating right next to Blake. The cat faunus didn't even as much as twitch when the Stand supposedly grazed the girl. A smile creeped up my face. "Mom might be gone, but her hopes and dreams live on with me. I'm going to be okay. Don't you worry, everyone."

From the corner of my eye, I caught a hint of yellow. I turned my head to look at the open dorm door. The person was gone from sight, walking away from the room. However, I didn't catch any footsteps. Whoever's behind the doorframe, they're still there, listening in. And I think that I know who's there.

"Yang?" I leaned towards the door frame. "I know you're there. Just come on in." My sister let out a sigh before stepping into the doorframe. She's wearing a black and yellow training bra and sweatpants, both with the logo of Beacon printed on. Beads of sweat glistened on her skin, likely from her Friday workout she likes to have to herself. Her lilac eyes had a downcast look on them, but only for a split second. They quickly became brighter and happy as the blonde let out a wide grin.

"Hey, guys! Did I miss anything?" She twisted her body as she pulled at her arm muscles. The blonde made a satisfied groan. "Whoo! That was a pretty hard workout! Haven't felt that way in a long, long time!"

"... What are you doing, Yang?" the faunus deadpanned. "We know you were behind the doorframe, listening in. Don't even try that on us."

"What are you talking about, Blake? I just got here!" A corner of her eye twitched as she said that. Yang started scooting towards the bathroom door. "Anyways, if it isn't too much, I'm going to need to get myself cleaned up. Yeah!" One of her hands wrapped around the brass doorknob leading to our shower room. She slipped into the restroom, hiding everything except for her eyes. "Just pretend I wasn't here."

Everybody stood silent as Yang closed the door on us. An audible click sounded through the room. "... What just happened?" We looked at the heiress, who had her hands on her hips.

"I don't really know, to be honest." I lifted my shoulders in confusion.

Blake's bow twitched. "Guys, … I think I can hear something inside the restroom. It's like—" Her eyes widened for a moment, before returning to normal. Amber eyes caught against mine before darting away. The girl pulled her arms a bit closer to her chest. "... Nevermind. I— I guess it's nothing." Her face said otherwise. She looked… sorry, almost guilty in a way. Whatever Blake can hear, she's not telling us.

"Are you sure it's nothing?" I forced her to lock eyes with me again. The cat faunus swallowed before turning away again. A blush appeared on her face.

"... Yeah. I'm sure. Yang would be embarrassed and angry if she knew I was listening in."

"You don't mean—" Weiss recoiled, nearly tipping herself backward into her desk. "Blake!" She screamed, her face becoming red. "That's disgusting! Did you let your romance novel rot your brain that much?"

"No, you're misinterpreting—"

A panicking feeling ran through me as I watched Weiss toss a pillow at the faunus' face. Blake's hiding something. Something that we as a team can't learn, but is important enough to Yang that it remains secret. What could that be? I sighed as I looked at the closed door, where my sister is right now.

I really hope that Yang's going to be okay.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 3/31/17**

* * *

 **You know what I wish I could do? Draw. It would be awesome to make a mockup of what 「RED LIKE ROSES」would look like and have that be added to the cover. I think it would be really cool. It's kind of an "oh well" thing in the end, though. What can I do? Maybe I should ask a friend or someone to draw it. But enough of that! It's r** **eview time!**

 **MrGreen37: Kept you waiting, huh? ZA STANDOS are finally here, and they are glorious!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you for the compliments, greenscoop! Chapter 5 was really fun for me to write because I finally could reveal the Stand abilities to you guys and I can see what I can do with them!**

 **Darklight of the 0 arcana: Don't worry about Crescent Rose, Darklight. Our favorite gun scythe will come back. While I can't tell you when Crescent Rose will reappear, it wouldn't surprise me if in-story it took 2-3 days for Beacon to find and retrieve the weapon. The next Stand user won't be appearing in this chapter, as you can see. That will be happening in the next chapter.**

 **Galer: Ayy, that's a pretty good pun. It's no CRAZY DIAMOND, but it does well enough. Anyways, thank you for the compliment! I hope I don't BITE ZA DUSTO. That would suck for the rest of ZA WARUDO. ... Sometimes I feel like I feel like I'm talking into an ECHOES chamber. Are you guys tired of these JOJOkes yet? Okay, I'll stop now.**

 **doa570047: I wouldn't worry about the golden rule for Stand battles. I have a surprise for the rest of the cast... *rubs hands menacingly***

 **Thaqif: Wow. That's a lot of questions. Let me see if I can answer all of them. 1: I don't intend it on it becoming a pairing fic. This is because I'm not interested in writing a romance between two characters and because I'm not confident in my ability to juggle romance with the craziness of JoJo. Plus, I'm a believer in the idea that people can have intimate relationships that do not involve romance. So expect a lot of the intimacy, less of the romance. 2: Any named character in the show are available options as Stand users. This includes main cast as well as side characters. As long as they have a name, they can be Stand users. If I ever have to add OCs to fill in the world, they will never be Stand users. 3: Yes, there will be minor opponents that Ruby will face. 4: I hope that this chapter does a good enough job at explaining the mix between Stand fighting and Huntsmen fighting. 5: I'll try to have a lighter tone at times. I can't promise anyone lighter comedy because my idea of funny is morbid. Again, I'll try.**

 **And I just realized that somehow we're having three chapters in March. Yay for that! See you guys next time!**

 _ **Next Chapter Date: March 31, 2017**_


	7. Oh, Sister

**Happy Friday, everybody! It's time for another chapter!**

 **But today I have a surprise: I got some guys to beta for me! Two in fact! Say hello to Fanfic guy01 and THE L0NE WANDERER! Working with them is a pleasure. Plus, THE L0NE WANDERER is going to be doing chapter omakes! So we're going to see some more humor in the story, even if it is just from an omake. But other than that, let's move on to the story!**

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 _ **Betas: THE L0NE WANDERER, Fanfic guy01**_

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Ah, From Dust till Dawn. There's never been a more reliable weapons store. Every month or so, team JNPR and I come in and orders some more ammunition there. It's a reliable place, the store selling good quality stuff at low prices. Considering the company's partnership with the Schnee Dust Company and the support of the Huntsmen, it's no wonder that everybody likes to buy from this particular vendor. Even though several Dust heists have been putting a lot of pressure on the store, there's little surprise that a store like this can still stand proud. The owner was resilient. That's for sure.

It's a good thing we dropped by today out of all days. After the mission, everybody's in need of more ammunition. It's not really useful for me, considering all I use is Crocea Mors and the shield, but everybody else was starting to feel their ammunition running low. From the debriefing, Ren burned through a lot of his ammo fighting the King Taijitu. Pyrrha fared better, but she had to use several magazines to fight off a sudden Ursa horde. Nora is not surprisingly the worst out of all of us. She ran out of shells close to the end and had to fight using Magnhild's hammer form. Maybe I shouldn't have let her run off free to do whatever she wants next time.

I sighed as I glanced through the rows of Dust crystals. A spectrum of colors gleamed under the light, creating a beautiful display. Miniature rainbows formed from the clearer prisms. The colored ones released solid color beams that dazzled on the snow white fabric underneath them. Despite the fact that each crystal was cut into the same generic shape, they had a nice allure to them, similar to gems. If it wasn't for the fact that these crystals can cause a ton of destruction and their importance in sustaining Remnant society as we know it, I'm sure Dust would've been just another shiny rock to be placed on a finger.

My eyes flickered up from the display as I glanced around the store. Nora and Ren crowded around the old Shopkeep in the center of the shop. The redhead hopped and skipped around the counter, babbling something to the merchant so quickly that I couldn't tell what she wanted. From the looks of his face, the Shopkeeper was also having a hard time keeping up with the hyperactive girl. His face turned towards Ren every couple of seconds, relying on the West Mistralian as a translator.

My hands wrapped around the glass display, my thumb bouncing against the clear surface. I thought back to the situation. What do we do now? Whatever the creature is, it's still out there with that Arrow. Who knows what will happen next? What is it going to do? How many users like us is that creature making right now?

The whole point of yesterday was to try and figure out all of this. Yet we don't have anything by the time we went back! Aside from the spar, yesterday was a complete bust. Not a single useful piece of knowledge to help us start our search. But maybe this is more of a recent development… Maybe if we look through the CCT and search up recent news, that might get us somewhere… I think tomorrow afternoon might be a good time to visit the CCT tower. I should call up Ruby and get her input on that.

But still, there are so many unanswered questions! Why is this happening to us right now? To Ruby? We're just students! To think that just a month ago, we didn't have to worry about Stands or ghosts or mysterious Stand forming arrows. And now, we're sucked into… whatever this is. To be part of this mystery… I raked my messy hair back. Are we in over our heads? This is way outside the scope of anything we've ever done. Even the incident at the highway with the Paladin wasn't nearly as messed up as this! Is what we're doing impossible? Are we even going to make it out of this alive?

I felt a chill run down my spine as somebody grabbed my shoulders from behind. The person gave me a firm squeeze. My heart leaped in fear as I felt their gaze burn through the back of my head. Sweat started to form on the base of my head as my mind jumped to several places. Who was that? Am I going to get ambushed? Why is somebody behind me?

My eyes flickered behind me, revealing the mystery person to be my partner. She gave me another squeeze, more comforting now that I know that Pyrrha's doing it to me. Her emerald eyes stared into mine with that sharp, calculating look, constricted pupils searching through me. The look's similar to the one she uses every time we spar on the rooftops. There's something tense about her body language. She's analyzing me, looking for… something.

"Pyrrha?" Her eyes dilated at the sound of her name. The champion girl blinked before looking at me again. At that moment, I felt her grip on me relax. My eyebrows flew upwards with curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"Oh! Sorry Jaune, I didn't mean to startle you." My partner pulled her hand away, bringing it to her hips. "I finished ordering more rounds for Milo, so I guess I wanted to go talk to you. I mean, you don't have anything to do right now, so I don't see why we can't have a chat." Her face softened for a moment. "Are you… okay? You're quite distracted."

"... I guess you can say that." An awkward silence ensued between us. Pyrrha fiddled with Milo's handle for a moment, looking away from me. My eyes went back to the display in front of us. It felt like the glimmer earlier started to fade away. "There's just a lot of stuff on my mind right now."

The Mistralian tucked a lock of crimson hair back under her copper circlet as she let out a hum of displeasure. "... Do you want to talk about it?"

"I— I don't know," I sighed as my head fell forwards. "It's really hard to say…" My tongue had the words on its tip. Never in my life did I want to tell Pyrrha the truth. All I had to do was mention the Stands. She's probably going to understand, right? Pyrrha's my partner. We should be honest with each other. My lips started to form the words. Just a little bit more. Yet they won't come out. I sighed as I turned my head to look at my partner. "It's about Ruby."

"Oh…" The champion glanced away from me. "I'm sorry for asking about that. I didn't know it was that hard for you. But with happened with Ruby…" Emerald eyes flew down towards the tiled flooring as she thought about her next words. "It must be hard, seeing her going through all of this. It's all so… unusual. Who would've expected that Ruby would have so much bad luck recently?" I stifled a scoff. It's a lot more than just bad luck. She continued: "With the infection a month ago to her resurrection a few days ago… I guess I just wanted to ask about how you're doing. This can't be easy on you."

I let out a sigh. "You're right again, Pyrrha. This isn't easy to take in." For more reasons than she thinks. My top lip squished together between my teeth. "I don't understand anything that's going on with Ruby, and as a friend, it hurts more than you think. I mean, if you were in a situation like that, I would do anything to try and help you get better." She straightened up a little at the comment. "There's no way I'm going to stand to the side if my friends are suffering. But I feel so… helpless when it comes to Ruby!" I threw my arms out in frustration. "I wish I can help her, but I don't know how!"

The champion held her hand up to her chin for a moment. "... Well, you're not alone in all of this." She took my hand and pulled me down to a seated position on the ground. "You know Team RWBY's also scared of what's happening. I had a talk with them after the mission for the longest time. Everybody is devastated with what's happening to Ruby. They feel so vulnerable right now. Their leader, partner, and sister brushed with death twice now. I've never seen their resolve waver ever since the first day of school. I'm sure they want to do something as well, just like you."

Pyrrha gestured towards Ren and Nora. The two had an animated talk with each other while the Shopkeep mixed the Dust powder for their order. "All of us worry about her too. Ruby's like a little sister to me. She's always brightening up my day, whether she realizes it or not. Believe me, I was crushed too when I saw her body." The redhead let out a sigh. "Ren and Nora, they feel the same way. They won't say it out loud, but it's clear in their eyes what they're thinking of. There's plenty of people who want to help, but can't." She ran her thumb down my hand, sending shivers down my arm. "The best we can do, all we can do is be there for her, no matter what."

I hummed as I took in my partner's advice. Considering what she knows about the situation, it's sound advice. What good friend wouldn't stick by their buddy's side, watching over them when they need the help? It's not like I'm the only one who cares about Ruby's wellbeing. Everyone in RWBY and JNPR loves her as much as each other. We wouldn't abandon her no matter what. Them being there for Ruby would be the best thing for the girl.

Except I know better. It wouldn't be better for the rest of our friend group to learn the secrets Ruby and I know. Pyrrha doesn't know about the Arrow, about the ghostly Stands, about the bizarre baby creature that gave Ruby her Stand. My partner doesn't know that Ruby wasn't going bonkers when the girl talked about seeing her mom, or that the miracle that happened on that cliff was due to the supernatural. She doesn't understand the scale of what Ruby and I are facing. I'm having doubts about continuing on with this; how would the rest of them feel?

My body turned towards her. She's looking at me and giving me a small smile. Her actions are making this task of keeping the secret of the Stands harder. I wish I didn't have to lie to my partner. All I want more than anything in the world is to just tell her everything. Wasn't the incident with Cardin due to the fact that I didn't tell anyone about my problem? Because of that, I led my team wade through a lot of misery before I managed to escape from Cardin's grasp. Didn't I learn my lesson? It would be easier on me to just spill the beans, bring in one more person to help with the search. It would make it easier on both Ruby and I if we had our friends as well.

But it would make Pyrrha's life harder. Anybody who learns about the Stands is putting their lives at risk. This isn't a Cardin situation where nobody gets hurt if they learn the truth. The worst thing that could've happened to me was get expelled. Stands are scary stuff in comparison. **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** showed me that firsthand with my ability to manipulate density. I shot a paper clip through a wall! And to go after the one thing that could unleash more powers like that; I couldn't force this onto them. I can't be just there for Ruby; I have to fight alongside her. Nobody else should be dragged into this. Especially not Pyrrha.

I gave her the best smile I could. "Thanks, Pyrrha. You always know what to say to help me. I feel a lot better hearing it from you." She looked into my eyes one more time, her face beaming with delight. With a small grunt, she pushed herself back onto her feet, pulling me up with her. I gave her a soft squeeze before letting go. "Where would I be without you pulling me back up?"

"You're welcome, Jaune." Her cheeks reddened for a moment. "It's not much, but I'm glad that it helped." My partner glanced over to the side. "But now it's time for you to play the fearless leader, don't you think?"

I turned to see what she was looking at to find Nora yanking Ren towards the door. A backpack-sized knapsack rattled against her back as the hyperactive girl jerked her partner around. Ren, on the other hand, refused to budge, doing everything to remain rooted to the ground. It's a strange sight seeing the normally passive boy put so much effort into resisting the force of nature that was Nora. "Come on, Renny!" she whined. "We're done for the day! We have nothing on our schedule after this! Zilch! Nada! Let's go to the arcade and have some fun!"

"Nora, we can't bring live ammunition into an arcade." The boy's feet scraped against the ground, his resistance being futile. I swear I can see shallow gashes where his feet passed through the tiled floor. "If we want to go, we have to drop it back home or something. Remember what happened to that Hunter-in-Training a few years back? He bought explosive Dust that detonated when he left it in the sun for too long." Nora paled up at the memory.

"They say that nobody found his body to this very day." She stopped for a moment, considering Ren's words. "But still! Going back to Beacon is boring! We have to get on an airship, fly to Beacon, walk to our lockers, drop off the ammunition, then go back and wait for another airship—" Nora groaned, sinking to the ground at the thought. "That takes way too long! Couldn't we just leave the ammunition here and come pick it back up?"

Ren let out a sigh as he rubbed the base of his nose. "There's no reservation policy, remember? There's no guarantee that the ammo would be still here by the time we come back. We almost lost our lives because of this. Don't you remember what happened back in that one village back in Mistral?" My jaw dropped as they continued with their squabble. I've never seen the two argue… ever, let alone about something like this! This was a lot more serious than I thought.

Time to step in. My first thought went to trying to break up the fight. I stopped almost immediately. Getting involved is most likely going to end in disaster.

Instead, I sidestepped the arguing partners, heading directly towards the Shopkeeper. Don't want to touch those two with a ten-meter stick. I cleared my throat as I stood in front of him, catching the old merchant's attention. "Hi, umm… do you have any shipping policy, by any chance? My friends over there want to enjoy time in the city, and I was hoping if we can just ship it to Beacon." The Shopkeeper raised his eyebrows at my question. A ball of nervousness swelled up in my throat. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Oh? No, no. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just that nobody used that method anymore. It caught me by surprise." He ducked down under the counter, rummaging for something. "Do you need your ammunition right away, by any chance?"

"No, not really," I answered, rubbing the back of my head as I let out a chuckle. "We just came back from a mission, and I don't think we're going to need it for at least another week."

"Well then, I don't think there should be any problem with just sending the ammunition by mail." He slapped a tablet on the table, displaying general mailing stuff. "For a couple of more lien, I can send the Dust rounds directly to your residence. It would take the rest of the day for me to fill out the papers for transferring live rounds through the mail, but I think you could get them by around… tomorrow afternoon?" His head poked back up into view. "Just read and sign the document, and I'll handle the rest."

I picked up the display and skimmed through the terms. "Okay. Just put it on Beacon's tab." I said as I typed up a couple of general details, before ending by signing my name with a flourish. The elder man flashed a grin as I handed the tablet back to him.

He gave me a lengthy bow. "Thank you very much for your patronage."

"No, thank you, sir." I turned back towards Ren and Nora. Their argument died down quite a bit since I last saw, but I could still sense some tension between the two. "Hey, guys!" They looked over at me. "Don't worry about the ammunition, I just made a request to get it shipped to Beacon by mail!" Everyone chirped up at the news. "Besides, it's been awhile since we got to have some fun together. Why not have some fun?" the grin on Nora's face grew to an impossible size.

"Thanks, Jaune! You're the best!" She turned over to her lifelong companion. "You see Ren? Nothing to worry about! Come on, let's have some fun!"

The boy in green stood silent for a moment as he considered his options. Ren glanced at me, then at Nora, then back to me before nodding. "Alright, Nora. We can go to the arcade. But this time you're not playing whack a mole, alright?" His magenta eyes glanced at me, wearing a look of relief. The corner of his mouth curled up as he whispered a silent thank you to me. I nodded back, waving my hand at them to go ahead.

The hyperactive girl grinned. "Don't worry Ren, I got it! I've learned from the last time we got kicked out! No more physical games!" She held her hand up, thumb and index forming a circle while the rest of her fingers stuck out upwards. "It'll be fun!" She yanked the boy out of the store, with Pyrrha and I following close behind them. I let out a laugh as the hyperactive redhead dragged her best friend down the street. Yeah, I'm sure this will be fun.

* * *

"I need to get this straight." I felt shivers down my spine as Weiss stared into my back. "We're all here because of a promise you made to the librarian?"

My partner and I stood next to a monster of a bookshelf that towered over us. Resting next to the girl was one of those racks where the librarian carts the returned books to their usual resting place. I found myself perched on one of the mobile staircases, skimming through each of the titles to find where _The Accidental Beginnings of Flight_ originally belonged. I glanced at the spine of the book in my hand. What kind of last name is Saltaformaggio? It's long, it's confusing, and it doesn't help that this is the person's only book. Man, I'm starting to have regrets trying to make it up to the librarian. Then again, if we weren't so occupied, this wouldn't have happened.

Looking out of the window, I saw the sun touching the horizon, which gave the sky a vibrant yellow glow. "I'm sorry, Weiss, but I had to do something to help out the librarian! She probably gets enough trouble from everyone already!" My finger ran alongside the books on the shelf as I spoke. "It's the least I could do to make her life a little easier!"

"So you would pull team RWBY here on a weekend just so we can watch you put books away?"

"In my defense, I told you guys you didn't have to come, but everybody insisted on it anyways." Aha! There it is! Between the authors Salamanda and Samus! I let out a long sigh as I shoved the history book back in its original spot. I really hope I don't have to get another name like that guy's again. With that done, I leaped off of the metal staircase and landed next to Weiss. "Besides, wouldn't you out of all people want us to be studying? The library's a nice place to do that."

The girl raised her eyebrows. "What makes you think that? It's the end of the year. We finished all of our finals a week before the mission. There's no need for you guys to study."

"We did?" I thought about what she said for a moment. When did we do our finals? Was it really that long ago? I don't even remember taking it!

Weiss squinted her eyes through the silence, staring right into my eyes. "… You dolt! Did you forget that we already finished our finals?" I kept my mouth shut, afraid of whatever I'll say next. She shook her head, letting out a long sigh. "I can't even— you know what? Forget it. Just pretend I didn't say anything. The point is that you guys are done with studying."

I let out a sigh of relief. If the final was so bad that I can't remember it, I don't think I want to relive that memory ever again. "Huh. I guess we did— wait." Her head jerked up as I let out a hum. "Wait a minute… You said 'you guys.' Don't you mean us?" I turned over to the petite girl. "You meant that we, team RWBY, the most awesome team in Beacon, don't need to study anymore?"

My partner stood silent for a moment, blue eyes flickering around the room. Her lips curled up, opening in order to respond, but not a sound left her mouth. Weiss sighed. "I know what I said. Team RWBY doesn't have to do any more studying for the year. Me…" She stared at the ground. "... I got a lot of catch-up to do."

"Wait, what?" I grabbed her shoulders. "No! That's not possible! I saw your grades, you were on the top of the class! There's no way that you need to repeat any of your classes! What happened? Did one of your teachers misfile something? Was there a test that you missed or something like that? I'm sure we can fix it by the end of the—"

"That's not what I meant, Ruby." She grabbed my hands and jerked them away from her. "I'm not having problems in school. I have to catch up on more personal stuff. It's… it's about my family."

"... Oh."

The girl walked over to the mobile steps and sat herself down on one of the steps. "You know, after the scare you gave us last month, I had a lot of time to think about my future. About Beacon, about becoming a Huntress, about taking over the Schnee Dust Company. And now that I think about it, if I stop Hunting— no, when I stop Hunting, I need to go back to the company and care for it." Weiss cleared her throat, eyes turning down to look at her hands.

"But now, I've realized that I don't know a single thing about running a company. I'm the heiress apparent, and I don't know anything about maintaining supply lines, or how to lead an expedition. I don't even how to manage my own personal finances because my butler does that!" Weiss gestured at nothing in particular. "My sister… did I ever talk about her?" I shook my head.

"That's a subject for another time. But Winter… she probably has some lessons before she joined the Atlesian military, but I've never had any lessons that taught me anything about what the SDC does! If my father had to step down right now…" She dropped her face into her hands. "... I'm in no position to take over effectively. I can't be the company president that the SDC needs."

I stood there, looking at my partner rub her face in frustration. Small hiccups escaped from her once in awhile. She's never been like this before. Weiss has always been confident in herself, no matter what happened. I've never seen her act so… conflicted before. My body willed itself to step towards the staircase. With one deft pull, I yanked myself through one of the bars serving as a railing. Almost immediately I felt myself slide down the metallic pole before I was stopped by a vertical bar. I looked over to my partner.

"You know," I started. "We've never gotten the chance to talk about you, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Ever since we've met up in the Emerald Forest, I've always considered you Weiss, my partner and bestie in the whole world." She didn't react to what I was saying, only responding with hiccups. "I hadn't considered for a moment that at the end of the day, you still have a responsibility to go back to. That the future of a major company is going to be in your hands. I can't imagine how stressful that must be. If you want, you can go ahead and talk about your family."

She pulled away, showing her eyes starting to swell up with tears. "... What about the books? Didn't you make a promise to the—?"

"Forget about them. I know I made a promise to the librarian to take care of them, and I will. But our friendship comes first. I want to be there for you, be the friend that you need now above anything else. I'm sure she can wait." I swung my legs back and forth through the air. "Go ahead, talk about your troubles. I'll be here, listening to every word. Even if I'm a dunce who can't understand a word you're saying, at least I'm a dunce that stuck by a friend when they needed me."

Weiss wiped the corners of her eyes. "Where do I start?" She sat there in silence, stewing a bit while I hung from the metal bar. She stared into the open. "... I remember when I first heard the news that I was to be the next president of the SDC. The entire family was having dinner except for Winter. We were having lobster, I remember that. I didn't think about my sister's absence at the time. She's always been less punctual, especially considering she insisted on staying during a lesson. Winter wouldn't budge from her seat until she's sure that she understands the material being taught to her."

"Then out of the blue, my father announces that Winter was going to be stepping down and that I was to be the next heiress. Back then, I thought that was a dream come true. Before that day, I thought that I would never get to live up to the Schnee name and I would become just some trophy wife to secure family alliances. I'd never thought I would help bring the company back to its glory days. The days when my Grandpa stood at the helm." She fidgeted in place, the movement catching my attention.

"My Grandpa, he showed to me what it means to be an individual, to find purpose within myself, like how he did back in his youth. His stories about exploring the world, fighting Grimm, digging through the deepest depths of the Atlesian tundra, just to save the new-born kingdom of Mantle." Her hands shifted around as she spoke every syllable. "And the day he told those stories to me—" She stopped herself. "But that's another story for another time." Weiss waved the thought away.

"The point is that now I thought I had a chance to change the company from within. That I gained the freedom to control the company as I wish so I can shape it back to how it is before. Before… all of the faunus policies." Her eyes shifted towards Blake, who sat on a table reading while Yang flipped through some books. I swear I could see Yang glance up one in a while in our direction. "My father quickly threw me into studies, teaching me about literature, the arts, mathematics, physics. Academic stuff."

"At first I thought they were necessary to lead the company. I needed to be smart and bright in order to make the decisions. But as time went on, I started to become disillusioned. It felt like my responsibility as an heiress was being wasted. Where was the freedom and individuality that Grandpa used to enjoy? All I'm doing is learning how to sing! I felt trapped, like my dream was being used by others for their own selfish wishes. I started demanding lessons on how to fight, on surveying, on other skills. Skills used by my Grandpa. The ones I thought mattered. I only got one of them. I think you know which one."

She ran her finger along the place where Myrtenaster would be sheathed in combat. Her eyes were downcast. "I thought I would follow in the footsteps of my Grandpa, leading the company from the ground. But my father wanted me to me a pencil pusher, a glorified secretary with a fancy title!" Her right hand balled into a fist. "And so I decided to take fate into my own hands. For the first time in my life, I rose up against my father, fighting to earn my place here." A finger went to the scar across her eye. "I lost my beauty, but gained my freedom and my chance to follow Grandpa in his footsteps. Or so I thought."

Weiss looked up at me. "I'll be frank. I don't know what to do anymore. I thought following my grandfather would help me become a leader fit for the SDC. It was partly why I overreacted when I learned that you were going to be the team leader. But despite what we did this whole entire year, despite all of the things I learned from Beacon, I don't think that I'm any closer to leading the company." She rested her face in one palm of her hand. "I don't know if I'm ready." We stood silent for a moment. What do I say to her? Should I say anything?

She pulled her face into a smile before I could speak. "Thanks, Ruby. For sticking out for this long. This isn't nearly close to everything I wanted to say about all of this, and I felt like I went on a ramble. I don't even know if you understood any part of that." Her chest rose as she took a breath in. "That felt… nice. I've been holding this in for so long, with no one to say it to. It's a relieving feeling." My partner's face went serious. "But don't you have something to do?"

"Wha—? Oh! I forgot!" I snatched a couple more books from the mobile shelf. How long were we talking for? "I got to put all of this stuff away!" Where do these go… Last name starts with R. Maybe top shelf? Before I knew it, I found myself straining against the wheeled staircase, pushing it towards the other end of the giant shelf. The second it went into place, I stomped down on the locking mechanism and started for the bottom step. Only to catch my foot on one of the rungs and tripping, banging my nose on the aluminum bars. I groaned as my Aura flared, before falling to the ground.

In moments, I found my sister next to me. She yanked me up and leaned me on one of the shelves. Lilac eyes flickered over my face as she reached for my nose. "Ruby, are you okay? You got to be more careful next time and not rush everything. Maybe you need a break—"

I brushed her hands away. "Yang, stop it. I'm fine. My Aura took most of the impact." Why is she being a lot more protective today? All we're doing is placing books back where they belonged.

"That's what you said last time to Jaune, and look what happened." She placed her hands on her hips. "Ruby, don't be stubborn with—"

"I'm not being stubborn!" I leaped up to my feet. The blonde reeled back, shocked by the outburst. I'm a little surprised at my snappy attitude, but it's too late to take my words back. "Trust me, I'm okay. I can take care of myself."

Yang recovered within moments, giving me a glare. "Take care of yourself? You're doing the opposite of taking care of yourself!" From the corner of my eye, I saw my partner take a few steps back. "Just a few days ago, you threw yourself at an Ancient Grimm with no weapon whatsoever! With no Aura! And all to protect Jaune, who was able to stand and move away in the first place. From the looks of it, you don't care about taking care of yourself. You just want to become a martyr, mourned by everyone who loved you. Just like Summer."

I took a violent breath in. Oh, that's it! "Yeah, so what if I wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps as a protector of Remnant? Being a Huntress is a dangerous job, Yang! You think that justifies having you following me around, arms out, ready to catch me whenever I mess up? You think that by sticking by my side forever that I would run back into your arms, crying for my big sister to save me?" Her face twisted into disbelief at the statement. Her large hands went up to her mouth, covering them up. Those lilac eyes started welling up.

"I'm growing up, Yang. Maybe I relied on you a lot when we were young, but that was in the past. Now I'm finding my place in life, a purpose to fulfill." I cast my gaze onto the patterned carpet. "One where we might not be together forever. I've come to accept this. You should find yours, one that doesn't rely on me being there." The blonde started trembling. "There's no hope in being stuck in the past. You need to let me go live my own life."

My eyes turned upwards to look at Yang. She took a few steps back, colliding with one of the shelves in the process. The books jostled in their places, threatening to fall off. My sister stood there, eyes staring at me in confusion and sorrow. Before long, they flashed crimson red, and Yang stomped out of the library without another word. The cold fingers of my partner wrapped around my shoulder. Blake appeared moments later, book in hand. Her face looked cold.

"Ruby… was that really necessary?" the faunus asked. I let out a long sigh. What I said was harsh, but they were also true. More than they think it is, considering the issue with the Arrow and Stands. But driving Yang away over what was just sisterly concern…

I turned to look at the girl, tears threatening to come out of my own eyes. My head shook back and forth. "... I don't know, Blake. I don't know."

* * *

I groaned as I stumbled on the path next to some public building, maybe a library or something? My hands grasped against my head as I felt my brain pounding against my skull. Oh gods, it feels terrible! Where am I? Where were the rooms for the visiting teams? I glanced up. I don't think I'm anywhere close to the dormitory! Man, Brawnz, May, and Roy's going to kill me if I didn't come back in time!

And why do I feel so… ill? Did I eat something terrible? If so, then Vale has some serious quality control issues. Yeah, that's the last time I'm going to a riverside party in the city of Vale!

In fact, what happened? I tapped the side of my skull only to groan as my headache worsened. Alright, Nolan. Think. One moment it was me hanging out at the shore, chatting up with a couple of the locals, and the next was me making my way back home with my head hurting like hell. I wasn't drinking that much. It was not even a single bottle! Unless… was I roofied? No, that can't be it. I'm still in control of my body. Maybe the flu hit me. Yeah, that must be it! Even more reason to get back home as soon as possible. I'm going to need the rest.

Just as I rounded the corner, I saw a girl with a vibrant blonde mane stomping towards my direction. She wore a leather vest with a yellow undershirt with shorts, giving her a confident and assured look. The girl would've looked a lot hotter if it wasn't for the frown across her face. An orange scarf wrapped around her neck, empathizing her… well endowed gifts. I mentally slapped myself in the face. That's not important right now! But, knowing that she's probably a student at Beacon… My mood brightened at the sight of her. Finally! Maybe I could get some directions from her!

"Hey, excuse me," I stumbled. She stopped for a moment, giving me a weird look. She has dark lilac eyes, almost red. I wouldn't mind enjoying a chat with her with a couple of drinks if I didn't feel like hell right now. I brushed one of my bangs away from my forehead. "Umm, the name's Nolan Porfirio, team BRNZ of Shade Academy. I'm… kinda lost right now, and I'm not doing too hot. Can you tell me where the guest dormitories are?"

"Sorry, don't really know. Go find someone else." She huffed at me as she continued on her way. Wait, that's it? No suggestions, just blow me off like that? This didn't go as planned at all!

"Wait!" I started after the blonde. Maybe she's in a bad mood. But I need help now! "Can you at least point me to where I can find somebody to ask? I need to get to my teammates, right now!" The girl refused to say anything, continuing on her way. Seriously girl, throw me a bone or something! I need help right now! "What about a teacher? Could you at least send me their way?" Still nothing from the blonde.

My frustration and my headache reached a crescendo. "Why won't you answer me?" I grabbed her shoulder and jerked her back. I watched her eyes flare red as she grabbed my hand and shoved me back. A grunt escaped my mouth as I landed on the concrete ground. The pain of falling on my butt really isn't helping the pain in my skull. Before I could recover from that fall, she kneeled on my stomach and grabbed the collar of my shirt, knocking the air out of my body.

The girl glared down at me. Crimson eyes peered into my very soul! Her towering figure struck fear in my heart. Is this how I'm going to die? Murdered by a girl who didn't want to give me directions? Real smooth, Nolan. Real smooth. "Dude, I'm not in the mood! I'm having a real bad day, and I could really use a bit of venting! If you don't want to be a target, go away!" With that, she got up and continued on her way. Ow, what's her problem? I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my head. Seriously, what's wrong with this chick? I just wanted directions! I'm not trying to flirt with her! At least not this time.

Who does she think she is, going around and dismissing visiting students like that? I just want to— I jerked my shades out of my collar and slapped them on my face. With a huff, I turned around and walked away. I don't need to deal with people like her! She can go die! Wait a minute… Why do I feel furious all of a sudden? The rational part of me poked at my fury, questioning it. Maybe I should calm down, think about why she would do— Ah, screw that. I'm just going to leave it at that. What a rude person.

A slithering noise sounded from behind me. One glance from behind revealed a dangerous creature staring at the girl, eyes full of malice. Does it want something to do with her? Maybe if I follow it… no. I shook my head. What am I thinking? Random revenge against a girl who's just in a bad mood… that's just petty. I'll be the better man and just find my way back home. I'm sure the blonde can deal with the lizard thing following her.

It made one flicker of its tongue before crawling up the wall, following the girl with a brisk pace. Why did that animal remind me of something? Another pang in my head caused me to wince. I don't have time to worry about that. I need to find my way back. One foot stepped past the other as I continued my search for my room. **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** made one more hiss before continuing its hunt for its prey.

Huh. Why did that name appear in my mind?

⇐ **TO BE CONTINUED= 4/14/2017**

* * *

 _ **Omake: OH NOOOO… By**_ **THE L0NE WANDERER**

Waking up was such a pain during the weekends. Now back home, you would have to fight tooth and nail to get any extra shut-eye when you have seven sisters, even more so if you want a turn in the bathroom in a decent time.

However, this did little to prepare me for the likes of Nora.

Every weekend she would wake the entire room up in the most viole— I mean Nora-like fashion possible, well maybe except for Ren, who always was awake sipping his tea as he watched my suffering from afar.

This morning was no exception.

"IT"S SATURDAY! IT'S SATURDAY! IT'S SATURDAY!" Nora happily sang at the top of her lungs. Pyrrha had wisely decided to wake up early and was currently drinking a mug of coffee next to the stoic green-garbed ninja.

I refused to get out of my bed. This was Saturday, damnit! Let me sleep for five more minutes!

"Time to get up sleepy head!" Nora's voice chirped as I shoved a pillow over my head in a vain attempt to get more sleep.

"No," I muffled up. "I'm exhausted."

"Well, guess I'm gonna have to get you out of your bed myself!"

Suddenly, I felt my entire bed shake and Ren shout "NORA, PUT IT DOW-"

A hum escaped my mouth as I set up the table. Ah, Saturday! The perfect day for team RWBY! And what better way to start the day off but with a great breakfast!

Chocolate chip pancakes, cooked to perfection: check!

A tall glass of grade A milk: check!

Morning sunlight: … I need to do that. Opening the blinds, I was greeted with Jaune skydiving in his blue onesie he wore on our first night at Beacon, a bed following suit, the poor boy screaming at the top of his lungs.

" **OOOOH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

* * *

 **JoJokes. Gotta love them. Never gets old. Moving on, I'm going to save the song reference part until** **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」is beaten. But I'll give a free internet cookie if someone figures out what the ability is/why I named this Stand** **「** **BELFRY FALLS.** **」**

 **Anyways, April Fools' is tomorrow. Have fun pranking your friends, or getting pranked if that's your thing. Remember that everything is for the laughs at the end of the day, so enjoy it while it lasts! Also happy early birthday Rooster Teeth!**

 **Review time!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you for the comments about the Aura/Stand mechanic. I'm actually pretty proud about that, being able to figure out how to combine the two powers in a balanced way. It handles the big plothole of JoJo of "how does everybody recover from their wounds after every fight?" as well as keeping Huntsmen/Huntresses still viable in a fight.**

 **guest: While I understand where you're coming from about me not giving Jaune a punch ghost, I have to respectfully disagree. While giving Jaune a punch ghost would make sense, I consider Jaune more of a tactician than a fighter. This is something that is criminally underrepresented in the show. Not giving Jaune a punch ghost forces him to get creative with his powers, which I hope empathizes his tactical side. Ruby's Stand, on the other hand, is more rooted in story. She needed to have a punch ghost because I see it as necessary to the plot.**

 **gues: That's a great theory that you have there about Yang's reaction. I don't want to say whether it's right or wrong, but I say it does make sense with what was posted already.**

 **sweet: Yup, there's gotta be an enemy Stand sometime. Good thing the timing's more or less perfect for Nolan to step in to fill in that gap.**

 **Toon the Almost Survivor: Yeah, I have to agree with the character dialogue. From the start, I wanted to portray Ruby as someone who is smarter than she comes off as. Unfortunately, that meant toeing the line between writing Ruby correctly and writing Weiss with a Ruby body. It's something I try to be more conscious about, but it is one of my biggest, most consistent weaknesses so far.**

 **I'm probably answering a rhetorical question, but this is an all-new universe. But that's a really good question. Who did craft the arrows if that's the case? I will tackle that question... eventually.**

 **As for actual inspiration for Stand abilities... I would recommend signing up for sites that give you random bits of trivia, use headcanons given by the community or look at other mediums for ideas. A lot of Araki's abilities are based on unique facets/quirks of life that we typically don't think of. Ruby's ability is partly inspired by Jolyne's Stone Free combined with Luxuria from KH. Jaune's ability is based on popular headcanons/jokes that his Semblance would be density manipulation. The next Stand ability that I revealed today was based on me watching Alien.**

 **Anyways, have a great weekend, and happy early April Fools'!**


	8. Littlest Things

**Happy Friday, everybody! Happy April Fools'! Two weeks late...**

 **... Okay, I'll explain everything in more detail, but the TL;DR of this chapter is that this is a joke I let go way too far. So far in fact that it looped around and came back to being serious. It's also a coincidence that this "joke" chapter also happened to be timed for April. It's just that I didn't see it because I wrote this three months ago. So here's the really late April Fools joke that isn't really. *pops party popper***

* * *

 _ **Beta Readers: THE L0NE WANDERER**_

* * *

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" I asked as I dipped a french fry into some sauce. I'm pretty sure this so called in-house sauce was just tartar sauce or something, but it's really good. "I think we had a great outing."

"That's right!" Nora took a large bite out of a monster of a burger nearly the size of her face. "I love the one where we got to launch plush lobsters into those pots!" Pyrrha next to me covered her face from the flying lettuce that came out of Nora's mouth as she attacked the poor burger with extreme prejudice. "Although I wished that I could play it. You guys kinda suck at it."

Ren sighed as he shook his head. A small smile appeared on his face. "You know what the rules are, Nora. But you still had fun, right?"

The bubbly redhead placed her chin into her hand. "That's true. Who knew I could easily beat the record for that motorcycle racing game? I mean, seriously. Completing the Green Zone 20K race with seven minutes and seventeen seconds? What was that person, a chump?" She puffed her chest with pride. "I managed to slice seven whole seconds off of that time."

"You rode that track like an absolute maniac."

"It's a video game! I can afford to be a little more risky! It's not like I would die if I get into a crash! But seven whole seconds!" Nora pumped her fist with pride. "Hah! Take that, Y.X.L.! Eat your heart out! I'm the queen of motorcycles now!"

The rest of the team shook our heads, chuckling to Nora's usual antics before turning back to our food. I played around with the chicken strips that lay in front of me, occasionally taking a bite out of them. They're okay. But not nearly as good as the chicken nuggets at Beacon. Man, what did they make those ones out of?

"So, exams are done," Ren stated casually. Pyrrha and I looked at the stoic boy. "Our mission's done. I think we finished all of the things we need to move on to next year. Now it's just the Vytal Festival."

"Yeah." I dipped a chicken strip into the sauce. "Don't you find it a little weird that we still have classes even after the final exam?"

Pyrrha hummed, chewing on a cherry tomato as she thought about my question. "Well, yes. Normally there isn't a point in teaching after the material is covered. But I think our classes are more for preparing for the Festival."

"I think we would be training if that's the case." A thought hit me. Is it possible to use my ability to get more chicken out of this strip? My eye twitched in response to that question. Really, me? We're talking about the Festival, and I'm thinking about how to get more chicken per bite?

"Plus, isn't the Vytal Festival biannual?" Ren continued. "We can't be switching schedules like that every year." He let out a hum. "... Remember Velvet?"

I glanced up at my fellow teammate. That name sounds familiar… Oh! "You mean the faunus girl in our history class earlier this year?"

He nodded. "I occasionally have a talk with one of her teammates, Yatsuhashi. He said last year had early finals, then the rest of the time was dedicated to preparing for a series of Grimm hunts. He called them 'extermination missions.' From the sounds of it, I think all of the teams that qualified for the Vytal Tournament only do one instead of three missions."

"Oh really?" Nora let out a pout. "So it's just the one we had last Thursday? We don't have any more? Aw, man! I want to keep hunting Grimm."

"Sorry, Nora." I shrugged my shoulders as we went back to eating. "At least we can focus on fighting actual opponents."

I haven't even put another strip in my mouth when the bubbly redhead let out a long gasp.

"Ren! Ren! Look at that sloth plushie!" All of team JNPR glanced up from our food to see Nora hopping up to her feet and jabbing a finger at one of the stalls. The quiet boy brushed a lock of hair back as he looked in the direction his partner pointed. I followed her gaze and noticed the gigantic plushie that hung from a prize stand.

A whistle escaped my mouth. Wow, that stuffed animal must've been the size of me! How do people make stuffed toys that big? Are we allowed to even bring that on an airship if we win it? I saw Nora rub her hands in glee. No, when we win it? From the corner of my eye, I saw my partner's jaw drop just a little. I don't blame her; I'm just as surprised as she was.

"Wow," I gasped. "That's… a pretty big sloth."

"I know, right Jaune?" Nora squealed in delight. "It's such an adorable little thing, and it's right there for the taking!" She started for the booth, leaving behind a half-eaten burger in her excitement. "I have to have it!"

Ren coughed into his hand as he got out of his seat and followed the hyperactive girl. Pyrrha and I followed close behind him, quickly disposing of the rest of our dinner. The Mistralian boy grabbed his partner by the wrist. "Nora, you know that you could just get that at—"

"—So, ya' have your ey' on something, pretty lady?" The carny strode into his booth, giving the four of us a wide grin. His red and white striped uniform empathized his thin, wiry figure. His clothing did make him stand out over the blast of colors that was the arcade. However, unlike most of the employees who were monotone in their attitudes, this guy kept an energetic smile on his face.

She nodded, pointing towards the stuffed sloth with glee. He looked at her selection before coming up to it and stroking one of its arms. "Ah, yes, this one. Ya' have a good eye, my dear. Who ya' looking at is our dear ol' Rossie. This babby's been missin' a home for so, so long." His face turned forlorn as he wiped a corner of his eye. My eyebrows wrinkled as he continued stroking the toy. Why is he talking about the sloth as if it's a real thing? It's a stuffed animal.

"Ya' know, I 'member when we first got Rossie a coupl' years back." He turned to look at us. "T'was one of the few giant stuffed sloths we got, one of a kind, I say!. Put them in various stations, we did, as per usual. Rossie was placed in this booth. Over the years, his kind hath come and gone, won by the masses. All, except for dear Rossie." He threw the side of his arm over his eyes, making loud, mucousy sniffing noises. Yep, he's faking it. And what's with the obviously fake accent? Was he trying to mimic the old Mantlean accent? Because he is way off.

"Nobody cou' win Rossie from this booth, this prison. No one. And poor Rossie—" The man in the striped uniform grabbed a tissue and blew into it. I have to admit, he's doing a great job at making everyone feel sad. "Rossie's been stuck here fer years. You can see it in those beady eyes." He grabbed Nora's cheeks and twisted her head so that she stared into those blank beads that were actually the eyes.

"Ya know, all— all he wants is fer someone to free him and give him a home." He released Nora before looking up at us and his previous captive. There are no signs of tears whatsoever. "Maybe you, my girl, could free him from this prison."

I rubbed my eyes. No. Come on, there's no way he's expecting us to buy it. I looked at the rest of team JNPR. Ren remained stoic, not showing any emotion. Pyrrha gave the carny the stink eye, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. I mean, it's a nice emotional moment. He's a really good actor, and his performance was great, but there's no way anybody—

"My gods, that is so sad," Nora blubbered. A stream of tears fell down her face. "I can't believe that the poor sloth—" She slammed her hands onto the countertop. A fire lit inside her irises as she leaned forwards. She puffed her chest and her cheeks out as she stared down the carny. "I'll save this creature from its prison! What I have to do to save Rossie?" I slapped my forehead. Oh please, not again.

The carny perked up, giving Nora a pearly grin. "Wonderful! It's great t' see tha' kind of energy! But..." He leaned towards the girl's face. "Th' challenge is perilous. No one has ever conquered this game without a doubt."

Nora grinned at the man. "I'll do anything! Anything! Just tell me what I need to do!"

"Alright then. Then let's get th' show on th' road!" The carny pulled the curtains back, revealing a single table behind him. On said table were three milk bottles stacked into a pyramid. Their opaque surface glistened under the orange glow of the lights.

On the bottom of those plastic jugs were two leather softballs, worn out over the years. The stitches barely held the fabric together. In fact, I'm sure the loops are big enough to stick your pinky finger in! Behind the table was another curtain, separating the rest of the arcade from the booth. Nora glanced at the display before looking at the carny in confusion.

"That's it? I just have to knock down three milk jugs? That's the game?"

"My dear, don't underestimate this setup." The carny slithered towards us. "It might not look lik' a hard game, but you'll change your mind once you hear th' rules. Th' goal is t' knock all three bottles off o' th' table. If ya' do so wit' two balls, then ya' win one of the 'eeny little prizes. Easy to do. But you're here to free poor Rossie, which means ya' have t' do it with only one ball." He pointed to the prize list. Just like he said, the big prizes are only given to those who can knock the ball off in one throw.

Team JNPR stood there in place, processing what he said. Only one toss to knock down every single bottle. It sounds like it's possible, especially with Nora being strong even among Huntresses. But something felt off. If it was possible, wouldn't somebody have won the sloth plushie by now? There has to be a catch, something that we're not seeing that the carny's not telling us about.

The hyperactive redhead slapped down her wallet with a bang, causing the rest of us to jump. "I'm game! How much to play?"

"Well, it's a lien to play wit' two balls, but knowing that you're only going for Rossie, I'll give ya' a fighting chance, on th' house." The man gave her a sly grin. "Half a lien fer one ball. More rounds t' free Rossie."

"Nora, this is a bad idea, for several reasons," Ren spoke up. She turned to her lifelong friend, raising an eyebrow. He continued: "One, we've been here all day, and we spent a lot of money. If I remember correctly, you only have two lien left."

"Well, two lien still means that— wait." She brought her hands up to her chin. "Wait a minute. That can't be right." Nora scratched her hair. "I brought fifty lien here. Thirty lien went to buying ammo, bringing me down to twenty. Dinner was five lien, so I have fifteen left. I spent seven lien on arcade tokens for me. So I should have eight left—"

"You also decided to buy that six lien fountain milkshake." I shuttered at the memory. Oh gods, they weren't kidding about the fountain part. I think I can only keep it down because I cheated with my ability.

The hyperactive girl paled. "Oh yeah, that's right."

Ren sighed. "Which means you only have four tries to win this. Second, it's around seven o'clock right now. Airbuses stop taking passengers at eight, which means you're going to need to do this fast, which brings me to my third point. We promised you wouldn't play any physical games, remember? What if your fastball breaks the arcade?"

"Well, don't worry 'bout that, Mr. Boyfriend." The carny rested his head on his hand.

"We're not in a relation—"

"No matter your relationship with th' girl, I promise ya' that no damage will happen." The two blushed as the carny walked towards the back of the booth. "This curtain has been tested t' withstand bullets! Even if you happen to be Huntsmen, any throw ya' happen t' make won't fly through th' crowd! Watch. Missy, here's a ball, free of charge!"

Nora made a weird sound as she fumbled for the leather ball. The carny pointed to a point on the curtain. "Throw the ball as hard as you can, right here!" She looked at the ball, and then back to Ren. "Don't you worry! It's just a demonstration!" She swallowed, nodding at the man before winding back.

Before anyone realized it, I felt a gust of wind smack me in the face, forcing me to cover my eyes. The rest of team JNPR seem to do so as well. The rest of the prizes swung in the wind after such a powerful shot. Everything went silent. Oh gods, did she? I glanced up at the carny, expecting to see splattered remains of the man.

My jaw dropped when one, I saw that the carny was still in one piece. A look of nervousness washed over his face for just a moment before returning back to normal. He was a little spooked, but still fine. But what really amazed me was the softball. I watched it spin on the curtain, twisting the fabric into a spiral in an attempt to punch through. But the cloth didn't give ground, instead swallowing the spinning sphere into its form. Within moments the ball stopped spinning, and with a pop, it let the ball fall to the ground.

"Ya' see what I mean!" The carny combed his hair back, giving everyone another smile. "There's no worries 'ere, laddie!" He gestured to Nora's wallet. "So 'ow about it? Wanna chance at freeing Rossie?" I stole a glance at Ren. He glanced at Nora, then to me before shaking his head and stepping back.

The redhead yanked a card out of her wallet before slamming it down on the table. "I'm in!"

The carny chuckled as he palmed the currency before dropping another softball into Nora's hands. He took a step to the side and gave the girl a bow. "It's all yours."

I crossed my arms and watched as she wound up her shot. From the looks of it, it seems like Nora would easily win this game. She did throw the ball fast enough to create an air current, after all. But I still have a bad feeling about this. There has to be something that's stopping everyone from just winning the game; there's something that I'm missing about this. But what could it be?

A fastball flew past the rest of us, colliding with the stack directly. Instincts took over as I shielded my eyes. That was just as strong as the last throw! There's no way that the pyramid could still be standing. Nora had this one in the bag.

Several gasps came from the rest of the team. Why does everybody sound so shocked? Nora did make it, right? That feeling of doubt from earlier intensified. I looked up from my cover, only for my eyes to widen at the sight. The girl knocked down the pyramid without an effort, yes. The pyramid fell, but they were all still on the table! The opaque bottles laid on their sides, mocking the rest of us as they held on to their platform.

My head whipped over to the rest of the group. Nora's eye started twitching as she made a fist with one of her hands. Pyrrha had her fingers covering her mouth, her emerald eyes wide in surprise and horror. Even Ren, who was normally stoic, had his jaw open just a bit at the sight. Nora looked back up at the carny. "Tha-that was a warm up." She held her hand out as her bottom lip quivered. "Give me another try."

The carny smiled, placing the old ball into her palms. "Well, ya' already paid fer th' next ball. You're entitled t' 'nother ball." He walked over to the toppled bottles, restacking them on two painted circles. "Miss, ya' got pretty close that time. I'm sure your next throw will get the job done."

"Y-yeah, okay." She brought her hand back before taking in a deep breath. "I can do this." With her free hand, she slapped herself on her cheeks before shaking herself out. "This tower's coming down with this throw." She glanced back up at the stack and narrowed her eyes. "Here we go!"

She sent it flying before I could even blink. The ball whizzed through the air, smashing into the pyramid again with a crash. Team JNPR's eyes widened as the bottles toppled onto the table. This has to be it! There's no way that the bottles would remain standing! I held my breath, watching the bottles landing on their sides. Then… nothing. I can't believe it! Nora gasped as she backed away from the counter.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie! I guess it just didn't work out!" The carny gave us another grin, this time a lot more manic and malicious. I recoiled back, giving the man an ugly stare. This definitely doesn't feel right. I felt my heart start beating faster as the man in red and white stared us down. "But ya' were a bit closer that time." He held his hand up to his face, scraping under his fingernails for dirt. "Maybe if ya' had a' coupl' more tries, ya' might get it." the man held out his hand.

The girl's body shook as she looked at the game in disbelief. "No… there's no way… I should've been able to knock it down without a problem. No, that's not possible!" Her hand gripped the pocket holding her lien, before slipping out another card and slamming it onto the table.

I see his plan now all too clearly. He tricked us! The carny's baited us into this! He wanted us to buy that stupid story, and we took it hook, line, and sinker! Nora's not backing out now, not after she made it her life's mission to get that plushie. There was a grim determination in her eyes. My hand rubbed against my forehead. I can't believe I didn't see that coming!

"Nora, don't give that lien to him!" Ren yelled, grabbing the card in her hand. His outburst caused both me and Pyrrha to jump. "The game's rigged! You have to give it up!" He tried prying her fingers off of the card, only for her to yank the currency away.

"No! Ren, this has become personal!" She shoved the boy aside before pressing the money into the carny's grubby hands. "I have to do this! Remember, Ren? I was the brawn, you were the brains! It's the thing that kept us alive back when we traveled the continent by ourselves! It's the role I play on this team! This is who I am! I'm not as smart as Jaune, or fast as you, or skilled like Pyrrha. If I can't beat this simple game…" She sniffled. "If I can't win using the only thing I'm good at… What use am I to you? To JNPR?"

Ren backed off, shocked. Nora gazed into his eyes, tears threatening to fall. "Ren… I have to do this. For you. For the others. For myself. Do you trust me?"

"I-I…" The magenta-eyed boy looked uncertain, stepping back from his partner. It must be agonizing for him. For him to see Nora like this…

Wait. What did he say earlier about the game? Something about it being rigged? I turned to look at the fallen bottles as I narrowed my eyes. Ren has to be right. There has to be something wrong with the game. Nora threw that ball fast enough to create a current inside a building! Wouldn't somebody have won this game a long time ago? Even Hunters have to be able to win a game like this! These are designed for non-Aura users! The carny did something to the setup, and I need to figure out what!

My eyes fell to the circles on the table. The plastic bottom rested right next to the painted line. That's strange. Something isn't adding up here… Then it hit me. The bottles… their bottoms aren't far from the circles! In fact, they're laying right next to the painted line! Wouldn't they have flown a bit further than that? It doesn't add up! They're milk jugs! There's no milk in them, so they should go flying! It's like they're weighted—

Everything clicked into place. I rubbed the base of my nose, trying my best not to groan. Why didn't I realize this before? Of course, the bottles were weighted! The bottles act just like weighted glassware: tipping over when knocked over, only to stay in one place once down! It wouldn't roll around that way! I glared at the man as he put the bottles back up, straining my ears. The noise was really faint, but I think I could make out a couple of bearings clanging together. That's what the carny's using to cheat at this game!

No… that can't be the only thing. It can't be that easy. Somebody else must've come to that realization, yet nobody has won to this day. My hand rested on my chin. Even if the bottles are weighted, a strong and fast projectile such as a softball should still be able to knock the bottles off through sheer force! But it didn't. I racked my brain for every physics lesson I remember. Come on, how can a fast object fail to knock over something? Think, Jaune, think.

"Nora…" I looked back up to see Ren bow his head in defeat. "I understand. I don't like it at all, but if it means so much to you… I'll stand behind you and support your decision. Two balls, Nora." He gave her an awkward smile. "You can do this." Her eyes watered.

"Thanks, Ren." I watched as she reached for one of the leather balls. Now that I think about it, they look like they were homemade, not bought out of a sports store. My eyes widened when the realization hit me. Before she grasped the softball, my hands snatched both of them off of the counter. Her mouth opened in surprise as I gripped a ball on each hand. It's just what I thought. On the outside, it's impossible to notice. But with **「** _ **EVERYDAY BOY,**_ **」** I can sense the difference.

Most softballs use a synthetic material or rubber in their core. Only took one accidental sword slice to figure that out. Even after years of use, the material should still be heavy enough to have a solid impact. But these balls, these have something porous in them. Most likely cork. It's true that cork could be used in softballs, but they tend to be mixed with some other material! This is just cork!

No wonder the ball didn't hit the stack with so much force! The balls feel just as solid as they usually are, but they're light enough to simply knock down a bottle, not send it careening off of the table! Everything made sense now.

"Jaune!" Nora's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She had a glare on her face while a small stream of tears dried on her face. "What are you doing?!"

Oh. Whoops. Forgot about that part. I chuckled as I rubbed the softball on the back of my neck. "Sorry, Nora. I kinda wanted to hold them, try to give you a little bit of the Arc family luck." I felt the material inside the balls grow denser with the help of my ability. This should be enough to take care of our little problem.

I held them out to her. "Kind of a superstitious thing to believe in, but at this point, why not?" I tapped my chin, letting out a hum. "You know, why don't you try something different? Like instead of tossing in the middle of the pyramid, toss it at the base? Maybe that will send the bottles flying."

The girl gave me a weird look, before yanking one of them out of my hands. "Yeah that might work," she sighed. "I'll try that." I can feel four sets of eyes glare at me for my stunt. The tip of my mouth pulled up to a grin. I hope they're ready for a surprise. Nora's face twisted in confusion as she gave the ball a couple of squeezes. "Hmm… Something's different…"

My chest stopped moving as I held my breath. Did she suspect something? I stared her down as she gave it a couple more squeezes before shrugging. "Eh." Nora stepped back into position, winding her throwing arm back. Her stance widened as she readied herself for the next toss. Pyrrha opened her mouth, about to say something.

Before any words can come out, Nora let out a powerful bellow, causing everybody to jump in surprise. She flung the ball at the stack, the object flying even faster than before! I watched in satisfaction as the bottom bottles went flying toward the sides of the booth, falling off of the table with minimal effort. The rest of Team JNPR gasped in surprise. Even the carny's looking a bit nervous. I crossed my arms as I felt pride swell up. Now that's more like it.

That feeling dissipated quickly as the top bottle bounced off of the curtain, landing back on the board with a thud. A collective groan came out from our mouths. So close! I can't believe it! Using the curtain to catch the bottle before it falls off… and that's the one that stopped a Nora toss! This guy really doesn't want us to win! I turned to Nora, to see her looking at her hands. I can see them shaking without any restraint. Beads of sweat fell down her face, adding more streaks to her messy skin.

My head turned back to the carny. He's sweating bullets, mouth agape at the single remaining bottle. "No… that can't be…" One of his fingers dug into the collar of his uniform and tugged hard, exposing pale skin. The accent is gone, replaced with the local one here. "There's no way… I've designed this myself… even top of the line Huntsmen couldn't—"

He straightened himself up, slicking his hair back and bringing up a fake smile. "Ma'am, I've never seen that before! That is brilliant, a testament t' your skills! But unfortunately." Every word had spite laced in them. I can tell that there's fury in his eyes as he spat out his rage. "It's. Not. Enough." Every word sank into my teammate's skin as she flinched with every word.

"Ya' haven't knocked down all three bottles in on' toss, which means ya' still didn't win. If I recall quite well, ya' have one last ball to redeem everything." Nora stood in place, unsure of what to do. "Well?" the carny hissed. "What are you waiting for?" He gestured to the last ball in my hand. "Throw your last ball. Your last chance. End it right now."

One application of my Stand ability upped the density of the ball a bit more. "Nora." The girl turned towards me. She had her arms crossed and gave herself a slight squeeze, trying to calm herself down. Is this how she feels on the inside? Uncertain of her usefulness to others? I felt my throat tighten up, as I thought out my next words carefully. "You can do this. The carny said it himself, you got closer than anyone else to beating him in this game." I glanced at her dark-haired partner, gesturing my head towards her.

Ren seemed to get the message, nodding before going up to Nora and lacing his hand through hers. She gasped as he rubbed the back of her hand. "You know, Jaune's right. I'm impressed with what you've done here." He stroked a hand down her hair. "It's okay. Initially, I thought you would destroy this game like usual. But after watching you throw and talking about your fears… You don't need to fear them. Don't be scared. Nothing's going to change between you and team JNPR. Not between me and you."

As if on cue, my partner stepped in, resting her hand on Nora's shoulder. "We're not going to think any less of you, no matter what happens next. You don't have to prove anything to us. You're always going to be our Nora, the smashing brute of JNPR."

There was a moment of silence. Everybody held their breath. At last Nora pulled away with a familiar smile on her face. "Thanks guys," she whispered. "For the longest time, I was so scared. That you guys would leave me behind if I wasn't strong. But now, I think I can do this. No more doubt."

"While this display is nice," the carny shouted as he set the bottles back up. "You guys still have a ball left to throw." I turned to look at him as the stage was set. At first, it didn't seem like anything was off. Except there was a small change, something I almost looked over. The bottom left bottle was placed a bit off of the painted dot, exposing a bit of paint. I raised one of my eyebrows. This couldn't be lazy placement. The tampered bottles and the cork balls say otherwise. It's another trick. He's scared that she might actually win. But how does misplacing the bottle help him?

Wait, if we throw the ball straight into it, then only the front bottle would be hit. I imagined the scenario in my head. That would cause the ball to slow down as the energy is transferred. Not much, but just enough so that it can't hit the other bottles with enough force! I gritted my teeth. That's a cheap trick; it's a dirty way to steal victory from somebody who's so close to beating him.

Nora pulled away from Ren and started walking towards me. But how do we beat that? This is the most I can buff up the ball without rousing any suspicion. But what else could we do? My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to come up with a solution. Softball… it's a variant of baseball. Baseball is known for having crazy pitches. But which one can get the job done? A memory of a baseball game appeared in my mind. The pitcher wounded one of the batters throwing a— I got it!

As the girl came over to me, I pulled her into a hug, causing her to yelp. I leaned next to her ear and whispered, "Curve the ball, Nora. Get the ball to spin forwards."

"What? Where did this come from?"

"Trust me on this, okay? Just like I'm trusting you to do this." She nodded. I pressed the ball into her hands before releasing her. She gave me a curious look, trying to read my eyes before stepping back into position. Those sky blue eyes narrowed as she focused on the target. Her feet widened in distance as she readied her shot. I swallowed. I hope she can pull it off. Curveballs are notoriously hard to throw. But it might just earn her the victory. All was silent in our part of the arcade.

With a roar rivaling the fiercest Ursai, she fired the ball at the stack a final time. We gasped as the ball started flying higher and higher, spinning in the air. It's going to miss the stack! The carny made a giant grin. "Oh, sorry sweetie, but it's just not—"

His words were interrupted when the ball suddenly dived down, smashing into the bottom of the pyramid. The carny's jaw fell open as the ball drilled through the front bottle like it's nothing, sending it off the table before striking the next one of to the same fate. The leather-wrapped ball bounced off of the table and the curtain as the last bottle started to fall. A clink resounded as the ball hit the neck of the bottle. The milk jug tipped over in the air, clanging on the table before flipping off.

It was so silent, we could hear a needle drop. "Oh. My. Gods." Nora lifted her hands up to her face, eyes shining with joy. "... I did it! Look, Ren, did you see?" She yanked her partner's body towards the booth. "Did you see that shot? That was so awesome!"

Ren stared at the spectacle. "I can't believe it," he muttered. "You managed to bounce the ball to get the last bottle."

"That was so awesome! We should've recorded that!" She turned over to the carny and lifted her hand up. "You know what that means, mister!"

The man sighed. "... Yeah, I do." He unhooked the monster of a sloth from the prize rack and handed it over to the girl. "You know what? I'm not even mad. I've never expected anyone to win this game. After all, I designed it so that two balls are needed to win." He looked at the rest of us, sorrow in his eyes. I guess he finally decided to drop the accent. "I thought it was impossible to win with only one ball. But that shot, that was beautiful. Ma'am, you deserve to win Rossie. And thank you."

"Thank you?" she asked, hooking the sloth around her neck. "For what?"

"For figuring out a way to beat the game with only one ball." His eyes flashed. "It'll be something I will… take into consideration for the next version. Don't expect that trick to work again."

I crossed my arms, smiling at the cheering girl waving her prize to the others. No, I don't think that it would work again. Not without me to help them out.

* * *

"Nora, that's a one in a million shot." Pyrrha smiled at her teammate as we walked out of the arcade. As soon as we stepped outside, we were hit with the chill of the twilight. The street lights flickered on as the orange sky faded to dark blue. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Pyrrha!" She adjusted the human-sized plushie on her shoulders. "It was great!" She blinked several times as she walked out of the building. "Wow, it's dark outside! How long were we inside?"

Ren gave a glance at his scroll. "It's seven thirty. We spent a good eight hours in there. It looks like we have enough time to catch the seven forty-five airbus back home, so no need to check into a motel or anything."

I said nothing, yawning as I stretched my arms out. Wow, that was a really great day. Team JNPR had some quality bonding time. Wouldn't mind going straight to bed tonight.

We continued on in silence as we traversed the familiar streets. From the corner of my eye, I saw a giant sloth head approach my side. "Hey Jaune, thanks for the advice." Nora let out a yawn. "They really helped me win."

"No problem, Nora. Honestly, I didn't know if they were going to work." My shoulders moved up to shrug. "A lot of it was stuff I saw on the CCT plus a bit of physics. Movie stuff that I didn't know worked. But hey, it looks like movie-watching as a kid helped you this time, huh?"

We both let out a chuckle. "That's true. But Jaune." She looked at me in the eyes. "Did you do something to the ball?" My laughed stopped. Did she figure it out? "When you gave me the first ball, it was a bit heavier than last time. Not by much, but by a noticeable amount. Did you… did you do something to them?" Oh gods no, that's not good. If she caught on that I have **「** _ **EVERYDAY BOY...**_ **」**

"No, I think you're imagining it." I laughed away her concern. "All I did was look at the softballs."

"But you decided to take them quickly, snatching them out of my grasp. Like you realized how to manipulate the ball." Well, this isn't going too well. This girl's like a submarine, 'cause she's sinking down my arguments!

I let out a sigh. "Okay, so I guess I thought that there was something wrong with the ball. So I snatched them and checked them out for any tampering. I didn't notice anything different about them." I wasn't lying about that, technically. I hoped that was enough.

"I guess you're right about that…" Her eyebrows furrowed, before readjusting her plushie. "I guess that might be nothing. Just my fear acting up again."

"Nora, like we said, you don't have anything to be scared of. No matter what happens to us, we won't stop being teammates or friends. Remember how I used to be terrible at everything?" She nodded. "Even though I'm the worst fighter on team JNPR, none of you guys thought I was bad because of that. Or look at Pyrrha!"

I nodded towards the champion redhead. "A four-time Mistralian champion, and we don't even blink about that. It's the same thing. JNPR isn't going to break apart because we're human. We're a tight team because we are flawed. That's what makes us great."

"Yeah… thanks, Jaune!" She waved as she hopped back towards Ren. I let out a sigh. Again with the lies. Is this how I'm going to live the rest of my life? Lying for the happiness of others? To make my team happy? I glanced up as we reached the airbus terminal. Nora and Ren ran up the steps, Pyrrha following close behind. I watched as they laughed and smiled the whole entire time. A grin of my own ran up my face. Maybe. Just maybe.

"What are you doing, Jaune?" my partner asked, reaching her hand towards me. "Come on! We got an airbus to catch!" If it's to keep them happy… maybe I can live this kind of lie.

* * *

"Ugh, finally!" I let out a long yawn as I stretched my arms out, earning a look from Weiss as she swatted my arms away. I peered at my scroll. "Seven o' three and finally finished with all of that sorting! Wow, I didn't expect it to take so long."

"What did you expect?" My partner let out a hiss. "After being forced to put that many books back every day for what might be years… Is it no wonder the librarian's bitter at everyone? At least you appreciate what she does now."

"Yeah, I guess." My fingers tapped against the side of my skirt. "Well, we have a couple of hours before curfew." I turned to the rest of my teammates. "You guys want to do anything before we go to bed?"

The faunus girl hummed, her bow twitching. Her eyes glanced at the window before returning to me. "You know, now that I think of it, I think there's a movie coming out today based on an old book series I liked to read. I heard that they were going to stream it in the rec center. Maybe we can do that."

Weiss huffed as she rolled her eyes. "Oh really? Is it based off of one of your terrible smut novels?"

"No! I'm sure Beacon wouldn't let us show that!" Blake waved away the heiress' words. "The premise of the books is that there's this detective who can use magic. He then goes around this fictional city called Chicago and explores the supernatural occurrences that happen there. It's a really long series, roughly fifteen books long or so. But it's really good." Her amber eyes stayed neutral despite her apparent enthusiasm. "I heard that they were making a film for the first book, SemiAutoMagic."

"Huh, really? SemiAutoMagic? What kind of name is that?" the heiress asked, crossing her arms.

"The name might be a little cheesy, but trust me, it's really good. It has this grounded feel to it, and the characters are wonderfully written. In fact, the magic tends to compliment the detective work, and doesn't overtake the mystery aspect of the story, unlike most other works." She gave me a glare. "Please Ruby, let's go to the rec center and watch it."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah, I guess the premise is interesting. But I don't know, I like fantasy than gritty realism. Maybe I'll pass this one." Her eyes widened as I started turning around.

"There's free food!" I stopped in my tracks. Did she just say free food? The girl started walking towards me as she nodded her head. "The movie's two hours long, so they're going to have free pizza and all that. Besides, what's the last thing you've eaten today?"

My stomach groaned in agreement. Oh yeah, I didn't have lunch. Maybe a chocolate bar at most? I could really use some food. Drool started coming down my mouth as I thought about the taste of pepperoni. Blake leaned towards me. "Please, Ruby. Even if you don't want to watch it, could you do it for Weiss and me? We really want to see it." The whited haired girl squawked.

"Wha—? Who said I wanted to—"

"Okay."

Blake's bow twitched again at my answer. "Wait, really?"

My mouth formed a grin as I wiped my face. "Yeah, why not? If you want to watch the movie, then why not? Plus, pizza." I started drooling again while I rubbed my hands together. "Just… pizza." I took a stance and jammed my finger towards the hallway. "Onwards, team RWBY! To the rec room!"

The cat faunus nodded, taking the lead. Her stride was more rigid, every step being purposeful. Weiss shook her head as she passed me, snagging my outstretched hand. A yelp escaped my mouth as I lost my balance. "Weiss!" I whined. "Stop it! Come on, I can walk just fine, it's not funny!" Short nails tried to claw against Weiss' pale skin, to no effect. The heiress ignored me as she dragged me across the ground. I swore my cries echoed through the whole entire school throughout our journey for the cheesy dish.

Before I knew it, my partner released her grasp on me, allowing me to fall to the ground. I coughed as I jumped back up to my feet, brushing off the dust off of my dress. My skirt twirled in the air as I turned to face Weiss, who had a slightly amused look on her face. "What was that for?" The girl crossed her arms.

"I don't really know, but seeing you messing around… I couldn't pass up the opportunity." She started giggling as my cheeks blew out. I let out a huff, causing her to burst into laughter. "And you did that to me when I was talking to Neptune! I mean, flipping the tables for once feels great! Now you know how I feel every time I deal with your shenanigans!"

"Couldn't you—" I flared my nostrils before relaxing. "You know, I think I did a better job annoying you then you annoying me."

Weiss dropped her jaw. "What. How did you recover from that so fast? I dragged you across the school! You should be mortified!"

"True, that was embarrassing. But, you forgot that I'm the little sister of Yang. She's the dictionary example of 'cringe.'" The heiress winced at the mention of the girl.

"Yeah, you're right, unfortunately."

"If you two are done with your chat," Blake interrupted. She gave us a listless look as she held the glass door open. Her free hand waved towards the open entrance. "Get inside. I'm getting sick of holding this open."

"Oh! Sorry Blake." I rubbed the back of my neck as I walked through the doorway; Weiss and Blake following close behind me. We were greeted with a sizeable group of students, roughly twenty or so gathering around. Most of them shared conversations with each other. A bunch of beanbag chairs sat scattered around the majority of the room, all surrounding a projector that hung from the ceiling.

The sides of the room had various game tables pushed up to the side. The pool tables had their pool sticks and pool balls resting on top, while the ping pong tables had the paddles thrown about in a sloppy position. My eyes turned to the stuff in front of us. Closer to the perimeter were a series of tables with an assortment of snacks and food. Glass bottles of People like Grapes sat below the table alongside a case of water bottles. Plates rested on the table, each with a slice of pepperoni pizza and a bag of potato chips.

I cooed as I rushed to the table, snatching one of the plates up. "Yes! Come to me and get in my belly!"

Somebody coughed beside me. I tilted my head up to see a boy with dark red hair running down his right eye. A similarly colored military jacket hung over his pale clothing. I noticed some kind of wrapping around his right bicep and hand. He crossed his arms as one of his eyebrows raised up. "And who are you guys? Not trying to be rude, but I wouldn't take some crisps, or in your case, a pie without introducing yourself."

My left eye scrunched up. "Uhh… Sorry, I didn't get any of that. What did you say?" I glared back at Blake, who's on her scroll, glancing at something.

"Don't worry about them Scarlet," a green-haired giant called from across the room. "Neptune and Sun talked about them. Team RWBY, I believe. The girl Sun talks to, she's interested in watching the movie. Got the message from her half an hour ago."

Scarlet softened at that, uncrossing his arms. "Oh! A fellow fan? Well then go right on ahead! Sorry about the introduction, by the way. Don't want anybody nicking food we paid for if they're not going to watch the movie, right?"

"Oh yeah!" I gave him a thumbs up, hoping he wouldn't notice the sweatdrop moving down my forehead. "We're totally here for that! Yeah, so… I'm going to grab a seat and all that."

Scarlet gave me a weird stare, before looking at the rest of my teammates and jabbing a thumb my way. Weiss flicked her wrist at him in return. "Don't mind her, Ruby has her awkward moments."

"Well, okay." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyways, go ahead and enjoy the food! Movie's at around eight, so just chill out for a moment." The other two girls nodded as they grabbed their food.

Blake, Weiss, and I sat down after scooting a couple of beanbag chairs close to each other, dropping our plates on our laps. I grabbed my slice and started ripping chunks of it off. I let out a satisfied groan as I chewed it. That's good pizza. I love how the flavors mix together in my mouth, creating a wonderful feeling in my mouth.

"Ruby, really, stop eating so fast!" Weiss ribbed me as she made a tsking sound. "I swear, one of these days, you're going to choke on your food, and it won't be pretty for whoever happens to be next to you." I opened my mouth to talk back, only for her to raise her finger. "Don't. Speak. While. Eating."

"Hmm…" I tapped the tip of my chin, glancing at the ceiling while nodding. "Nah. Too much work." The heiress groaned as she threw herself deeper into her chair.

"Why do I bother putting up with you?" she moaned as she rubbed the base of her nose.

I swallowed my food. "Come on, Weiss. We're besties! Friends like to rib each other sometimes. What do you think, Blake?" I turned over to the faunus girl, who's currently tapping something on her scroll.

"Huh?" She closed the device. "Think about… oh! Yeah, I guess so."

"You see, Weiss?" She scowled as I made a smug grin. "Blake agrees with me." After that outburst, the three of us sat there in silence, continuing to eat our slices. The girl in black pulled out her device again, scrolling through some sort of chat. "Blake? When does the movie start?"

Her body jerked in surprise, flicking to another screen the moment she heard my voice. What is she doing? "... They'll start streaming… ten more minutes or so?"

"Oh, really?" I raised an eyebrow as I glanced at a nearby wall clock. "Are you sure you have the right time? It's only seven forty." The girl froze in place as she heard that. "Didn't that Scarlet guy say the movie's at eight?" I can see some sweat drops start to form on the sides of her head.

"You know, now that I think about it, you've never talked about SemiAutoMagic at all," Weiss commented, leaning towards us. "We talked about books all the time, even if my tastes are a bit more refined. Wouldn't you at least mention SemiAutoMagic if you truly liked the series?" Blake pushed herself as far as possible into the beanbag seat, looking really uncomfortable.

"I—"

"Ugh, why did Blake ask me to come here? Everybody's just waiting to watch a movie." My head flew back to the door to see a familiar blonde pocketing her scroll, shaking her head. Before I realized what I was doing, I found myself up on my feet, catching her attention. Our eyes met, and hers flared red in anger. I gulped.

"Yang—"

"Ruby!" she howled as she stomped towards me. Everybody turned their heads in surprise at the newcomer. "We have to TALK."

"Whoa! Whoa!" Scarlet got up and tried to stand in front of Yang. "What's going on? Look, we're just here to—"

She pushed the boy aside. "If you value your life, you'll stay out of sister business." He nodded, backing off immediately.

I turned back towards the rest of team RWBY. Blake had her face in her hands, with a guilty look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ruby," she muffled. "It was going to happen sooner or later. You have to make this up with your sister."

Weiss gave the faunus a glare. "That's pretty hypocritical of you, considering what happened last semester."

"I know." Blake buried herself deeper into her palms. "I know."

"Blake you traitor—" Firm hands slammed down on my shoulders, bringing my attention back to the danger at hand. My eyes clamped shut as I held my hands in front of me. "Oh gods Yang don't hurt me!" Then… nothing. I counted one second, then another. She didn't remove her hands from my shoulders. My sister started sniffling. I cracked one of my eyes open to see what's going on.

The red in her eyes were gone, back to their original shade of lilac. Yang tried to keep tears from running down her face. "... Why, Ruby? What happened to you?" Her voice quivered as she said those words. "What happened to the girl that came to me for help? Who needed her sister on the first day of school?" She glanced down, staring listlessly before returning my gaze. "I'm worried for you, Ruby. Weird things are happening, and don't you deny it. Something's wrong, and you're pushing me away!"

"Yang, I said so many times, you don't have to worry about me." I grabbed her forearms and strained to lift them off me. Her grip remained firm on me. "This isn't your concern."

"Yes it is, Ruby!" I winced as she squeezed my shoulders. "You might think so, but I don't!"

Movement pulled my gaze behind my sister. There was something… climbing the walls. It was huge, roughly two and a half meters long. Forest green scales shined under the yellow glow of the lights. Unusual gray lines overlaid the scales and went up the creature's limbs, connecting on its back. The lines reminded me of an old Remnant formation, one where natives would create giant animal images that could be seen from the sky using just string, stakes, and a hammer.

Its feet stepped on the ceiling, tail bumping against the wall as it stuck itself upside down. Its tongue flickered out, licking through the air as if it's searching for… something. I jumped as mechanical red eyes popped out from under its eyelids, seemingly staring at us. Its head craned towards us, letting out a menacing hiss.

"Ruby!" The calling of my name, as well as the shaking snapped me back to my sister. Sorrowful eyes peered deep into my soul. "Why are you looking at the ceiling?" The creature started towards us.

"... Yang. I need you to listen to me for one moment. Release me, and get to the side, right now."

Her face contorted in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"There's no time to explain, there's something coming towards you!"

"What, from the ceiling?" She looked at the creature, before turning back. "No there's not." Huh? How did she not see the beast? Unless— "Ruby, this is what I mean when I said there's something wrong! You're seeing things that aren't there! You're not well!"

I renewed my struggle from her grasp. "Yang, you don't understand—"

"No, you don't understand!" She leaned her face towards mine. Her eyes gave off a feeling of fear and uncertainty. "Why don't you want my help? Why are you pushing me away? Do you…" The blonde choked on her words. "... Do you hate me?" Those words were almost silent.

"What? No! I'm not pushing you away because I hate you! I'm trying to protect you!" The monster bent its legs like it's going to pounce. Yang sighed and shook her head.

"Ruby, I know how much mom meant to you, but in the real world, you can't always be the hero—" It bounced, jaws wide open and flying towards Yang's neck.

"Look out!" I let my legs collapse as I threw myself at Yang's torso, trying to push her to the side. It wasn't enough. As we flew in the air, I looked up to see a shocked Yang with a lizard-like creature clamping its teeth over her shoulder. Gleeful red eyes stared back at me, making a sadistic grin with its mouth.

An agonizing scream escaped from Yang's mouth as we both fell to the ground.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 4/28/17**

* * *

 ** _Omake: You don't know Xiao Long I've Worked for that High Score by_ THE L0NE WANDERER**

Yang was having a rough day to say the least. She had been training with her team, getting ready for the Vytal festival, and was just looking forward to spending the day at her favorite arcade and play that one motorcycle game she loved. She proudly held the high score on its hardest track for years now! None could beat her and her superior skills.

Ah, there it was, and her name written on that high score screen:

2\. Y.X.L.

Ah… Wait... Second place?!

Yang ran up to the machine and stared at the screen. There, in HER spot was a new entry, P.X.J., with a time that held a whole seven seconds ahead of her!

NO! She would not let her pride stand for this!

Yang checked her pockets, pulled out her credit card and cracked her knuckles. Time for a training montage. She stuffed earbuds into her ears, cutting herself from the noise of the arcade. All that remained was her, the game, and pounding of the drums and guitar. Pure determination crossed her face as she selected Green Zone: 20K. Her gaze remained focused on the countdown.

 _3... 2... 1..._ The singer went in.

 _Rising up, back on the street;_

With that Yang slammed on the gas, starting her quest in earnest. Her head bobbed with every beat of the drums. She's going to win back her spot no matter what.

 _One Training Montage later (Queue the music from RWBY chibi that's I Burn mixed with Eye of the Tiger)_

It took a lot of blood, sweat, and enough quarters to fuel her Uncle's booze bill for a month, but Yang did it. She reclaimed her place at the top of the leaderboard, by a whole 3 seconds. Typing in her intials, Yang left the arcade, satisfied with herself.

One week later, she returned back, to prove to Ruby her high score.

"Yang, I still don't get why you're obsessed with this game." Her red wearing sister said skeptically.

Yang merely dragged the girl by the hood. "Ruby, when you have something to be proud of, you brag. Now feast your eyes!" She said, setting the reaper in front of the game.

"Huh, P.X.J. number one," Ruby said as she looked at the machine.

Yang's eyes flickered red. "GOD DAMN-"

* * *

 **Alright, story time. Back in late January when I first wrote this, I wanted to practice actual comedy and I thought, why not practice writing omakes? So I came up with the scenario about going to the arcade so that I can make the omake work. Originally it was supposed to be a joke about abusing Stand powers for the lulz. Then I got the idea where Nora starts overreacting, and it escalated until I realized that this got way too big. I thought about cutting it into pieces and separating them across chapters, but I couldn't get the timing to work. Then I wrote the next chapter and realized that the arcade made for a decent time skip for Belfry Falls. So that's why you guys got to read a chapter where Nora freaks out over four balls and a sloth.**

 **There's one thing I have to do before going through reviews: I have to clarify my comment about Belfry Falls being inspired by Alien. Watching Alien and the feelings I felt during that movie inspired Belfry Falls. The xenomorph itself isn't the inspiration, but it was the catalyst. I guess it's better to say that Belfry Falls is inspired by the feelings the horror genre gave me. Still, expect a reference to the xenomorph.**

* * *

 **Now that that's out of the way, it's time for reviews!**

 **DarthLoki: Who's a Stand user and who isn't is known only to me. Well, and one more person, but I don't think he's going to tell. I've written Stands for RWBYJNPR, but who I choose to use is a secret. Your guess, while brutal and something I took great interest in, isn't Belfry Fall's ability. Maybe the clarification might help with locating the answer.**

 **Raidentensho: Now I found this really interesting. Would Yang receive Stand powers as a result of Ruby being cut by the Arrow? After all, they are blood relatives. However, this scenario didn't appear in JoJo at all. It's obvious that the Stand Arrow's power trickles down the generations, flowing from Jonathan('s body) to Joseph to Josuke/Jotaro to Jolyne. However, as far as I can tell, there's no evidence that Stand powers flow from sibling to sibling. Even with the Nijimura brothers, it's not clarified. As for my ultimate opinion, I would say Arrow powers don't work that way, so Yang won't get a Stand from being Ruby's sister. But what if she herself got hit by the Arrow? Again, that's my secret.**

 **greenscoop1: It will be interesting to see how this conflict between the two sisters resolve itself. And thank you for your observation about the unaware Stand user. It's an easy-to-miss detail, but it does reflect my belief on how to write each of my Stand battles/Stand users. Not that every Stand user is going to be unaware about the transition. That would be boring to see. More importantly, not all Stand users are going to be malicious towards the protagonists. I have no idea how that's going to work out, but I can dream.**

 **Toon the Thane of Scrabble: I think this chapter answered your Yang question pretty well. The Cinder question will be explored later in the story. As for Qrow's involvement in the whole story, I will say that he will appear in the story. How involved he is going to be will like always be my little secret.**

 **That's all for today. See you guys next time!**

 ** _Next Chapter Update: April 28, 2017_**


	9. Belfry Falls - Part 1

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Remnant Roses! Wonderful news about the story: we've hit 5,000 views! It's one hell of a milestone to hit. Thank you guys for all of the support! By the way, because THE L0NE WANDERER is busy with all of the recent busy stuff that's happening in the month of May, there's not going to be any betas or omakes this week. But never mind all of that. It's time to get onto the actual Stand fighting!**

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Oh gods, this isn't good. So many things ran through my mind as Yang's screech filled my ears. One thought in particular looped over and over: Yang's been attacked by a komodo dragon. My sister's hurt.

I gritted my teeth as I landed on the floor with my sister in my arms. That… thing released its grasp on Yang the second we landed, backing away as if to admire its handiwork. A creepy smile ran up its face as it stared at us with those creepy glowing eyes. Those words kept repeating in my head, never letting up.

"AAAGGHH!" She twisted and turned on the ground, swinging me around with her. It felt like riding a bull ride if the bull was seeing nothing but red. A sudden cough escaped my mouth as Yang slammed her hand into my stomach, knocking both the wind out of my lungs and sending me rolling off of her body. "OH GODS, IT HURTS!" Another set of tears ran down her face as she clung to the bitten shoulder. My mouth went dry.

No… No! I have to help her! There's gotta be something that I can do! I scrambled to her side and looked over her wound. A gasp escaped my mouth. What— What is this? A finger ran over the yellow glowing bite marks forming over her right shoulder. Over her Aura. It's not protecting her like it should.

This is— What the— How do I—? My hands scrambled to cover the glowing wounds on her Aura. Shining yellow particles flew outwards from the gaps between my fingers, no matter how hard I press against the bite marks. How do I stop Aura from leaking? Can I stop it from fading away? Lilac eyes snapped open, cloudy and unfocused from the pain. In an instant, they contracted and glanced at me. The corner of Yang's lip started quivering. "Ruby… What's going on?"

"I don't know, Yang. I'm not sure. But it's not good." What do I do? Just… huh? We've never been taught about what to do if someone's Aura is under attack. I don't even know if anybody's gone through it! Is it possible to attack somebody through their Aura? It doesn't make sense at all, but whatever attacked Yang managed to do it through her Aura!

"My gods… Ruby? Yang?" Blake's voice registered in my mind. I looked back to see the whole room standing around us in a circle, staring in horror at the downed girl. Blake reached for the other arm and squeezed it. "Where did those bite marks come from?" Wait a minute… My eyes flickered back to the monster, who started taking slow steps to the side. They could see the bite, but not the lizard? Huh? Before I could respond, a torrent of words started filling the room.

"Is that Yang Xiao-Long lying on the ground right now?"

"Holy—! That bite's huge! What could've caused this?"

"This can't be real."

"Are we being attacked by ghosts?"

"We can't defend ourselves from this! We don't have our weapons!"

"What's the point of weapons if we can't even see what's attacking us! We're done! It's game over for us, man! Game over!"

I bit my lip as the mood in the room became saturated with the fears of everyone around us. The monster flickered its tongue, turning its head towards the crowd. Is it going to go for them? I have to calm them down somehow before they catch its attention. I cleared my throat. "Ahem! Everybody—"

"Oh gods, we're going to die!" One of the students screeched. "We got to get out of here!" He ran towards the side door in a panic, hands outstretched to slam it open. The reptile shot off almost immediately afterward, sprinting towards the runner at breakneck speeds. I felt my breath hitch. My gods, that thing was fast!

Before the boy could even reach the door, the invisible monster clamped down on one of his shins, sending him crashing to the ground. He reached out towards the exit. "No! Help me! Somebody get this thing off of me! HELP!" A high pitched squeal came out of his mouth as the monster yanked him back into the room. I swore I saw the lizard roll its eyes before smacking the boy with its tail, knocking him out cold. With that, it spat out the student's leg, leaving an ugly set of bite marks spewing out maroon Aura.

At the sight of the unconscious boy, the rest of the students lost what little composure they had left. The crowd let out horrified screeches, and they all started towards one of the two exits in the hopes of escaping. They wouldn't get too far. The lizard bared its fangs before going on a rampage, eyes glowing red with glee. Its tongue flickered in the air before chasing after a nearby girl.

All I could do was watch the massacre in horror. The monster was efficient like a machine, following a consistent pattern where it clamped on someone's heel, yanked the victim down to the ground, and then spat it out before moving on to the next person. My chest filled with terror as one by one each student fell. The only thing ringing through the room was the chorus of agony this komodo dragon composed.

"Oh gods, this thing isn't slowing down," I muttered, flipping myself off of my sister. "Who knows how long we have until it gets us, too?" A glance forwards revealed the lizard flashing a vicious grin at us, flickering its tongue out before moving towards a nearby runner. I swallowed some saliva down my dry throat before hooking the blonde's left arm around the back of my neck. "Come on, Yang! Get up! We gotta get out of here! The lizard's coming!"

She nodded, planting her right arm onto the ground so she could push herself up. However, the moment she put a little pressure against the carpeted floor, her limb collapsed, sending her tumbling back down to the ground. I grunted as her weight nearly pulled me down with her. "What's wrong Yang?" I can feel a knot forming in my throat. "Why can't you get up?"

"I'm trying. Ruby!" From the corner of my eye, I saw Yang sweating. Her arm muscles were shaking. "I'm pressing against the ground as best as I can, but it won't push me up! I don't think I can control my arm anymore! It won't do what I want!" My eye started twitching as I absorbed the information. The wound… maybe it made it so that her arm can't bear any more weight? I thought that she would be fine, but I guess the bite is worse than I thought. She should move that shoulder as little as possible. That means I'm going to have to push her up.

I scrambled to get behind the girl as I placed my hands against her back. I planted the soles of my feet onto the ground and pushed forwards, bringing Yang's back off of the ground. Her face contorted. The girl let out a tiny whimper as pressure was applied to her shoulder. My tiny legs screamed in pain as I tried to bring her upright. Oh, gods! She's so heavy! Why did my sister have to be so much bigger than me?

"Blake! Grab her good arm and pull her up!" I looked desperately towards my teammate, who was still standing around in shock. "I could use a little help here!" The faunus girl nodded, snapping out of her funk and doing as she was told. With Blake's help, I felt Yang move up to a standing position. Except as Yang was brought upright, she started tipping forwards. Blake yelped, stepping to the side. Before my sister could fall over, however, Weiss leaped in and grabbed her waist, stabilizing the blonde.

"Alright, Yang, you're up now. Now come on, we gotta go!" I started for the front door, Blake and Weiss following closely. Wait, where's Yang? I stopped. Yang didn't move an inch from her original spot. Her teeth were grit, and I could see the veins in her neck flex as she made small jerking motions. Tears flowed out of her eyes. It's obvious that something was wrong with this picture. My mouth dropped. "... Yang?"

"I'm so sorry, Ruby. I'm trying, but I can't move a single muscle. My body's not listening to me." She shook her head. "Something's… paralyzing me. It started with my arm, but now it's affected my legs. I can feel it moving up my neck right now… I feel so stiff."

I watched her grit her teeth as she tried turning her head. She must've been using all of her strength to do just that much. Every muscle below her head trembled. "If we don't make it like last time, I just want to say—" Not another word came out of her mouth as it froze in position. The only thing moving due to her own will is her lilac eyes, who stared into my own eyes with sadness and regret. Moments later, she started tipping forwards. Blake let out another yelp, catching her partner and resting her on the ground. I bit my lip as I saw Yang's muscles spasm occasionally.

"Oh no… Yang…" Weiss covered her mouth at the sight of her teammate. She backed away from the shaking girl. "I-I don't— I can't—" My eyes watered as I clenched my fist. To see Yang like this… so helpless in contrast to her strong, protective self… My partner let out a sigh. "... We're going to need to call for help." The heiress' scroll appeared out from one of their pockets. "We need to call the teachers and get them to help us."

Before she could open the device, however, I smacked it out of her hands. It flew in the air before banging its side on the carpet floor. At least it wasn't the screen. Weiss shot me an evil glare while she seethed in silent fury. "What was that for? If we don't get any support from the adults, we're all going to die!"

"And if none of them can see the lizard?" Weiss stood silent for a moment, taking in my question. "They're going to die as well, and then we're really screwed. But here's the thing: we can avoid the beast. I can see it. I think we can all make it if everybody stayed by me." My eyes followed the monster as it clamped down on yet another student.

There's no doubt about it. We're under attack by a Stand. How else could I explain the fact that no one can see it, or how it's doing this to everybody? There's no way this could be Jaune's Stand. It was clear that he didn't have a Stand form. No, this is somebody else, and they're attacking us!

Scarlet and his partner were backed up against the wall, their mouths opening and closing as the boy in front of them got gnawed on. Besides them and what remains of team RWBY, nobody else is still standing. Maybe I could get them out of here as well… All we need is a good blow to distract it for just a moment. "Scarlet!" I hissed. "The monster's on top of that boy right now! Maybe you could hit it with something and stun it!"

"You can see whatever is on Bolin? If that thing is on him right now… What can I use?" He glanced around for a moment before spotting the abandoned game equipment on top of the tables. "Well then… Sage, you don't mind if you stay in place? I'll creep up towards those tables over there and snatch a cue for you." His giant of a partner nodded.

The boy with red dyed hair slid towards the sides of the room. "I feel silly doing this, but I guess you're the expert… Ruby, is it?" His eyes focused on the downed boy. "I'm trusting you with this." While he made his way to the other side of the room, the lizard started sliding its feet over the wailing boy, using him as a doormat. I pressed my lips together. I don't think anybody else has to know about that. My eyes flickered between the lizard and the pirate-esque boy. Come on, Scarlet. You're so close.

His fingers grasped at a pool stick, pulling it off the table without a sound. "Whew. Didn't think I would make it. Sage, catch," the pirate boy called out, tossing the stick at his partner. The dark-skinned boy caught it with little effort.

"Okay." Sage raised the cue stick up, gripping it with both hands. "Did the monster move anywhere?"

I craned my neck up, trying to spot the lizard. It's still standing on the body for some reason. "It's still there, right on top of that dude. Could you try and not hurt the guy too much? I think he's still alive." Maybe it'll work out. If he can take down… whatever that thing is, then I might not need to bring out Rose. From my spar with Jaune, we know they can be affected by normal items. Now the question is: is Sage strong enough to take it down? I shook my head. The guy wields a greatsword normally! Strength isn't even a question! Of course this is going to end well!

The giant nodded, readying his strike. "This is going to hurt a bit. Sorry, Bolin. No hard feelings." Sage swung down towards the creature's back. My heart skipped a beat as the stick came closer and closer to hitting it. Come on, please work. Just one good hit, and we can evacuate this place. The wooden pole made contact with the monster.

And snapped in two, sending wood splinters flying through the air. The lizard looked confused, shaking its body off. It's like the hit didn't even register. My jaw dropped. No way! There's no way it could split a cue at impact! Especially once a Hunter channels their Aura through it! What changed? The green haired boy's face dropped when he saw my expression. He turned his face away from us.

Scarlet made a gasping noise. "... Please tell me you guys managed to hit the thing. Right?" His voice cracked as I didn't answer. "Right? You hit it? Please Sage, just tell me you managed to stop it. Right?" His partner refused to look at him. The pirate boy fell to his knees. The monster turned its head towards Scarlet. "... I guess you didn't stop it, then. It was a good try, though. I guess that's it. We're done for. I just wished it didn't end like this."

One flicker of its tongue appeared from the lizard's mouth before it charged the boy. He didn't bother fighting back, letting it chomp down on his neck before collapsing. Scarlet's face contorted as the monster dragged him down onto the table. Unlike the others, he didn't scream, keeping his silence and dignity.

"Scarlet!" Sage abandoned his spot next to the wall, rushing towards his partner. I wanted to scream at him. What's he doing? He's going to get bit as well! The monster must've realized this as well, letting go of the red haired boy and clamping down on the giant's ankle. He gritted his teeth in pain. Instead of collapsing, he threw himself onto the pool tables, pulling the lizard into the air as he rolled on the green felt surface. It's his strength, I realized. That and a combination of momentum. It's like what I normally do with Crescent Rose.

With a yell, he smashed the bitten heel into the wall, ramming the monster's nose and causing it to let go. A terrible hissing noise came from the monster, recoiling to the hit. "That's… my little bit of revenge," the giant muttered as his muscles started spazzing around. He looked over to us. "Go on ahead. Save yourselves." Sage tried to pull himself towards the lizard, only to collapse as his muscles lost control.

The two standing members of RWBY pressed close together to each other. "What do we do?" Weiss whispered, eyes staring at the paralyzed body of the most recent victim. "There's nobody else here besides us. Ruby, you can see the thing. You must have a plan for this!" I nodded. As a matter of fact, I don't. My thumb moved up and down in my clenched fist as I tried pulling up any solution that didn't need me to use Rose to defeat the lizard.

Can we run away? No, all the exits are too far away, and that thing could catch up to us in no time. Besides, what's going to happen to the students here? And what about the teachers who are going to have to come into this room to see what happened? I can't abandon them to this fate. Maybe I can call Jaune? He's not going to make it on time. He said his team's going to be in the city all day. He might be coming back, since the last airbus left at seven. But even then, I don't think we can hold out that long. And if he stays in the city for the night? I can't wait an entire night for Jaune to get back!

There's only one clear option left for me. I just have to take on the Stand by myself. I felt the knot in my stomach grow wider. Every part of me didn't want to use Rose to fight. I wished that my Stand would eventually just became a secret that never had to be mentioned. But in my heart, I knew that somehow, another Stand will come after us and hurt the people we love and care for. In this case, it's hurting everybody here.

I let out a sigh as I glanced at all of the bodies on the floor. Everybody in this room was innocent. They don't deserve to end up like this. Nobody deserved to be attacked by a being that they can't see, let alone understand. Not the moviegoers, not Scarlet and Sage, especially not team RWBY. I have to step in and fight back for the sake of everybody in the room. For the sake of Beacon.

My feet widened as I adjusted my weight. I don't know how ideal Rose was for this fight, but she's the only advantage I have right now. My Stand might be the only thing that could hurt this rampaging monster. The monster finally stopped shaking its head, turning towards the three of us: the last people standing after everything was done. A small pale hand grabbed my shoulder, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Ruby!" my partner hissed. "What's the plan?"

"... Blake, take Yang and back her into a corner." I pointed to one behind us. "Probably that one over there, close to the front door. Stay a couple of meters away from her and grab something. Be ready to fight back when I say so. Weiss, get between Yang and Blake and ready some platform glyphs. Summon them when I say so."

The cat faunus narrowed her eyes in suspicion but nodded anyways, hooking her arms through Yang's armpits as she started dragging the immobile girl back. "And what are you doing to do, Ruby?"

I stepped in front of them, flicking my cape out. It floated into the air, exposing the rest of my body. I took assured strides towards the monster, staring into its crimson eyes. "What I should've done a long time ago."

It seems like it accepted my challenge, widening its stance and lowering its body as I approached. The monster bared its fangs towards me, letting out a soft hiss as its tongue flickered in the air. Rose appeared behind me, arms up in a stance that reminded me of what a martial artist would pose in. I mimicked her, holding my arms up in the same position while widening my own stance. Hopefully, I looked intimidating to the reptile in front of me. It growled as it lunged towards me. I guess not.

" **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " I yelled, and Rose flew past me, ducking under the lizard's mouth and smashing her fist under its jaw. The monster gagged in surprise as it flew straight up into the air, crashing into the projector with force. The machine groaned as it was ripped from the roof before bursting into pieces on the ground. Sparks flew from the now exposed wires, creating a buzzing noise. Its legs flailed in the air as it crashed into the wall. The monster writhed on the ground soon afterward, trying to flip itself back onto its feet.

Everything's starting to come together now. So that was my mistake. I thought it was any normal item that could hurt a Stand, but I was wrong. It had to be something affected by a Stand ability, like Jaune's **「** **EVERYDAY BOY.** **」** No wonder the pool stick broke; Sage doesn't have a Stand ability that could affect the cue. And it's not like he could use a Stand in the first place! I have to use a Stand to fight a Stand. After all, what was the big thing I learned in my fight with Jaune? Only Stands can hurt other Stands.

But at the same time, I'm putting myself into a risky position. There's no Aura protecting me from the effects of its bite. Rose floated back to my side, ready for my next order. I only have one chance to take it down. If Rose or I get bit, then our fight was pointless.

"Ruby… what did you just do to that projector?" Blake whispered. I looked back through Rose. The faunus had wide eyes filled with disbelief. The bow on the top of her head was twitching wildly, like her ears were demanding to be released from the wrapping. Right behind her is Weiss with her arm outstretched, spinning a mini-glyph on her index finger. Her face remained stoic, but there was still a hint of surprise hidden in those light-blue pupils.

"I'll tell you later once I deal with this lizard." I tensed as the monster shook itself off. "Right now, I need to focus on taking this guy down." I sent Rose after it as it turned to face all of us. The beast, glancing at the approaching Stand, hopped to the side just as Rose slammed her hand into the carpet, sending abandoned food flying into the air. My breath hitched. Oh gods no! Rose floated back to my side right after the strike as I expected a counter. But the lizard didn't snap back at me Instead, it leaped onto the walls and started traversing them.

"Weiss! Place your glyphs on the walls!" I yelled, running after the monster. A glyph path formed right as I threw myself into the air and onto the walls. With practiced ease, I reoriented myself to land feet first and chased after the being. Every step I made on the markings increased my speed, cutting the distance between me and the Stand. With a yell, I threw myself towards the rest of the girls over the lizard. At the same time, Rose slid her fist under the dashing monster, and with a resounding grunt, jabbed it with all her might. It gasped as its feet lost their grip on the wall, and it soared across the room towards the beanbag chairs.

As for me, my feet landed on a glyph formed roughly a meter away from Yang's head. I shook my head, knees bent as I prepared for my launch. "Oh no you don't! You're not touching my teammates!" With that I sprang forwards, shooting myself towards the recovering beast. My Stand flew in front of me, winding back to get a hit in before it can get back on its feet. Rose might not be that strong, but at this speed, any punch she throws must be hitting hard enough to stop it for good this time!

A gleam escaped the monster's eyes, and it rolled to the side before my Stand could land her hit. A crater formed from the impact of Rose's punch a millisecond later. My eyes widened. How did I miss? I smashed into the ground moments after the attack, groaning as I rolled forwards. Bits of food flew into the air as I rolled over the abandoned meals. As I slowed down, I willed Rose to float in front of me, holding her arms up just in case the reptile decided to counterattack.

Except… it didn't. In fact, it did nothing. Sensing the opportunity, I pulled myself back up to a standing position. The lizard just stood there, glaring at me and flicking its tongue out. What is it doing? Why is it just… standing around? No matter. If it's standing still, that means I can hit it without worrying about it attacking anyone! I let out a yell as I sent Rose towards the monster. Her cape floated up as a fist escaped the fabric covering, flying directly towards my target.

The monster had other plans, turning around before running off. I growled as Rose missed her mark yet again, instead sending a beanbag chair flying. "Where are you going?" I followed its movements before my blood ran cold. It's moving towards the rest of the team! "Weiss! Form a glyph aimed towards the group!" The snow white runes burst into view next to me a split second later, With a grunt, I pushed off of the formation, soaring across the room at breakneck speeds. Again Rose came at the fleeing opponent, landing a successful strike against the monster's side.

A hiss escaped its mouth as it flew towards the corner opposite of us. I felt myself wince as I saw the floor rapidly approaching. Well, this is going to hurt. The second I made contact with the ground, I felt my body spinning as I rolled across the ground. Yells of indignation escaped my partner's mouth as she leaped to avoid me. "Sorry!" I called back out as I passed by. The other standing girl raised her eyebrows in confusion, watching me roll past. A shot of pain ran up my back as it smacked into the side of the room. My vision blurred a bit as the back of my head slammed into the wall. Oh man, a concussion is not pretty.

Blake coughed in her hand, managing to grab my attention. "Are you still okay, Ruby?" I let out a cough of my own as I struggled back up to my feet. My hands flew to the back of my head, checking for any bumps or skull fractures. I don't really know just how much of my Aura keeps me intact, but I'm going to need to be more careful. Can't go this extreme.

I gave her a nod. "Yeah. I'm okay right now. Maybe a couple of scrapes here and there, but nothing I can't handle. I think I'm making progress on the beast."

"I beg to differ!" I turned towards the heiress. She had her mouth covered with one hand, the other pointing towards my body. "Look at yourself, Ruby! You have carpet burns and scraped skin! There's—" She heaved, making a gagging noise. Weiss managed to pull it together, continuing with her statement. "You're bleeding. We didn't see your Aura break, but you're bleeding."

My eyes flew down to look at the condition of my body. Droplets of blood ran down my right arm, appearing from a friction burn on my forearm. Several more burns dotted my other arm, in various degrees of seriousness. It looked like it was ready to bleed at any time. The scratches and wounds on my skin were a lot more apparent now. So is this what happens to people without Aura? I winced as the air caused the burns to sting. Ah! Geez!

"Yeah," I whispered, gritting my teeth. "I guess I am. But that's not important right now."

"Ruby, what do you mean this isn't important? You're hurt." Weiss took a step forwards. "You're our leader, our friend, my partner. We have every right to care about your wellbeing, even if you insist otherwise." As much as I want to argue, she does have a point. Wasn't it obvious from the moment I've been hit by the Arrow? They've been at my side, helping me throughout those days. Even if it's misplaced, their feelings are genuine. Team RWBY would give up everything for me. But that's a two-way street.

"... I care about your wellbeing as well. About everybody's." My gazed latched upon each of the members of team RWBY. "I'm glad to know that you guys are worried, but this is for the best for the team. These wounds are for everyone here." I raised my arms, empathizing the point. "I'm the only one that can protect you guys." My partner's blue eyes moved a bit from side to side, mouth slightly agape as she tried to take in my words. Blake had a hard look on her face, trying to keep it neutral.

But Yang… looking at Yang brings pain into my heart. She's still paralyzed, stuck with an expression of horror. The only thing still moving were her eyes. Lilac met my gaze, and her eyes dilated upon hearing my words. It's so hard to see the sister who protected me my entire life just laying there, unable to move, with eyes that showed nothing but regret and sorrow. I felt my own eyes water as I matched her stare with my own.

Hissing noises brought my attention back to the battle. I can feel sorry for my sister later. First, I have to make sure that she, along with everybody else makes it out alive. The lizard pressed its right side next to the wall, legs bent and ready for another charge. Its tongue wiggled wildly outside of its mouth. It reminded me of those inflatable dancing tube men Dad brought out once in a while to celebrate a festival. I waved the thought away, focusing on the threat in front of me. Although looking mainly intact, I can see bruises forming on top of its skin. At the same time, those red eyes held a murderous look in them. Whatever it's doing, it's going to act, and soon.

The white-cloaked Stand floated between it and my body, arms up for another strike. Okay Ruby, think. What did the lizard monster do so far? Well, it either dodged if I sent Rose after it, or it ran towards us in order to get a bite off if I chose to do nothing. So far I've gotten hits on it if I just let it come towards me, so that's what I'm going to do. I widened my stance, ready to receive any attacks. Stand my ground, and let the creature come towards me.

With a snarl, it pounced, stampeding towards team RWBY. Its path was less direct, curving to my left instead of running straight towards us, but no matter. Rose dived towards the enemy Stand, fist already in motion. She can intercept its charge without too much trouble. However, the lizard had other plans, turning right and leaping onto the wall, causing her attack to miss again. My eyes widened in horror. I'm wide open! My hands snatched an empty soda bottle, smashing it against the wall. The fragile container shattered, sending bits of clear glass everywhere. Gangsters did it in the movies, so it could work. Besides, at least I can hurt the monster now.

I raised the weapon up to my face, pointing it at the approaching monster, causing it to stop. "Don't move any further! I'll hit you if I have to!" The lizard Stand tilted its head, considering my command for one second before continuing onwards. With a yell, I jabbed the sharp object at the monster's back. It snorted, sending the tip of its tail towards the weapon and shattering it in my hands. I gritted in pain as the glass shards cut into my hand. Oh no! Rose, come on, hurry up! My Stand zipped back towards me. Not fast enough. I felt my stomach drop. My legs were twitchy, ready to throw me to the side the moment it lashes out at me.

However, it continued past me without stopping. What? I threw my head back. Is it ignoring me for the other girls?

"Blake! Weiss! Get away from the wall with the front door! It's coming towards you two!" They nodded, stepping towards the center. Not fast enough. The lizard's about to be within jumping distance of Blake. Rose faded away from sight as I called her back. A rush of Aura ran through my body, helping to close up the friction burns and the glass cuts I earned from the fight. But that's not why I brought my Stand back. Energy bounced through my legs as I readied my Semblance. We can touch the reptile without bringing out our Stands, like the cue. If it jumps, I can intercept it! I watched as the lizard flickered its tongue, slowing down. Any time now…

To my surprise, it didn't stop like I thought it would, instead continuing towards the corner. I raised my eyebrow. That doesn't make sense. There are only three people standing: Blake, Weiss, and me. It would make sense to take down anyone of us. Except it ignored Blake and I. And Weiss is already out of its pouncing range. So why is it continuing forwards? Who could it possibly attack?

My eyes went to each of my teammates. Weiss had a worried look on her face, but there was still a sense of determination in her eyes. So that takes her out as a possible target. Same thing with Blake. While her body language is tense, it's still firm. Her amber eyes radiated that look of a survivor, someone who's determined to make it through no matter what might happen. The monster's ignoring her as well? Who is there left to attack?

I scanned the wall again, trying to find any other person it could potentially go for. The only one I can notice is Yang. Unlike the others, her eyes had a sense of despair. Of sadness. She followed my movements, unable to do anything. It's like she gave up. And she's the only one on the— My mouth dropped. She's the only one within a couple of meters of its range.

Roses floated behind me as I used my Semblance, sprinting towards the Stand. Why didn't I think of that? It never attacked anybody that's already been bitten, only going after those still standing. Nobody's seen what will happen if it bites an already paralyzed person. After one bite, Yang's been exposed to enough of some kind of toxin to become completely paralyzed. However, it isn't enough to affect her eyes and her vital functions. If that wasn't the case, everybody bitten would be unconscious or dead by now. But a second bite? If that stops her breathing, or her heart—

A hoarse scream escaped my mouth as I threw myself at the crawling monster. Rose appeared behind me in mid-air. I can't let that thing bite Yang again! No one's going to die! Especially not my big sister! Rose zoomed past me, understanding my wish to protect Yang. However, that large tail whipped out at me, smacking me in the face. Its scaly skin cut into my cheeks as it threw me towards the center of the room. Rose got dragged along with me, her fists barely missing the reptile. I smashed through a table with a resounding crash.

Everything blurred as my head struck the ground. The back of my head started to ache in pain. But there's no time to focus on that. Yang's going to die! I rolled onto my hands and knees. "Everybody, get Yang away from the corner!" I managed to yell out as I pulled my aching body back up. Ugh… I can't see a thing. Several blinks cleared my vision up, revealing my teammates running towards Yang. It's not going to be enough. They're not going to make it. The lizard's already tensing up, ready to land the fatal blow on my sister. My eyes widened in horror as it opened its jaw up wide.

No. I fell to my knees. Please no. I can't lose another family member— I— I already lost Mom. If Yang dies, I don't— I can't— Tears started running down my face. Come on, move! My arms weakly reached for the ground. I have to— Please! No matter how much I silently pleaded, my body won't move fast enough to save my sister.

I let out a sniffle. Why did I act so rude to Yang? All she wanted to do was protect me, yet I kept pushing her away. She's going to die, and for what? To keep my ability a secret? To keep everything about the Stands secret? I felt a bit of me withering away to nothing. No secret should hurt the people I love. They shouldn't be put in the line of fire for my actions. And now, she's going to scatter and disappear from my life. Just like Mom.

The lizard clamped shut, tasting the air with its tongue. It hopped off the wall and started trotting towards me. What… just happened? Did it just let Yang go? Nothing's making sense anymore. I peered into its malicious eyes as it observed my fallen figure. Whatever I did, I managed to get its attention. That's good. It could do whatever it wanted to me. As long as it's not Yang. From the corner of my vision, I watched Rose approach the lizard from behind. Just let the monster come close to me, as far away from the others as possible. Then I'll strike.

It now stood a mere meter away from me. Its lips pulled up to a grisly smile as it opened its mouth wide. Any moment now… The lizard leaned towards my exposed neck, ready to take a bite. Now! I felt my spirits light on fire as I jerked myself back, avoiding the death trap that was its jaws. At the same time, Rose started twirling her body as she dived down, smashing her fist into the creature. I watched in satisfaction of its leathery skin twisting and contorting under the Stand drill that was **「** **RED LIKE ROSES.** **」**

"Whew! That was close!" I pushed myself back to a standing position as fast as I possibly can. My right hand rubbed against the base of my neck. "Good grief. You've caused enough trouble, Mr. Lizard. A lot of people are hurt because of you. My big sister being one of them." Rose stopped spinning and flipped towards the ground, throwing another punch into the monster's stomach. It screeched as the force of the impact sent it flying into the air. "I can't let you do that anymore." My Stand floated back to a standing position, fists up and ready for the beating of a lifetime. I jabbed my finger at the figure as it reached the apex of its flight. "This is for them! **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** "

A white fist flew at the monster's nose. The sickening sound of bones cracking resounded as the strike made impact. Blood splattered on Rose's hand as the lizard opened its jaw in pain. With a deafening roar, Rose threw a flurry of blows at blinding speed. It was impossible to see every single punch she threw at the beast, but the sensation of the beatdown was invigorating! Reptilian skin warped and twisted into craters as every hit landed on the creature.

My heart beat faster as the combo came close to its climax. "You won't hurt anyone anymore!" Rose ended her blows with one last haymaker to the nostrils. The beast moaned as it flew to the wall opposite of my friends, creating cracks in the plaster as it made impact. I heard a sound of pity coming from one of the girls, probably wincing due to the sheer power. To be honest, I felt a little bit of pity for the monster myself as it flopped to the ground. That was a particularly brutal beatdown.

Only to have my eyes widen as it slowly pulled itself back up to a standing position. It looked worse for the wear, but the only source of wounds came from the bleeding nose. Despite how many hits it took, there was no bruising that I could see on its skin. Just how thick is lizard skin? If Rose wasn't enough to take this lizard down… then what can? Red eyes grew darker as it gave me a glare that screamed murder. I flinched back, overwhelmed by its killing intent. How am I going to take down this thing?

To my surprise, it collapsed back down, muscles twitching. Maybe my beating did have an effect. That might buy us some time to breathe. Maybe I could tell Blake and Weiss to get the rest of the students and drag them to a more secure place… no, that's a terrible idea. They will ask me questions about what's going on, and I can't be distracted while the Stand is recovering. Plus, it's just about ready to get up anyways. If I sent them out, they might get close to the lizard and just get bit.

But this Stand is surprising, to say the least. It's not choosing its own victims, but going after people who fulfill a certain requirement. There's got to be a reason why Yang and everyone else became targets, but not Weiss, Blake, and I. What could it be, though? I thought back to everyone who got bit so far. Come on, Ruby. Think! What did everybody share in common that my team didn't? Maybe it has to do with color…!

Wait, every time the Stand moves, it flickers its tongue. I remember from a visit to a zoo that lizards sometimes do that in order to smell or taste something in the air so it could track prey. If this monster follows that same train of thought, then it must be smelling something in the air, something that would make others a target. The question now is what? It can't be food. Blake, Weiss, and I all ate, and we didn't get bitten. It's the reverse for Yang.

The lizard finally managed to prop itself back up into a standing position. The stream of blood flowing out of its nose is finally slowing down. A stupid quote appeared in my mind: "They can smell the fear on you." What if… what if this thing's a spirit form of a Grimm? The monster tracks its prey through smelling the emotions in the air? It goes after people in despair or turmoil. It would make a bit of sense, since everyone was panicking over the idea of something invisible attacking them. Just like Scarlet! The monster went after him when he believed that we were done for.

But one thing still doesn't make sense. Why would it attack Yang again? The first time makes sense now, since she must've been still hurt from my earlier rant. But once a person's down, the monster always moved to another person. So why go after Yang twice? Unless… she's still in turmoil. But for what?

Then it hit me. My Stand. She was watching me the whole entire time. Unlike me, she can't see the Stands fighting. She can only see what I'm doing. And what have I been doing? Running around a room, breaking things without touching them and bleeding without having my Aura breaking. It must be mind-shattering to anybody watching. Especially Yang. Her baby sister's getting hurt chasing after unseeable things, and she can't do a single thing about it. She's stuck paralyzed on the ground. Anybody would feel despair due to that.

A snarl drew my attention back to the approaching lizard monster. It tried to skirt around my left side, heading towards the rest of the group. If my theory of negative emotions is true, then there's a way to bring its attention to me. I have to put myself in a state of despair; enough to bring the Stand towards me, but not so much that I'm crippled by it. It's going to be a fine balance to be sure. I felt a shiver go down my back. This isn't going to be enjoyable. But that's the only way to keep the creature away from Yang!

But what kind of situation would do that to me? What kind of fear would bring me to despair? I watched as the green lizard approached the rest of my team. In the back of my mind, there's one fear sealed away a long time ago. My fist started shaking. I don't want to bring it back up. But if I don't, it'll happen right here. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

This is it… the nightmare that haunted me right after Mom died. I stood in a field filled with several stone markers, similar to the one where Mom was buried. Resting on top were limp bodies, each wearing the face of a loved one. Their bodies had entire chunks of flesh ripped out of them. The crumbled white-cloaked figure had blood seeping through the ruined cloth, with an arm hanging from only a sinew. Dad looked shocked, staring blankly into the sky as a pool of blood collected within his disemboweled stomach. My sister's beautiful hair was ripped and messy, covering her clawed off face.

Before, this field had just three bodies: one for Mom, one for Dad, and one for Yang. But now… there were dozens of gravestones on this hill. Blake and Weiss hung from their own stones, faces stuck in horror forever. JNPR were in various poses: Jaune on some kind of crucifix, Pyrrha with arrows piercing her heel and heart, Nora having her torso crushed into a paste, Ren with a slit across his throat. Every person I've befriended in my time here laid here, all mutilated by the Grimm and left for dead.

Looking at their gravestones brought up unnerving visions; scenarios where I failed to save them. No matter what I did, I was always just a few seconds too late. I felt my heart grow heavy as tears started streaming down my face. The screams of all of my friends resounded in my mind, all because I failed to be the hero everyone needed. And standing in the center of all that was the lizard.

A flicker of the tongue caused the creature to pause, bringing me back to the room. It turned its head to look at me. The burden of despair caused my knees to start buckling. But my mind forced them up. If I want to beat this thing, I have to remain standing even with this weight threatening to bring me down. Rose floated to my side. It felt like I was holding up the sky. How many Huntsmen felt this way? Not moving forwards for a better future, but for the sake of their loved ones? The lizard turned around to face me. I don't know how long I have to carry this amount of despair, but I'll make sure I'll defeat it before I fall to it.

The lizard snarled, charging at me. " **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " I yelled, Rose beginning her own attack. The two Stands ran at each other, approaching the center of the room. It's time for this monster to fall.

⇐ _ **TO BE CONTINUED**_ **= 5/12/2017**

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 **So it's going to be a two-parter. Originally I wanted this to be one chapter, but then I looked at the word count and wow! I'm not going to force anyone to read 16K words. Sorry about cutting it short! In other news, there's going to be another retrospective next time. So for anyone who cares about that, that's happening.**

 **Now on to the reviews!**

 **greenscoop1: Yeah, Yang's going to need a lot of help from Ruby. After all, being unable to move is a huge handicap to being able to fight a Stand. And thank you for your input about the carnival bit with team JNPR. It felt like a satisfying way to allow more chances for JNPR to interact, which isn't nearly as prominent in the actual show.**

 **TedorAlive2: It is! But this time it's a book series adapted to movies instead of a book series adapted to a TV show! Love the portrayal of magical Chicago!**

 **darkmist111: Again, thank you very much for your idea suggestion for a Stand ability. I really like the potential of it. I can't promise that it will be used soon or even at all, but do know I approve of this Stand ability.**

 **Toon the Thane of Scribble: You're right about the fact that Pucci and Weather Report are twins and got Stands together through Pucci. That was the one sibling pair that I missed when making my statement. Thank you for that. Despite that, I will say my opinions on this point still applies. I ultimately see the Arrow using a trickle down inheritance system rather than a sibling inheritance system.**

 **geiss: I like the theory that you have about Yang working to get her Stand and maybe becoming the main antagonist by the end of the story. I do have to disagree with the idea of her starting out as weak if she developed her Stand, mainly because this is set around V2-V3 and I do choose to actively alter the events of the story. So the events of V4 will not have an effect on the character development of any of the characters. I also generally believe that people are multi-faceted. More often than not both sides have valid reasons to act the way they do, and conflict comes from the incompatibility of their ideas. If possible, I will try to avoid writing people in the clear wrong.**

 **Thank you guys for continuing to read my story! But anyways, I'll see you guys next time for the second half of Belfry Falls!**

 ** _Next Chapter Update: May 12, 2017_**


	10. Belfry Falls - Part 2

**Hello, everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure! There's not much to say aside from how there's no beta again this week. Time for Part 2 of Belfry Falls!**

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"Jaune, we're here." I nodded as my partner undid her belt straps before looking up in the airbus cabin. The big transport ship was empty now at this time of day, with us being the only passengers. Well, team JNPR and the giant human sized sloth strapped next to Nora. She's more or less recovered from our experience within the arcade. The girl's still hyperactive as usual, switching from doting on the plush toy and telling Ren next to her a story, one that I couldn't hear due to my nausea. Ren himself nodded absentmindedly, letting his childhood friend tell her tale.

My body shook in its harness as our vehicle docked itself. Considering how I no longer felt waves of nausea travel through my body, I can say with confidence that yeah, we're on the ground. A groan escaped my mouth as my wiry fingers pried at the latch that held me to the seat. The second I was free from the straps, I threw myself out of the metal bird, holding my mouth closed to prevent cheap fast food from coming out. A cold night air greeted me as I found myself on solid ground. Come on Jaune, deep breaths. You didn't throw up last time in the Bullhead, you can do it this time. Just keep taking slow, consistent breaths.

Pyrrha slipped by my side and started rubbing the sides of my neck. "Are you going better now?" My head shook up and down, removing my hand as my nausea faded away. One more deep breath in… and one more out. Let the nausea wash over you, Jaune. And just like that, the air sickness that plagued me went away. Wow, I really am getting better at being airsick. I gave her a smile.

"Yeah. Thanks, Pyrrha." My hands flew up into the air as I pulled at my inactive muscles. "Man, it feels nice to get over my nausea a little faster than last time. Still, I wouldn't mind having another way to get back to Beacon. It would be nice not having to deal with any airsickness at all."

I looked back at the ship to see Nora trying to squat. However, the head of the plushie caught on the top of the door, preventing her and Ren from leaving. "Renny!" She looked at the person in the plane. "I can't get down any lower! Help Rossie out! Push his head under the frame of the door!" Her partner let out a sigh. Within moments, she escaped from the airbus with a pop, the soft toy now free from its trap. The girl hopped up to her feet with a grin, trotting over to me.

"Hey Jaune, I overheard what you said earlier. You know, about having an alternate pathway that isn't an airship? Yeah, I remember one. Did you know that there's an elevator on the side of the cliff?"

Both Pyrrha and I raised our eyebrows. Huh? There's an elevator? I stepped towards the hyperactive girl. "Wait, really?"

She nodded. "Yeah! You know how there's a harbor at the end of the river? The one right in front of the waterfall?"

I blinked. "We have a harbor?" Nora frowned at the question.

"How do you not know? I mean, all you have to do is look out of the—" She paused once she noticed the champion gave her a weird look. "… Oh yeah, right. Forgot, sorry. But yeah, there's a really fast elevator that shoots you up from the base of the cliff all the way to the top! They mainly use it for bringing supplies and such up to the school from Vale, but there's room for regular people like us!"

"Hmm…" I scratched my head. "How do you know that? I mean, I don't think the school mentioned that fact. How would you know about an elevator?"

A familiar sigh escaped from Ren as he walked into our circle. "I don't think anybody would care, but don't tell anyone this. We used it to get to Beacon on the first day of school. We've always been strapped for lien before going to Beacon, and we blew through a lot of our savings applying for the Hunter Academies." Together, we started towards the buildings as Nora nodded at Ren. She adjusted the sloth on her shoulders.

"Yep! So the day before we were supposed to head over to Beacon, we were wondering how we would get up that cliff without spending any more money when we saw this transport ship pass under the waterfall! So that got us thinking, maybe there's a way into Beacon from the bottom up! So that night, we sneaked into the place, and it had all of these shipping boxes! And there were these guards, I think there were more than fifty in there! So we thought, there's got to be an elevator or something where they can ship all of the stuff up."

"Then by sheer luck, we found somebody loading up cardboard boxes into an elevator shaft and sending it up! So the next day, we managed to grab cardboard boxes roughly the size of us and went back in. It was so tense, sneaking through the facility with nothing more than a cardboard box around us, especially since it was during the day, but Ren is pretty good at sneaking around, so I just followed his lead. Eventually, we made it to the elevator, sat ourselves down in place, and got shot up to the storage area! After that, it was just a matter of time before we found a hatch that led up to the airship platforms!" She stopped to point into the sky in a dramatic pose.

"... Aren't you going to correct her, Ren? She's exaggerating, right?" I asked the boy, causing him to shrug.

"Why correct something that's actually happened?" My eyes widened at the admission, as well as Pyrrha's.

I pointed at the two. "Wait, really? You two snuck into what is a probably a storage facility, moved past several guards, risked losing your place at Beacon and being thrown in jail for breaking and entering, all because you didn't want to pay the airfare to Beacon?"

Nora nodded, the plush bobbing with her movements. "Yeah, that's the idea."

Pyrrha brushed a lock of hair off of her face. "Nora, you know that Beacon pays for everything? Including transport for Initiation?" Her fellow redhead shrugged as she rolled her eyes.

"Of course we do, Pyrrha! Just… not at the time." A sheepish grin grew across Nora's face. "Still, it was pretty fun."

At that, Ren made a small chuckle. "It was pretty relaxing compared to what we faced in the wilderness. The stakes were a lot more manageable." He looked up before frowning. "Hmm... Everyone, do you think that the guy over there's okay?" I glanced up to see somebody stumbling towards us, close to Beacon's statue. His skin was riddled with bruise marks, particularly around the neck down. His white undershirt was stained with blood that was still dripping from his nose. I swore I saw a bit of blood in his mouth, ready to come out. My stomach dropped. Wasn't he a student here? Why is he bleeding?

"Hey dude, are you okay?" I yelled over to the guy, causing him to stop and look at me. "You look like you got beat up pretty bad."

"Oh?" His eyes gazed down at his body. "Yeah, I don't look too good, do I? Well— Ugh!" He tripped, letting out a cough and sending a spray of blood all over the cement. We all recoiled, letting out sounds of disgust. Nora covered the eyes of the sloth with one of her hands. "No, I'm not fine. Do… do you guys happen to know why I can find a doctor around here? I've been lost for roughly an hour now, I have this terrible headache from a party I came back from, I'm coughing up blood all over the floor. It's just been a terrible day for me, and I could really use some help."

Ren stepped forwards as he pointed in a certain direction. "Nurse's office is left from the statue. There's a recreation center, with steel walls instead of brick or concrete. Find the front entrance of that, and the infirmary is a couple of buildings to the right of the door."

"Alright. Something's going my way for once. That's better than the luck I've been getting earlier. Thanks, guys." With that, he started back around for the fountain.

"Wait!" I started towards him. "Don't you want us to escort you or something?" He held a hand up, stopping me in my tracks.

"Thanks, but no thanks. It's getting pretty late out. I don't want to waste any more of your time dealing with me. Plus, I kinda want to keep this a secret. Don't want to freak out the rest of my team, you know?" He gave us a bloody smile, which twisted a knot in my stomach. The boy glanced around the area. "Um… I should be getting over there before I get any worse." Before I could say anything else, he limped away from us. Team JPNR watched him in silence as he disappeared out of our sight.

"… We should get back to the dorms as soon as possible," Ren started. "Something's not right about him." I wish I could agree with him out loud. The signs are obvious. Wounds? On a Hunter-in-Training? Either he's a victim of a Stand, or he's a Stand user. Either option isn't good. That means that there's bound to be even more Stand users out there. The Grimm baby's working faster than I thought it would.

But what is more concerning is what Ruby's doing right now. Knowing her luck, Ruby's probably fighting the Stand right now. Which means that she might need backup. After all, she couldn't do a lot against me in the duel. What if there's a Stand that can also materialize itself? None of us know how to handle that!

Every bone in my body wants to go off and find her. In fact, I would go look for her right now if it wasn't for my teammates being right here with me. They're going to need a Stand user near them if the battle comes our way. Plus, something tells me it's going to be a bad idea to call her while a Stand is running rampant in Beacon.

"Yeah." I gestured towards the dormitory. "Let's just go back, get some rest." I wonder how long it's going to take for everybody to fall asleep, so I could sneak out and find Ruby. "It's been a long day, after all. Forget what just happened. I'm sure he's going to be okay." I hoped they would fall asleep fast enough for me to help my friend. Ruby, hold on there. Please be okay.

* * *

A screech escaped from the reptile as Rose landed a blow on the back of its neck, taking first blood in our renewed fight. Almost instantly, it twisted itself under her, allowing the fist to roll off of it. I felt heat radiating from my face. Come on, go down! The second its feet hit the ground, it barreled towards me, jaws shooting wide open for a bite. I charged the monster with a pained scream. You're not getting a single bite of me!

My body burst into petals before he could bite into me, cutting my eyesight from the rest of the room. Everything was dark and hazy for awhile. I did notice the blurry figure of the hulking creature charging past me and slamming itself into a nearby wall. I reformed my entire body right after its impact, and I landed on the ground with a solid thump. I spun on my feet, the lizard doing the same so that we faced each other. The whole entire room went silent as we stared each other down.

I glanced back at team RWBY, who stared at me with wonder and awe. It's a good thing that my Stand ability looks similar to my usual Semblance. If I'm careful with it, I think I could get away with using my ability without anybody becoming the wiser. Besides, something tells me that it wouldn't go too well with my teammates if they learned I can transform any part of my body into rose petals. It would be a shocker to them.

My eyes turned towards the patterned monster. But fighting this Stand was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Before I struggled with getting through its skin while protecting the rest of the group from being attacked. But now, it's growing more clever, making sure it doesn't take a direct blow like before. It's also strange that it's now staying back, picking its battles instead of blindly chasing after me. I gritted my teeth. Every second I waste fighting this thing, it's a second the beast has to bite the rest of us. And if it does—

The ruined bodies of my friends appeared in my mind for a moment before I pushed it aside. No. I can't let that happen to my team. I'm going to need to take it down, and soon. But how? It's clear that Rose doesn't have any tricks up her sleeve. All I can do with her is punch the lizard hard. And all I could do is transform into petals in order to dodge or move. No offensive potential whatsoever. I can't afford to play a game of attrition, but this monster's forcing me to play anyways! Man, I wish I had Jaune and his Stand. At least he can turn items into weapons that can actually work against this beast.

An idea struck me. I know for a fact that Stands can affect other Stands. That much is obvious. There are Stands that can't be beaten in a straight fight. I think my battle with this reptile showed me that well enough. But I think I'm missing an even more obvious solution. Maybe it's because I only fought against Jaune who has a Stand incorporated into his body, but what if I just find the user and convince them to undo everything? Or if that doesn't work, just beat them up until they say yes? Then everybody will be free from the toxins or whatever is affecting them!

A sudden jerk forwards by the lizard caused me to jump back. It too backed away, sending me a wary glare. A feint. My mind went back to my train of thought. I know that Stand users have no Aura protecting them, so they can get hurt if anyone attacks them. I have my ability to keep my body safe, Jaune has his Stand within his body. But this user's Stand is right here! So it can't be protecting the user's body. In fact, the lizard has been following Yang this whole entire time! Which means if I find the user, they're wide open!

I stared into the monster's eyes as I felt something rise up in my chest. I got you now. The white cloaked Stand made its way back to me. If only I can figure out the range of this Stand. Rose has a range of ten meters, but then again, that's the furthest away I've seen a Stand go. Who knows how far a Stand can go from its user? Within one building? A city's length away? I scratched my head, groaning with frustration. Why does this have to be so complicated?

"Are you okay there, Ruby?" Weiss called out from the corner.

My eyes went over to look at her. "Yeah, I'm just thinking. Don't you worry, guys."

"I wouldn't say that." Blake leaned over her frozen partner. "Something's wrong with Yang's Aura. More than usual. You have to see this." She stepped away, showing my sister covered by a vibrant yellow field of energy. Electrical currents were visible on her Aura. "What I'm saying is obvious, but I'm pretty sure that Aura shouldn't actively glow like that." Wait. I looked around the room. Now that I think about it, everybody's Aura is glowing. An array of the colors of everyone's soul lit up the carpet. Blake's bow twitched. "The only time it should glow is when it's close to—"

The sounds of shattering glass interrupted her. My head twisted back to the corner to see the last pieces of Yang's Aura fade into the air. No… the bites were attacking their Aura the whole entire time? As if to answer my question, several individuals' Aura broke in front of my eyes. My jaw dropped as the barriers around them dissipated in the air. Oh gods, no… This can't be happening. Not the bodies. No! It's not supposed to end up like this!

"Oh my gods!"

My head jerked back to the rest of my team, only for me to gasp in surprise. Yang's eyes widened as her chest started… moving. And not in the breathing fashion either. No, there was a lump forming against her torso that moved unnaturally. It was like there was someone kind of… alien inside her body, pressing against her chest and moving around. Like something wanted to come out. Her body started spazzing out as the lump moved even faster, striking against her chest harder and harder.

"Weiss, Blake!" I pointed at the girl. "Hold Yang down!"

They didn't need any other order. The rest of team RWBY slammed into my sister, pinning her arms and legs to the ground. Not a moment later they gasped as they watched Yang's chest started to… swell up. It's like how bubbly lumps would form on the surface of a cooked egg if the skillet is too hot. Several of those bubbles distorted her body as if she's almost ready to burst.

I felt a bead of sweat slipping down my face as I watched all of this happening. This can't be happening… This can't be happening! Oh gods, what kind of venom is in that lizard's mouth that can cause all of this? That means— I jerked my head towards the rest of the room. Almost all of the fallen bodies were warping. Everybody's bloating up! What could this mean? Are they going to explode if their bodies can't handle the pressure anymore? What would people say if they saw this? There's so much to take in, I don't know what to—

From the corners of my eye, I caught movement. My instincts overrode my thoughts as I threw myself to the side to dodge. That was a big mistake. Several sharp pricks bore down my right arm, breaking through my clothing and skin. Several daggers of pain shot up my arm a moment later, causing me to let out a scream of anguish. I turned to see what it could be to see the smirk of the lizard. A curse formed on my tongue before I swallowed it. The cheeky animal came after me while I was distracted with everybody in the room!

I could only watch in horror as blood gushed out from under the monster's mouth, staining my black sleeves crimson. I let another scream escape my mouth while digging my fingers under its lip, trying to pry it off. In an instant, Rose flew up to the monster and threw a solid jab at the Stand's bleeding nostril. Another spout of blood flew out of the beast, followed by the teeth clamping tighter on me. What the— let me go! Instead, it shook itself back and forth, dragging my body around and splattering our mixed blood all over the room.

My mind raced. I can feel the toxins flowing through my veins. Even now, I can feel my right forearm twitching rapidly while bubbles floated to the surface of the arm. There's no way to control my body if it goes up my body! Everybody else is lucky that the toxins just affect their Aura! Without that, if it reaches my heart, I'm going to blow up and die— I took a deep breath. No, calm down. There's a way to make sure it doesn't do that. I grimaced. This is the last thing I want to do. I didn't want to show this to the rest of the girls. It's going to cause everyone to panic. But I need to survive! I have to protect them!

Flesh right past my right shoulder started peeling back as they transformed. With a grunt, I grabbed my right bicep and pulled. Another round of pain registered in my arm. Come on body, don't be coy with me! You've done it before, now do it again! I can feel my heart beat faster as the bubbles continued up my arm. Just get it rip it off—

I felt myself jerk backward as the limb finally came loose, hanging by what felt like a thread. One more tug… All I have to do is—! I watched as my right sleeve rip and become loose as I finally separated myself from my right arm. In the lizard's jaw hung my right arm. Blood ran down the pale limb from the bite marks, curving around the blister-like formations as it dripped to the floor. The stump had dark, red rose petals exposed instead of bone and flesh. A shred of black synthetic fabric slipped out of the monster's mouth, landing on the ground.

At that moment, the room was filled with silence. I looked at my right side. What remained of the sleeve hung loose and flattened out now that there's nothing through it. A piece on the sleeve was ripped away, now laying on the floor in front of me. I turned over to team RWBY to see their reactions. Yang looked terrified at what happened, her eyes moving from the fabric to me. Blake, stoic as she is, couldn't help but put a hand over her mouth. My partner had wide eyes, looking at the limb floating in the air, and then back at me. Her mouth opened.

"Weiss, before you say anything—"

"Oh my gods!" Weiss backed herself into the wall as she slapped both of her hands on her cheeks. She pointed a shaky finger at my missing arm. "Ruby, your arm fell off! And it's floating in the air! This is… what is—? What the hell is going on?!"

"Calm down!" I yelled. "If you keep panicking, the lizard's going to—" The monster spat my arm out and flicked its tongue in the air. Oh no. It turned to the corner team RWBY's at and started trotting towards them. I've got to keep it from biting them. What to do, what to do. My eyes fell upon the abandoned arm. My mind started crunching. Oh man, I'm not going to like this. I dived towards the limb, snatching it up with my good hand. Even for me, it's a stupid idea, but what other choice do I have? I raised the limb, ready to throw.

It flopped around in my grasp, and my hand landed in my hair. A shiver went down my spine. I didn't need to know how weird it would be to touch myself with my severed hand. Time to check that off of the bucket list of "Things That Shouldn't be Happening, but Did Anyways." With a yell, I pitched the arm as far as I possibly could. It twisted in the air as it broke down, showering the area with rose petals. And the lizard, not knowing of my stupid plan, ran right into the cloud.

At once, the rose petals came back together, clamping down the lizard's muzzle. I watched in part fascination and part horror as my arm reformed around it. There were some differences to my normal arm, one being my hand is fused to the rose stump. Another is how my arm bent around its muzzle in an unnatural way. Biology might not be my best subject, but I'm sure that human bones aren't supposed to bend around like that. I felt myself shiver as I stared at the muzzle clamp I made out of my own arm. Some part of me wants to gag.

Weiss beat me to the punch as one hand flew to her mouth. The other hand grabbed her torso. She turned around and collapsed, making retching noises at the wall. I felt a pang of pity. Poor Weiss. I don't think she even wanted to be here. And now she has to watch me lose an arm and watch it be contorted in mid-air. That's how non-Stand users see this, right? A cough managed to catch Blake's attention. I gave the cat faunus as serious of a look as possible.

"Blake, get Weiss to calm down," I ordered, right sleeve flapping around as I moved towards the beast. "This thing is attacking anyone that's feeling the most negative emotions within the area. I want it to focus on me. Also, make sure everybody is facing the wall. I think it's best if no one else saw what's happening." She nodded, turning Yang around before dashing over to the heiress' side. Now that I have Weiss covered, about that Stand user. How am I going to find the person? They could be anywhere on the campus, let alone the city of Vale! How am I going to pick out a Stand user out of millions of people?

The lizard turned towards me and laid down, paws going up to scrape at the gag around it. My eyes fell to the caked up blood on the lizard's nose. That's it! A Stand user takes damage every time their Stand gets hurt! I'll just look for a person with a bloody nose and a ton of bruises on them! … Okay, that wouldn't help me… a ton of people in the city doesn't have any Aura… but then again, how many people would get beat up and left bloody and bruised. Plus, if it's a person on campus, it's guaranteed to be them! I'm just going to have to bet on—

I felt my right arm scream in pain. My face winced as I reached for the arm that wasn't there. What's going on? I glanced at the lizard, who had its claws out. Sharp, pointy claws ran down my forearm, with me feeling agony right afterward. Oh, come on! I can feel pain even when my limbs are off of my body? Then again, that makes sense, since it's still alive and part of me and— argh! Geez, it hurts so much! My amputated limb started bleeding over the monster's muzzle, and it renewed its assault with confidence.

My Stand flew towards the creature, throwing a left punch at its limbs. All it did was allow it to scratch my hand, creating gashes down my still attached arm. My teeth ground against each other. No! I can't take it anymore! The hand was released from the rose looking stump, flopping to the ground. Oww, geez! I tried to have my right-hand nurse the left, only to see the limb bend and flop on the floor. Oh yeah, I forgot. Instead, I rubbed the wound on my thigh. Blood smeared on my stockings as I did so.

Well, that idea worked for two minutes. The lizard stood up, eyes glaring at me. Good news, Blake managed to get everyone else under control. Bad news, it's coming after me again. I don't have much time left! I gotta find the user now! Vision from my right eye vanished. My left eye could see rose petals floating from where my eye used to me. It floated towards the front door, sliding under the crack below the door. I hope I could survive long enough for my eye to be set up.

The lizard let out a hiss before charging at me again. My Stand floated in front of me, ready to fend off the attacker. It opened with a feint, biting at Rose before diving at me. Before it could go any further, a white hand grabbed its tail. Rose flew forwards, dragging the creature through the air. With a grunt, she slammed the Stand into the wall, creating yet another crater.

I reeled back as my other eye finished reforming, showing me a view of outside the building, on top of one of the sign letters. I could see the entire street outside and what's happening inside the rec center. My left hand grabbed my aching head. Whoa, I'm seeing double. It's so confusing to tell where I am! I know that I'm in the building, but my brain thinks I'm also outside. I have to cover one of the eyes up. If I cover the right, I can't find the Stand user. But if I close my left, I put myself open to attack!

" _Do whatever you need to do,_ " Rose whispered from the other side of the room, keeping a hold on the monster's tail. Despite its softness, I could hear her words with clarity. " _My purpose is to protect you. I will do so even if you don't command me to._ "

I nodded, closing my left eye. It became a lot easier to focus now that I'm not seeing two backgrounds at the same time. The night hid everything in a shroud, only broken through the streetlights illuminating the streets. My eyeball glanced left and right, looking for anyone. Come on, where's the user? The sounds of plaster breaking apart registered in my ears. Rose must've thrown the monster into another wall. I felt my heart sink as I caught nobody in my view. What if they went to sleep in the dorms?

Maybe I could bait the lizard into chasing me, running through the campus as I look for the user… no, that's a bad idea. Somebody's going to panic at the sight of me, and that might get another person bit. But what else could I do? We can't stay in here; that's certain death for all of us. There has to be—

A gasp escaped my mouth as all of the air was forced out of my lungs. Ugh… what happened? I uncovered my left eye to see a tail slamming into Rose's chest. Oh, that's not good. How am I going to focus on finding the user if all this thing's going to do is distract me? " _Keep going,_ " my Stand sang as it slammed one of her hands against its tail.

Thank you, Rose. I close my left eye again. There's not a lot of time left until the lizard overwhelms Rose. I should make this fast— Wait… who's that?

My right eye squinted at a shadow approaching the building. This that person… limping? I tried to get as good of a look as possible. The streetlights illuminated a student wearing a blue jacket. He didn't look too good. His face is puffy, and his entire skin is blue and black from bruises. A constant trickle of blood ran down his nose, staining the entire collar of his white undershirt. Could this be…?

"Rose, can you give the monster a punch in the muzzle?" I asked. Moments later, the boy stumbled as more blood shot out from his nose. Hands wearing fingerless gloves went to his face, pinching off the nose. He muttered something that I couldn't hear. I felt hope rising in my body. Finally! I've found him!

"Bingo! I got him!" I started for the door. "Everybody, stay where you are! I'm going to get you out of this! Rose! Try to hold off the monster as long as possible!" Nobody answered, either due to fear or due to the toxin— and now I realized what I just said. Really? Stay where you are? I shook my head. Now's not the time! I have to take this guy down! My body picked up speed as I readied myself to bust through the glass. A roar escaped my mouth as I threw my shoulder at the open mechanism.

I felt myself tumble as the door flew wide open, sending me into a tumble. I coughed as I rolled across the ground, eventually stopping with my body facing up towards the late night sky. The shattered moon glowed down on us.

The boy in blue jumped back in surprise of my sudden entrance, before stepping towards me. "Oh gods! Whoa! Geez, you look terrible! Hey, are you okay? You don't look too—"

"You!" I bounced up to my feet, ordering my fingers to point at him. "I demand you—"

"Wait, who me?" He pointed to himself.

"Yeah, you! Who else am I pointing to?"

He stayed silent. "… You're not pointing at any— oh gods, what happened to your arm?!"

I glanced at my right arm, to see the sleeve hanging limply. Oh yeah. Forgot again. I switched to my left, giving him the toughest glare I can manage. "Forget about the arm! You've done a terrible thing inside there, Mister… um…" I tapped my chin.

"Nolan."

"Nolan!" The finger moved back towards him. "I demand that you take your Stand back and undo everything!"

"Stand?" Nolan raised an eyebrow. "What in the world's a Stand? I'm just trying to get some medical attention." He groaned, reaching for his head. "Case in point: very bad headache, bleeding nose, the bruises all over my body, all that good stuff."

Huh? My finger went down. "You don't know what's going on?"

He shook his head. "The only thing I know is going on is that I keep getting bruises out of nowhere! And that I keep getting nosebleeds! I don't know what you're trying to say, but you've got the wrong guy, okay? Just leave me alone and let me get some medical attention!"

From the tone of his voice, I can tell he's being sincere. Maybe what he's saying is true. Maybe he doesn't know anything about the Stands. But at the same time, his lizard has paralyzed everyone inside the room, including Yang. If he can't call it back… My heart sank. I'm going to feel bad for this.

I shook my head. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Rose materialized behind me, causing his eyes to widen. "Even if you don't know, your Stand caused too much damage, damage that could only be repaired if it is defeated. And if you can't get rid of the effects…"

He seemed to understand the implication, taking a step back. "Y-You mean that thing behind you is a Stand? And that means— No! Please, no! Can't we do it any other way?"

"I'm sorry, Nolan." I started towards him. "You're a good person, and I don't want this to happen. But people are hurt. Including my sister." Ten meters. I'm in range now. "Just know that this is going to hurt me just as much as it's going to hurt you." As the last word escaped my mouth, Rose flew towards the boy. " **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " I yelled.

He collapsed to the floor, holding his arms up to his face. "Please, gods no! Please don't do this!" I grimaced. To think that I'm beating up an innocent kid, who can't properly control his own Stand. Is this what I've become? What happened to being the hero? I steeled myself. It's what I'm doing for everybody in the building. They need to be freed from the effects of the toxin. No matter how bad it feels, if it means that everybody else is going to be free, I'll take the burden of guilt. Besides, I can come and visit him, make up for what I'm going to do to him.

A flash of green registered in the corner of my eye. A blur bolted in front of the boy, blocking the blow with its tail. My jaw dropped as the monster twisted its head around, giving me a murderous glare. What? How did it get here so quickly? It shouldn't have reached us out here. Even after calling Rose back, there's no way it could make it back to me in time unless… Did this guy call back his Stand by instinct? I swallowed. If he managed to gain control of the lizard…

Nolan pulled himself back into a standing position, staring at the monster in front of him. "You… I saw you before, back in the building. **「** **BELFRY FALLS.** **」** " The newly named Stand didn't respond, instead pushing Rose back. All of a sudden, this Stand acted tamer, staying right in front of its user. It contrasted against its wild and unpredictable nature beforehand. "So Belfry's a Stand? I-I don't believe it." He glanced up at me, a mixture of confusion and fury in his eyes. "You. You did this to me. My broken nose, all of the bruises, this is your fault, isn't it?"

"I didn't have a choice!" I yelled, stepping towards the boy. My left hand curled up. I felt the unfamiliar emotion of anger rising in my chest. "I was trying to keep everyone safe from your Stand! I didn't even know that you were a Stand user until a couple of minutes ago!" I slammed my hand into my chest. "But now, you must have control of the lizard! Release everybody from their paralysis!"

The blue-clad boy threw his hands out in frustration. "I don't know how! What am I supposed to do? I know just as much as you do: nothing! Why couldn't we wait a day while I recover in the nurse's office, see if the effects wear off? Maybe everybody will get better."

"And what happens if the toxins don't wear off?" I teetered to my left side as I kept moving towards Nolan. Rose stayed half a meter in front of me, on her guard if Belfry tried anything funny. "What if they kill somebody before you're fully recovered? Look inside right now!" I jabbed a finger towards the entrance. "Everybody in that room is swelling up like a balloon, ready to explode! People are going to die if nothing happens. We don't have time on our side, Nolan. Let them go!"

The boy's pink colored eyes shook in its sockets. Wrinkles formed on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "Again, if I knew how, I would do it. This is— this is too much to take in. I need a night to collect all of this together. All I want to do is go to the nurse's office, take an ibuprofen, and throw linen sheets over myself and get a good night's sleep. I can't do what you want me to do, so let me go. Please." I stopped five meters in front of him, widening my posture. He seemed to get the message, letting out a growl. "Step aside. I can't help you. Isn't that reason enough?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "No, it's not. There's no way I can step to the side. Not before everybody is free from the toxin." I rubbed the back of my head with my only arm. "Nolan, I wished this conversation would go differently. Your life is turned upside down. I understand that; my life was like that too when my Stand appeared. I'm still not used to it. But right now, people's lives are at stake. At least stay here long enough to figure out how to remove it."

His eyes glanced at the front door. What was he thinking about? The students paralyzed by his Stand, although to no fault of his own? Why is everything happening to him? Nolan never looked more conflicted in his life. It must've been the roughest day for him, considering what has happened. I hope he would make the right choice.

Nolan glanced back up at me, sorrow in his eyes. "I stand by what I said. This is too much for me. What you're asking of me is insane. I— I can't do it." He let out a sigh. "I'm not staying, and you're not going to step aside. Neither of us is going to move from our stances. I guess that only means one thing." His Stand started to approach me. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Rose readied her stance. I felt tears run down my cheek for this poor kid. He doesn't deserve this. "I'm sorry as well." A pregnant pause ended our conversation as we stared each other down. It felt like a movie set in the Great Desert of Sanus, where two duelists readied themselves to fight for their lives. Humanoid twirled around the reptile, both awaiting orders from their respective users.

In a flash, Belfry pounced at Rose, jaws wide open for a bite. My Stand floated back half a meter, ready to attack as the beast landed. The lizard smiled. Before I could realize what's going on, it twisted itself in the air, swinging its tail into Rose's side. I gritted my teeth as my mind registered the pain on my right side. With a flick, Belfry sent Rose flying off to the side, suddenly jerking in the air as she reached her max range.

The reptilian Stand landed on its feet, facing me. All I could do was stare in disbelief. The monster couldn't do this while we fought each other. Is this the difference between an uncontrolled Stand and a controlled one? Before I could figure out the answer, it bounded towards me, unhinging its jaws as it leaped. I felt my face drain of blood. Oh no. I tried taking a couple of steps back, but it was too close to dodge.

I cursed under my breath as the beast landed on me, knocking me down to the ground. It bared its fangs at me before lunging. My mind flashed back to the dream. Oh no, you don't! Before it could take a bite out of me, my left hand struck at its neck, stopping it just short of clipping my nose off. The lizard snapped at me, releasing the terrible odor of rotting blood. I struggled to restrain a gag as I held it back.

From the strangling sounds of the lizard, I heard Nolan speak up. "Give it up! Just let me go, and I'll let you go!"

"Never!" I saw the lizard raise its tail back right after I made my declaration. No! I can't defend against that! Come on Rose, get back here as fast as possible! I glanced at where my Stand was. She's flying towards me, arms raised as to intercept the beast. She's not going to make it! If only I had another second… if only I had two hands—

"Fine!" The sharpened appendage flew down towards the bone between my eyes. Rose petals flew past my face and through my right sleeve, reforming my missing limb. Without a further thought, I grabbed the tail and pushed it to the side. It sank into the ground, sending bits of dusty concrete into the air. I shivered as I felt cracks forming under my shoulder. That was close. Two inches to the right, and it would've got me.

A second later, a white fist made contact with Belfry, splattering blood all over my face. It hissed at me as the blow sent it flying off to the right. Nolan's hand shot up to his face as his nose spurted more blood. He took a couple of steps back, groaning as he nursed his wounds.

But I can't worry about that. I pushed myself back up upright, staring at my reformed right arm. I made a mistake; I've injected myself with the toxin again. This time, I can't lop it off like last time. I can feel it climbing into my shoulder the moment I was freed. A shiver went down my entire body as the bubbles climbed up my body. The poison must've spread out in my arm while it remained unattached to me. There's no other way it could affect me this fast. My time's run out. I have to finish this battle now!

"Your arm's back." I looked up to see Nolan staring at me. "It was gone before, and now it's here. Is that… a bite mark?"

I nodded. "I ripped my arm out to avoid exposure from the toxin. But now… it's too late for me."

He straightened up. "That means… oh gods. Oh, what have I done?" He brought his hand over his bleeding mouth. "I wished it didn't go this way." He started walking towards me, about to pass my body. "If it's any comfort, I'll get the nurses to come after you guys. It's the right thing to do after what I must've put you through." I gritted my teeth. I've already lost sensation in my torso. His Stand's even scarier if he's controlling it! It's not going to stop protecting him no matter what. However, I might have something up my sleeve. I felt my heart beat faster in anticipation. Nolan hasn't won yet!

I spoke up right after he walked past me. "This isn't over. I'm not out until I can't move my body at all." I twisted my body to face him, seeing him do the same. I gave him a cheeky grin. " **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** "

His eyes widened as Rose appeared behind me, throwing a punch towards him. Before he could say anything, the lizard stepped in front of him, jabbing its tail towards the Stand. Bingo. With the last bit of strength in my legs, I threw myself directly into the tail. I lost my vision as the point went through my face, my head becoming rose petals before it could hit anything important. My body collapsed to the floor face down.

The red petals slid under me, reforming my head. I could hear him gasping at my action. It was impulsive, to say the least. But a calm washed over me. I would be a bit freaked out at how calm I felt, but I didn't feel fear, either. There's no need to get emotional at all. I have him right where I wanted him.

Footsteps ran towards me. My ears caught muttering sounds of denial. Before I realized it, I felt somebody grasp my sides and rolling me face up. Nolan peered at my prone body, his face contorting from worry to relief. "Whew! That was close! For a moment, I thought I killed you."

His eyes widened with shock as Rose appeared in front of me and slammed her fist into his stomach. Nolan hacked out more blood as he staggered back. One of his hands flew over, grasping his torso as he weathered out the pain. "Ow," he started, wiping the red liquid off of his chin. "Why did you do that? I dropped my guard to see if you're okay, and you punch me in the gut."

"There's people that need to be saving." I planted my left hand on the ground. With a grunt, I pushed myself back up to a kneeling position. That's all I could do now. I've just lost the sensation in my left arm. It's already crawling up towards my neck. "I'm only doing what's necessary to make sure they make it out of this alive."

"… You've done enough already." Nolan pointed at my kneeling body. "Judging from your stance, you've just lost control of your limbs. Otherwise, wouldn't you have brought yourself to a standing position? You're immobile. It was a cheap trick you pulled off there, but it doesn't change the fact that you're in no condition to do anything. You don't have any moves left."

"Oh? I'm still in control of my head." My Stand moved in front of me. "That means I still have one chance left." Rose dashed towards him, causing his eyes to widen in shock.

" **「** **BELFRY FALLS!** **」** " The monster didn't respond. "Huh? **「** **BELFRY FALLS!** **」** " Again, no response. "What's going on?" The boy turned over to where is Stand was. The monster bared its teeth, flickering its tongue, and pounced. Its tail moved out of the way before it could get it, causing it to hiss in frustration. "What in the— what is Belfry doing?"

"Nolan, take a look at its tail." He did, only to gasp. On its tip was a small piece of flesh, only the size of a walnut. However, the lizard was doing everything in its power to bite it, to no effect. "You've got a strong Stand, but you don't know everything about it. For one thing, it attacks the individual with the strongest emotions. So I was wondering, what would happen if I attached the emotional part of my brain to the tail of your Stand? What would happen?" I smiled. "I guess we know now."

His eyes widened as he realized what's going on. Nolan tried taking a couple of steps back to avoid Rose before being greeted with a punch to the face. My Stand let out a ferocious roar, slamming fist after fist at every part of his body. It contorted with every blow, creating a series of craters on him. It reminded me of those old images of carpet bombing during the Great War, if it was on such a small scale.

With a final blow, Rose sent the boy flying into the recreation center building, knocking him out cold. With his loss of consciousness, Belfry disappeared, dropping the piece of my brain. He's already healing up, the bruises under his clothes fading away. I felt my muscles stop shaking. Did it actually? I clenched my right hand. It's working again! And my arms— The bubbles are gone! The amygdala transformed, returning back to its rightful place in my head. Once again, I could feel relief.

I collapsed to the ground, letting off a hoarse laugh. Rose disappeared, and I felt my Aura working overtime to knit my wounds back together. One last flash of the field of bodies came to mind. I pushed it aside as I kept my eye on Nolan's ragged body. It's over. Nobody's going to die tonight. We're safe.

⇐ ** _TO BE CONTINUED_** **= 5/26/2017**

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 ** _Stand Descriptions:_**

 **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」-** **User is able to track down a certain emotion. Combined with more traditional smells, this allows the user to target specific individuals. The Stand also has a bite which can inflict various ailments depending on the current emotional state of the user.**

* * *

 ** _Retrospective:_** **These previous five chapters have so far been the hardest chapters for me to write. I said earlier that I originally conceived RWBY's Bizarre Adventure in the form of the first five chapters. When I started drafting the story proper, I had the hardest time trying to figure out what the overall arc should be. Why is the Arrow important? Who are the bad guys that the heroes would have to worry about? Who would be the Stand users that the characters would have to face? Coming up with these story reasons and making them coherent was one of the hardest challenges for me to deal with.**

 **So I started simple. I wanted to establish the rules of Stand fighting as soon as possible, so I wrote in the skirmish scene. I wanted to continue to show the consequences of the first five chapters, so I wrote in the subplot about Yang's overreaction to everything that has happened. Then after that... nothing. I didn't know where to go with the story. So I spent a lot of time trying to think about how to lead the story into the first Stand battle. It was a frustrating process, that's for sure.**

 **Then inspiration struck. Originally, I wanted another character to serve as the "skirmish" partner so that I could establish the rules of Stands. That didn't happen obviously, but then I thought, "Why not re-use this idea to become a catalyst of why Ruby and Jaune must hunt for the Arrow?" From there everything started falling into place. I wanted a grudge-esque Stand that would attack everyone mercilessly and with little reason. Kinda like the xenomorph from the original Alien. I wanted a Stand user who was morally gray to contrast the destructiveness of the Stands. Belfry Falls in a sense set the standard of how I will base the rest of my Stand battles.**

 **But going off-topic a bit, Nolan wasn't originally supposed to be the user of** **「** **BELFRY FALLS.** **」** **If anything, I forgot about him ever since he appeared in V3. He's cattle prod guy for those who still don't remember. The one who shocked Ren in JNPR's 4 v 4. The reason he became a Stand user in my story is because I made the connection between his weapon and the ability of** **「** **BELFRY FALLS.** **」** **They both paralyze other people. So I thought, "Hey that's an interesting connection. Maybe I should make Nolan a Stand user."**

 **But back on-topic. From writing the Belfry Falls arc, everything else sorta fell into place. All of the questions I had while drafting the story was answered quickly, and now I have a generally solid idea of the whole story from start to finish. The invention of the komodo dragon with Nazca lines on its body established my vision for the story.**

* * *

 ** _Song Reference:_** **Nolan's** **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** **is a reference to the Grudges'** _ **Belfry Falls.**_ **It is a grindcore song released in 2011. Grindcore for those who don't know is a combination of hardcore punk, extreme metal, industrial, and noise rock. Now while I have a taste of industrial music, grindcore isn't my thing. But ultimately I chose** _ **Belfry Falls**_ **based on its ability. The song itself talks about the apocalypse and the end days and the destruction of everything around it.** **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** **is a Stand that in a sense represents that crippling panic of life turning upside down and the paralyzing fear that comes with this sudden change.**

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 **And that's Belfry Falls! All it took to get to the first actual Stand fight was... eight chapters and 70K or so words. Huh. I swore it was a lot faster than that. But don't worry guys. I'm not going to have this wide of a gap when it comes to Stand battles. If anything, the fights are going to pick up in pacing. A lot of stuff is going to happen, and I hope you guys stay to see all of it.**

 **But now it's time for the reviews!**

 **Galer & alexc123: Thank you, Galer and alexc! I'm glad you two are enjoying the story!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you, greenscoop1! Blake and Weiss aren't going to be useless just because they can't see a Stand. Again, I go back to my Hayato comment, where even a non-Stand user can go toe-to-toe with a Stand user if they were smart enough. While the other two girls can't do a lot, they can help Ruby out however they can. It's interesting trying to keep both Stands and Semblances in mind while writing this. There's a lot of potential I could get out of doing this. As for what will happen with Yang, we'll see what happens in the next chapter.**

 **jumjalala: Yeah, I love thinking of JoJo Stand battles as puzzles that have to be solved. It's what makes the series feel so fresh even after so long. JoJo fights feels more like a tactical battle more than a straight up fight. Thank you for the Jaune comment as well. I'm in a similar boat when it comes to characterization. Yeah, sometimes a character isn't written in the best manner or in a way that is up to your expectations. But at the same time, that's what fanfiction is for: it gives fans a chance to develop characters in ways the original writers couldn't. If you write a character to just be a beating stick in your story, it feels like a waste, especially when there's an opportunity to change them for the better. While I'm not a big fan of Jaune myself, I still see the value of developing his character to someone others will actually like/sympathize with.**

 **Well, that's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 ** _Next Chapter Update: May 26, 2017_**


	11. Is This to Be?

**Happy Friday, everyone! The first thing I have to say is whew! Senior finals are officially done! I'm going to graduate high school! Yay! ... And now for college. For anybody who might be worrying that this might cut into my writing time, don't you worry. I'm still on track to finishing the story with no stopping in sight.**

 **The other thing I'm going to mention is that THE L0NE WANDERER is going to be gone for one more chapter. It hasn't been a good month for him, so no beta this time around either. He will be coming back though. But enough thinking for now. Time for the actual story!**

* * *

I let out a sigh as I watched my opponent's chest rise and fall for a few minutes. He didn't look like he was in critical condition now. Most of the bruises made by Rose were gone now. His Aura healed him up quite well. I can see the black and blue spots that still persisted fading away, leaving his skin pale and clear. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about his nose. The blood's stopped rushing out of it, but it was twisted in an awkward position. It would be terrible if his nose healed like that. Nolan's going to need a nurse or someone else to get it snapped back into place.

The sound of a door opening registered in my ears. "Ruby!" I turned my head to see Weiss propping the door open with a broken table leg. She looked relieved. "You should come inside! There's something you have to see!"

My heart dropped. "What? Wait, Weiss! Is everyone okay?" Did I fail? Was I too late? Is everybody…? My feet slammed against the pavement as I shot up, rushing towards my partner. My mouth quivered with the thumping noises in my chest. "What about Yang? Is she fine?"

"They're fine! Everybody's getting up!" She gave me a small smile. "Whatever you managed to do, it removed the paralysis on everybody! Come on, Ruby!" Weiss waved me in. "Just get in here, you dolt!"

A grin crawled across my face as I felt relief hit me. I ran to the doorframe and took a good look at the commotion inside. All of the students inside were pulling themselves back up! A chorus of moans and groans echoed through the room as the students tried to get their bearings. Sage was pulling up his partner, both looking ragged due to their experience. Despite that, both of them wore relieved smiles on their faces. To my right, Blake kneeled next to my big sister, doing what seems to be a checkup. Everybody's fine from what I can see.

However, I can't say the same for the recreation room after my fight. Trash consisting of half-eaten food and abandoned bottles littered the floor. Several craters warped the walls. It's almost like the room was going to collapse under its own weight. Where the projector used to be was now a bundle of wires sparking about, illuminating the center of the room. But that's not the point. If everyone overlooked the sorry state of the recreation room, it's like nothing ever happened to the students here! My right hand whipped up to my face as I let out an easy sigh. My gods, it's like a miracle! Nobody's hurt after all of this.

My eyes flew over to where the beaten boy laid, and my lips fell. Except for him. I don't remember seeing his face before the second semester. Maybe he's a transfer student from another academy? I felt my heart drop as guilt filled my chest. This guy traveled from one of the kingdoms to participate in the Vytal Festival. Most likely expected it to be lighthearted and a fun-filled adventure. Instead, he finds himself hit by the Arrow, he was given a power that went out of control and hurt a lot of people. He didn't have control of it until the last minutes of our fight. And I had to beat him up to save his victims.

Weiss glanced in the same direction as I did. A gasp escaped her mouth as she drooped her shoulders. "Ruby… What happened to that guy over there? Did he get attacked by the invisible lizard as well?" I lowered my head. She doesn't need to know the truth. Let her believe that the guy was another victim. Let everybody believe that. Besides, Nolan was a victim as well. Just… not to the Stand's abilities.

My hand curled up into a fist. What kind of sick joke was the Arrow creature playing on us? Attacking innocent people and granting them Stand powers, with the cost of giving their loved ones heartache. If learning about the Stands wasn't enough to convince me, this battle cemented the facts. Our Stands are dangerous. In order to prevent this from happening, the Arrow must be destroyed as soon as possible. For the sake of Beacon, to keep the city of Vale safe. For my team's wellbeing, and JNPR's as well. Jaune and I will stop the creature from spreading any more chaos.

"Blake, stop trying to take my clothes off!" I broke my line of sight to Nolan, glancing at the girl who said that. Yang waved her hands at the cat faunus, warding away prying fingers. "Geez, kitten. We might be partners, but don't you think asking for me to take off my top is pushing the boundaries of our friendship? You know, unless you wanna take the next step." She wiggled her eyebrows.

The other girl let out an annoyed groan. "Please Yang, not now." The girl in black slapped away one of Yang's hands, causing the blonde to yelp. "I don't have time for your perverted jokes. I need to make sure that there's nothing else affecting you. No bite marks, no shrapnel, no nothing."

"But Blake! Look at me! I'm moving again, I'm talking again. Hell, there's no blood on me!" She threw her shoulders out, gesturing towards her body. Just as she said, there weren't any visible wounds in sight. She gave her partner a wide smile. "All in all, I think the cold-blooded lizard couldn't… take the heat."

"What kind of statement is—" Blake blinked, running the words through her head. She slapped her forehead, letting out another groan. "Yang, that is pushing the line of comprehensible. That barely made any sense at all!"

"Hey, I'll take that over straight up bad, kitten. It's a big improvement—" Her lilac eyes drifted over to me. Almost immediately, her face became somber. "We can continue this later. Give me a moment, will you Blake?" The brawler nudged her partner to the side, bringing herself up to her full height. I shuttered as she approached me. I don't want to have this talk with Yang. Not so soon after what just happened! I tried to curl away, only to find Weiss clamping down on my shoulders and holding me in place.

"Weiss! What are you doing?" I tried jerking away from my partner. "Let me go!"

"Ruby, I've talked to Blake and Yang after she was freed from the paralysis, and well, you need to set things right with your sister. You two aren't supposed to be fighting against each other!" The heiress gave me a squeeze on the shoulders. "Think about the team. If you don't fix this right now, it's going to affect everybody on team RWBY. We're not going to be a unified team, which means it's likely more accidents like this could happen!" I stood silent, taking her words into consideration.

She continued: "Ruby, think about it. The last thing who want to do is to try and make peace with a sibling who's long gone. You'll always beat yourself over it, wondering why you didn't say anything sooner. For the rest of your days, you'll ask yourself over and over again what you could've done differently. You'll never get over it. I miss my older sister, and she's alive! But if Yang didn't make it here…" My partner let out a sigh. "Just… couldn't you give her a chance?"

Before I could give her an answer, a shadow fell over us. Weiss and I looked over to the source. Yang towered over us, blocking most of the lights coming from the ceiling. The blonde made a coughing noise into her hand. "Hey Weiss, you don't mind if Ruby and I had a talk on our own?" She nodded, stepping away from us. Now it was just us two sisters, standing away from everybody else. "Come on, Ruby. Let's have a seat." She leaned back into the wall and allowed herself to slip down to the ground. I mimicked her movements. We both sat together, looking at the devastated room, not looking at each other.

I swallowed, my throat becoming dry. What do I say to her? I'm not sorry for saying what I said, but she might want me to make an apology or something. I can't just not say nothing! I focused on the exposed wires and the sparks that flew out of them. Come on, think! What can you say? There has to be—

"Ruby, how much do you remember when you were young? Of the days right after your mom's death?" I flinched at that. Why didn't she yell, or be mad, or anything? Why start with that? My left hand crossed over my chest to rub the other arm.

"Not much," I admitted. "I was, what, only six at the time? Dad, I remember him sobbing alone in his room all the time, not willing to open it to anyone. Uncle Qrow had this dull look in his eyes when he came over to watch over us, although that disappeared whenever we came up to him. He was being strong for us, even when he was grieving. As for me… I remember feeling empty as I watched the stone plaque being installed. I remember… dreaming that Mom would surprise us and come back to life, making the family happy again." My eyes glanced at Yang's face. She had her lips pressed, eyebrows furrowed. "Why do you ask?"

"… I see. You know, I have a confession to make." She scooted over towards me, pressing her arm against mine. "The day I learned about how we had separate moms? That was a week or so after everybody learned about Summer's death. One night, as I was getting a glass of water, I overheard Dad yelling with Uncle Qrow. They were talking about both your mom and my mom, and how she's supposed to still be out there somewhere." Yang played with her thumbs.

"When I heard about that, I got excited. I thought if I could find where my mom was, I could bring her back and get her to take care of the family. So, when nobody was watching, I dug through Uncle Qrow's stuff and found a picture of her as well as a photo of an old cabin where the two siblings used to stay in after graduation." She made a sad grin. "I thought I had something. In the morning, I packed some food for a short journey and once Dad left the house, I slipped out, wheeling you behind me in our old wagon." My eyes widened. So that's what happened while I was asleep! That's why I woke up in Qrow's arms in the forest that day!

"It was a lot further than I thought. I thought it would be a ten-minute walk. The place was on the opposite side of Patch, hours away by foot. I ran out of food before the sun was fully up, and I kept getting bruises and scrapes from lugging you through the woods. Long story short, we barely managed to make it to the cabin by around noon. Then we were unlucky enough to have a pack of Beowolves attack us. If Uncle Qrow hadn't come to the rescue, we would've died." She banged the back of her head against the wall as I took her words in. Why would she tell me that?

"The thing is, one lesson I've learned after this was to not let my obsessions destroy me. I've already told Blake about that one. The other thing I learned was how much you meant to me, Ruby. You almost died because of me." She took a long breath. "From then on, I made a promise to keep you safe, no matter what. It's my fault that I put you in danger in the first place. I felt like I needed to make it up."

"… Have you always felt this way, Yang?" I turned my head towards her, meeting her gaze. "Why didn't you let it go?"

"That's what I got from many people when I told them the story." Her voice cracked as she said those words. I can see tears starting to form underneath her eyelids. "'It's been years, Yang.' 'Why don't you try to move past what happened?' 'It's not your fault.' The thing is, despite how inaccurate they were, they're not wrong. Why don't I let the past stay in the past? So I've tried. I did so many things in order to put that part away from sight. The problem is, you don't forget. You try to forgive yourself, but a piece of you always wants to believe it's your fault. No matter what I do, I always remember what happened. Doesn't stop. I don't think it ever will."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess what I'm trying to do is explain myself. For everything I've done recently. Why I act so overprotective. We take it for granted because we're sisters, but I really do love you. I care for you so much. I don't want you to die young, especially after what happened at that cabin. Two weeks ago, when I saw you collapse in the hallway and saw what happened to your leg, my fears came back to haunt me. You were going to leave me, like how your Mom died and how my mom abandoned the family. And when I found out that you were going to be okay? I wanted to keep you safe."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm sorry for being so overbearing, Ruby. I can't help it. Everybody's scared for you, me more than others. I just… I don't want to lose you, too."

I sat there silent. She's sorry for being an older sister to me? My fist clenched even tighter. There's nothing wrong with that! "Yang, I have to apologize, too. For putting you through so much worry. Everybody must've thought I finally lost it when I started talking to Mom. I can't imagine what ran through your mind while I was going through that."

"But Ruby—"

"But nothing." I turned to look at her. "Yang, I love you too. You mean a lot to me, staying at my side when I first went to school, defending me even when I was being weird and awkward around your friends, helping me try to be a person on my own. You've helped me throughout my life, and when I looked like I needed your help the most, I push you away." I looked at my laced fingers. "But I mean it when I say I have to do this alone. A lot of weird things are happening in recent days. I think you deserve to be a little worried—"

She interrupted then. "That reminds me. Changing the topic a little bit, but I think I needed to ask." She turned towards the broken recreation room. "While I was paralyzed, I was still aware of what was going on, and thinking it through, nothing makes any sense. You managed to see some kind of lizard, a big one, judging from the bite marks. No one else can see it. You would think that someone would notice something like that. Then you ran around the room chasing after something, and the whole room went to hell, just breaking apart on its own. That's not including how you can just remove a part of your body. In fact…" Yang lifted my reformed arm and gave it a few tugs. "It's back on like it was never ripped off. What's going on?"

I glanced around. "… Let's not have that conversation here. We're going to need to have a talk later about that. As a team. It's something… bizarre." I pulled myself back up. Fumbling through my pockets, I pulled out the metallic scroll. Aside from a couple of scratches on the metal, it looked intact from my battle with Nolan. I popped the scroll open and hit one of the speed-dial keys. "Give me a moment, Yang. I have to call someone." I held the device up to my hand, listening to the dull beeps as the call tried to connect.

Somebody picked up. "Hello, this is Professor Peach, what seems to be the problem?"

"Hi, there's a student injured outside of the recreation room." I looked at the front door. "Can you send somebody to pick him up?"

* * *

I glanced at the ceiling of the darkened JNPR dorm room. Eleven minutes since our team's lights out. Everybody should be asleep any time now. My heart pounded in my chest as I felt the seconds go by. Every second I'm waiting here was a second Ruby was spending fighting out there. I hope she's still doing okay.

My head turned towards Ren, checking on his status. I could hear his breaths becoming rhythmic in nature. Quiet yet relaxed. That's one person sleeping. I rolled to my other side, glancing across the room at the rest of my team. Ren's partner in comparison was snoring up a storm. Her sloth snuggled with her in her bed, wrapping the tiny girl in gray fur. She muttered something to herself as she wrapped her arms around the plushie, squeezing with all of her might. Two asleep. My eyes drifted to my partner. Pyrrha was curled up into a ball, her untied red hair falling over her face. Strands of them moved with her every breath, just out of reach of her mouth. Even looking like a mess she's still graceful when she's resting.

Looks like everybody's asleep. I counted a couple of more seconds in my head, just to be sure before pulling the blanket off. I brushed the front of my jeans off as I slipped out of bed, glancing around the room for any movements. Nobody reacted. Whew, that's a good sign. Now that I'm confident that all of them were asleep, I threw on my hoodie and slipped out the room, closing the door so that it wouldn't make too loud of a click.

I took a couple of strides before breaking out into a run. My mind raced as I thought through all of the facts and details. Twenty minutes. It took twenty minutes until I could slip out from my room. If there was a battle between Stand users, then it would've ended a long time ago. I prayed that it wasn't too late for Ruby. That boy we passed by looked wounded, but we can't take any chances. Whatever his Stand ability is, we can't risk having it go out of control in public. If he even has a Stand in the first place. We can't let Stand users hurt other people.

I burst through the front door, feeling the chill of the night air hit me. A shiver ran down my back. My breath fogged in front of me as I ran southwest towards the Beacon statue. He was bleeding last time, right? I should be able to track him using his dried blood. If he looked that bad, there's no way that he wouldn't leave some kind of trail behind.

Before I knew it, I saw the head of the stone statue approach. I slowed down my pace, stopping in front of the famous monument. Okay, so if I remember correctly, the guy made his way towards the left pathway. Left where we came in, of course. I took a couple of paces in that direction, staring at the ground. That means that there has to be a mark somewhere… there! A trail of blood streaks formed a dotted line on the left side of the street, each mark within a couple of meters away from each other. Each smudge got closer to each other further as they went up the street. Alright, now we're talking!

As I followed the blood trail, the sounds of people talking reached my ears. The voices sounded hush, like barely contained panic. Like somebody's reaction during the aftermath of a traumatizing event. A pang of fear rushed down my spine. Am I too late? Is Ruby…? I broke into a sprint, running towards the noises. Oh please by gods keep Ruby alive!

I rounded the corner to see several people standing outside of the rec center. Roughly five or so people in lab coats went through the group, checking on them and the like. What happened here? Everybody's acting like a massacre happened, yet nobody's hurt! But the fear on everybody's faces… Despite the lack of injuries, it's clear that something terrible happened here.

Movement from the side caught my attention. I glanced over in that direction before letting out a gasp. Two medics were placing someone on a stretcher. I can't tell who due to a crowd forming in front of the medical officers, blocking my view of the wounded. With that, I surged through the crowd, gaining shouts of annoyance sent towards me. But I didn't care. I had to know one thing, and one thing only. Who will I find lying on that stretcher? Will it be that boy I met earlier? Or will it be Ruby?

The two medics lifted the stretcher up just as I broke through the crowd. An oxygen mask was strapped over a bloody, well-defined face. I stood in silence as the stranger I passed by earlier was being lifted away from the area. All at once, I relaxed. So Ruby won. I let out a sigh of relief and a chuckle. That's good. No, that's more than good! She managed to defeat him before any serious damage could be done.

A thought hit me as I let my muscles relax. Wait, if she managed to win the fight, where is she right now? I didn't see her in the crowd. My head swiveled back, checking again. Yeah, she's not here. Where could she be? Am I just not looking hard enough? I wandered through the crowd for a little while, looking around for any signs of Ruby.

I found her next to the Head Nurse, off to the side of the building. Professor Peach had her eyebrows raised as she interviewed my fellow Stand user. "—And you're saying that some kind of unknown force caused all of the damage within the recreation room? And that the same unknown force broke through everyone's Aura and hurt that boy to critical levels?" Ruby nodded, giving me a small wave when she spotted me. I waved back.

The nurse pinched the sides of her nose, letting out a sound of frustration. "Ms. Rose, that sounds impossible. Are you sure that's what happened in there? Not any kind of fight between students or the crowd ganging up against that one kid? It was actually some kind of invisible force?"

The young leader shook her head. "No, Professor. Everybody else can back my word up. As silly as it sounds, no one knows what went on in the rec room. It was crazy, like in a horror movie or something! There's no other way I can explain it!"

Peach gave her a wary look. "… We've been getting that from everybody else," she muttered, typing something up in her scroll. "Mysterious attacks from unseeable locations. It's either an unknown type of Grimm or a paranormal event. Knowing Occam's razor, it's probably the former. That's a major reason for concern. Might need to go to Ozpin and discuss this." The dark-skinned teacher looked back at Ruby. "Thank you for your input on the situation, Ms. Rose. I'll take your testament into consideration. Now, if Glynda would finish up with repairing the room."

"I already have for some time now." My skin crawled as a familiar strict voice came from behind me. I looked back to see the combat professor standing with her arms crossed. One corner of her lips was turned upwards, sending another shiver down my body. When was the last time I saw Goodwitch smile? Especially after something like this? She stepped past me, approaching her fellow peer. "All of the structural damage has been repaired. The projector's past saving, though. Even if I put it back together again, the electronic parts are beyond saving. We're going to need to replace that. Didn't bother touching all of the spilled food. We have janitors for that."

Now it was Peach's turn to smile. "Oh really, Glynda? I thought you couldn't stand any kind of mess whatsoever. You were quite peeved after that food fight early in the year."

"And I got the children to clean it up." Glynda adjusted her glasses as she stopped in front of the other two women. "Just because I have telekinesis doesn't mean that I have to clean every single mess everyone makes."

The nurse giggled, putting her scroll away. "Some disciplinary officer you are! Cracking the whip and letting the lackeys do all the work for you!"

"Only where it matters, Peach." Professor Goodwitch glanced at a watch on her wrist. "I think it's about time we head back and look through all of the testimonies." She turned towards the rest of the students, a familiar scowl back in place on her face. "Children." Everybody stopped their conversation, turning to look at the blond giant. "Go back to your dorms and get some rest. We'll look into what happened here. It would be best if this situation isn't mentioned within the school until an investigation is formally concluded." Her face softened for just a second. "Tomorrow, do not hesitate to come to Peach's office if something's wrong. We're here for you if you need to talk about this. Good night, everyone."

With those final words, the two amazonian women made their exit. The crowd started to disperse at her words, all heading back in the direction I came from. An entire room was damaged? I mean, the food fight trashed the cafeteria up pretty well, but it didn't straight up destroy the building. Just how bad was that fight? I made my way over to Ruby, whose gaze was focused on the wounded boy.

"Ruby, are you okay?" A yip escaped from her mouth as she jumped. She snapped away to look at me.

"Oh, hi Jaune! Yeah, I'm fine." Her face turned downcast. "That boy in the stretcher, Nolan. He's a Stand user. His Stand went out of control, hurting everybody inside the building. But he didn't do it out of malice. Nolan, he's a victim of the Arrow, just like me." She grasped her shaking right hand, sniffling as she continued on. "But everybody got hurt due to his Stand. I had no choice, I had to—"

I held my hand up, stopping her. "I get it, Ruby. You don't have to say it. As far as I care, you did the right thing."

"That's the problem. What I did was the best option, but Nolan had to get hurt because of that." She looked up at me. "He didn't deserve what I did to him, Jaune. He's just a boy who didn't ask for the Stand life, but got it anyways. Just like me." Her silver eyes brightened up, burning with passion. "We have to stop that Grimm now. Not just for the safety of the people of Vale. No, we're also making sure nobody else has to live this life. No one deserves to suffer just because they got hit with the Arrow." I nodded in agreement.

"Oh, hey Jaune! I didn't expect you to be here!" I jerked my head towards the voice. The rest of team RWBY stood right outside of the rec center. I felt a bead of sweat run down my forehead. A meep escaped Ruby's mouth. Did they overhear us about the Stands? Yang had a big grin on her face, but her eyes looked puffy, like she did some crying. She combed a lock back. "What are you doing here?" Whew. Okay, so they don't know after all. Blake's bow twitched.

"Uh, I got a text from one of the guys here. They wanted me to come over for a movie?" That was a blatant lie, as the rest of the girls regarded me with suspicion.

"Yeah, right," Weiss scoffed. "Wouldn't you be here by the time the attack if you were telling the truth? And wouldn't you bring team JNPR with you?"

"Well, I have a perfectly good explanation for that!" My former crush's eyebrows raised up in expectation. "Uhh…" I racked my brain for any kind of excuse. Come on, there has to be— Aha! "I was out in Vale for the day, and I only got the invitation right before I entered the airbus! Yeah! And the rest of team JNPR was tired and everything, so I went back to my dorm, dropped them off along with my stuff, and then made my way here!"

The heiress gave me one more look and then sighed. "Well, you got lucky then. You just managed to miss one of the most mysterious things that I've ever seen. It started out with everybody falling down paralyzed, with bite marks forming on top of their Aura. Then Ruby goes off and claims that we were being attacked by a giant lizard! And when it couldn't get weirder, Ruby ripped off her—"

"Okay, Weiss, that's enough!" I cried out, waving my arms at her. "Don't need to go into that much detail! I think I get the point."

The heiress let out a hmph. "Well then. That got me thinking. Ruby, how did you notice that such a creature even existed?" The scythe user froze as the rest of her team looked at her, the question forming on their faces.

Blake let out a hum. "Now that I think of it, that is a little strange. The whole entire time, you knew exactly what was coming after us, and where, too. And then there's the issue of the rose petals. I've never seen your Semblance act like that before." Yang raised one of her eyebrows as she let out a hum of her own.

"I've been helping Ruby train with her Semblance back when she was young. It was super speed, without a doubt. I'm sure breaking down your eyeball into rose petals isn't moving real fast." The elder blonde glared into her sister's eyes. "I think it's about time we returned to what we were originally talking about. Do you have anything to say to us?"

"Uhh…" Ruby looked frantic, glancing at every one of her teammates as she backed away. "… I have magical powers that bend reality as we know it? I don't know, what do you want me to say?" She made a small eep as her back was pressed against the steel wall. The rest of her team surrounded her.

Weiss gave her partner a sad look. "How about the truth?" I swallowed a bit of my saliva as I watched Ruby's team approach her. The heiress placed a hand on her leader. "Ruby, this is something we deserve to know. If this affects us, you can't expect us to not try to do anything." Ruby started scrunching up, eyes signaling to me for advice. I gave her a shrug. What was Ruby going to say? Was she going to lie or tell the truth? At this point, either option's going to dig us into a deeper hole.

"Guys," she started, fidgeting with her fingers. Ruby looked up at each of them. "I wish I can give you a better answer, but I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out myself. It's impossible to explain, because they're no way to show you guys the truth. I just don't know how to deal with this." The girl let out a sigh.

"But why don't you come to us for help?" Yang asked, stepping towards her sister. "We're your teammates. I'm your sister. Our job is to stick to each other, no matter what happens. Team RWBY would do everything to help you, Ruby."

"And that's what I'm afraid of." Ruby rubbed the side of her arm. "This stuff's dangerous. More dangerous than the fiercest Grimm, the White Fang, and all of those threats. This stuff is beyond anyone's understanding, and I don't want to get anyone hurt due to this."

Yang started sniffling. "Is that how you feel, little sis?" She pulled the girl into a hug. "You know how I feel about you. The same applies to Weiss and Blake. Come on, Ruby. At least don't push us away. Maybe nobody else can understand what happened in there, but that doesn't mean Team RWBY isn't going to try. We'll figure this out together. As a team."

The young leader made a smile as she rested her chin on Yang's shoulders. "Thank you. For understanding." She let go of the buxom blonde and let out a yawn. "Oh man, I think it's getting late. I think we should be getting to bed. What do you guys think?" Everybody nodded at the suggestion. "Oh! Jaune, shouldn't you be checking on your team?" I felt Team RWBY's eyes be directed towards me. Ruby pulled out her scroll, typed something into it, and closed it. She waved her device in front of her face. "I think they should know about how you're coming back early."

I felt a rumble in the pocket containing my scroll. "Yeah, I should do that." I pulled the electronic out and popped it open. "Might run into some Nora shenanigans if I don't warn them in advance." On the lock screen, there was one message from Ruby: "Meet me in the hllwy 7:00 mrnng. Need 2 tlk 2 Nolan." What is she planning? Everybody turned around to head back. Blake stared at me and Ruby, eyes narrowing, before following her teammates. And with that, Team RWBY and I made our way back home.

* * *

Early next morning I found myself outside my dorm. Rose floated around me as I let out a tired yawn. My eyes looked out into the hallway, paying attention to nothing in particular. It's way too early in the morning to be doing this! And on a Sunday, too. There's nothing more I wanted to do than go back to bed, crawl under the bedsheets, and sleep until ten. The rest of the girls were doing just that.

I tried a couple of light smacks to the cheek. It helped a little with the drowsiness. But I can't worry about sleep right now! This was an opportunity! We might finally have a lead on the creature with the Arrow! If it attacked Nolan, then we should be able to figure out where it is right now and stop it from creating more Stand users.

My eyes glanced back to my room door. I wished I didn't have to lie to them about what's going on. More than anything else, I wanted to tell them the truth about the Stands. But I didn't lie when I said that I didn't understand a thing. This was too dangerous for them right now, at least knowing what I know right now. Maybe once Jaune and I take the Arrow away. I might tell them about Rose then. But no sooner than that.

The sounds of creaking caught my attention. A familiar dorky blonde peeked out from his room. Dark bags sat underneath his eyes, and he looked like he's been kept awake by a Griffin. But his eyes looked as focused as ever. He gave me a little wave before yawning. "Hey, Ruby. Good morning."

I waved back. "Hey, Jaune! How's everything?"

"Good. Good." He nodded his head, glancing at me before frowning. "Wait a minute… weren't you wearing that outfit yesterday? Wasn't that ripped up and destroyed?"

"What? Oh, this." I pulled on the fabric. "I have multiple copies of these. Back when I was first getting used to my Semblance, I tended to crash a lot and get my clothing caught on a ton of stuff. So my Dad decided to just buy clothing in bulk so that I could easily have a replacement. It's a stupid habit that I kept up even after I got better at using my Semblance, but I guess it's helpful now."

Jaune raised his eyebrows in interest. "Having several disposable clothes? That's useful." He pulled the sleeve of his hoodie. "I wonder how many Box-Tops I can save until I get another hoodie? Knowing us, this is probably going to get ripped in one of these Stand fights."

I bit my lip. "You… get your hoodies using cereal boxes?" It took all of my willpower to not burst into laughter. "Jaune, you know you can just send them dimensions of your clothing and have them fabricate a ton of them?"

"It's different! This was a cool, limited edition hoodie! It doesn't feel right to just replicate them!"

A small giggle escaped my mouth. "What could possibly be on that hoodie that makes it so priceless?"

The blonde boy stood silent, staring at me for a couple of seconds. "Can we save this conversation for another time? Not the right time to talk about it."

"Hmph! Fine…" I waved off the question. "I'll stop talking about the hoodie. But anyways, ready to give Nolan a little visit?"

He nodded, pulling the door wide open. "Now more than ever." The boy walked by our side as we made our way out in silence.

It wasn't until we left the building when Jaune started speaking again. "So Ruby, what are you trying to get from this Nolan dude, and why? You didn't really explain a lot in that text you send me."

"Hopefully, the place where he got hit by the Arrow," I answered, turning my head towards him. "And to answer your other question, when we were fighting, he didn't know about the existence of the Stands until I told him about **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** and what it did to everybody in the rec room. Jaune, he's not evil. He's just a Huntsmen-in-Training who traveled to Beacon to compete. Nothing more, nothing less. I could see it in his eyes. He didn't want to hurt anyone; that's just what his Stand did anyways."

"You know, even if that's true, I don't think he's going to react well if you come into his room. After all, you did beat him up."

I felt my face droop. "Yeah, I did." I perked up. "That's why I'm letting you go in first!"

He flinched. "What?"

"Come on, Jaune! You don't have any kind of bad reputation with Nolan! If you go in first, then he'll be more relaxed when I come in! Plus, you can calm him down if he overreacts or something!"

The blonde leader gave me a weird stare. "Are you sure about that, Ruby? I mean, it makes sense on paper, but I don't think that me going in first wouldn't help much when you, the girl who assaulted him, walks in afterward asking for information. I mean, what are we going to say to him? He's not going to just tell us once he sees you."

A hum escaped my mouth as I considered Jaune's question. I rubbed the base of my chin. He does have a point. How would I convince the wounded boy? Is anything I'm going to say change Nolan's mind? A random thought appeared in my mind. Wasn't there supposed to be something in my left— Oh, I forgot my scroll in my team's room. Dang. That sucks. I let out a shrug. Oh well.

We took a turn around the statue, heading back to where I fought **「** **BELFRY FALLS.** **」** I shuttered at the sight. The morning sunlight highlighted the splotches of blood that covered the road. Several cleaning robots whirred as they went around the tiled street, scrubbing the last of the crimson fluid. Sitting in front of the front of the rec room was a staff member dressed in gray. He let out a soft snore as the bots did his work. All of this blood… this wouldn't have happened if Nolan wasn't hit by the Arrow.

I let out a cough, gaining the boy's attention. "We'll just tell him the truth. I mean, he's a Stand user, after all." I held up a hand towards Jaune in a shrug. "There's no way he's going to be escaping from this kind of life, so it's better if we came clean. It might help him control his Stand better so that something like this wouldn't happen again."

"You think that's going to be enough?"

"I hope so." Another shiver ran down my spine. It felt like something, or someone was staring at us. I turned my head behind me. Nobody except for the sleeping janitor and the leader of Team JNPR. "Hey, Jaune? Do you feel as if somebody's following us?"

"Wait, really?" He mimicked my action before shrugging. "I don't see anybody except for that guy over there. Are you sure somebody's following us?" I nodded my head.

"There's something in the air right now that just doesn't feel right." I scratched my head in confusion. "Maybe that fight last night is getting to me, but I don't want to have another repeat of that."

Jaune nodded. "I think it's just you. Still, if you really feel that way, we can pick up the pace."

Before we knew it, we arrived in front of the infirmary. Glowing right above the front door was a giant neon red cross. There was a reception desk in the center of the room where a bored nurse sat. On the other side of the room was a set of swinging doors. It most likely leads to the patient rooms. In the waiting room, there sat two guys and a girl sitting in the chairs, whispering to each other.

"Geez, this is just classic Nolan!" I glanced at the group. A guy wearing a purple scarf groaned as he threw himself back into his seat. "We shouldn't have let him go out alone. So irresponsible. I can't believe that I trusted him not to get into any trouble!"

"Look, Branz, you have to lay off on him." Another boy in dreadlocks leaned towards the complaining boy. "You heard what the Beacon headmaster said. He had less than a hundredth of a percent of alcohol in his body. He wasn't drunk by any means. Nolan's just a victim of that mysterious Grimm attack as he came back." I raised my eyebrows at that. A Grimm attack? What was the Headmaster doing?

Branz slapped a palm to his forehead. "That doesn't change the fact that he happened to be alone when he got attacked! I don't even care about the fact he went drinking again, or whether the attacker's a Grimm or a human! What matters is that he got beat up enough to stain the top of his shirt red!" The girl in the beanie said nothing, instead looking at the door that leads to the patient's room. The scarf wearing boy leaned towards the dreadlocked kid. "Look, Roy. I don't want anybody to get hurt, especially in a foreign kingdom. Nolan's way more rational than any of us. You would think that would make him more street smart if not responsible. I guess not."

"Hey, guys?" Everybody turned towards the beanie girl. "Why is it taking so long to schedule our visit? I mean, we're right here." The purple clad boy sighed.

"I have no idea." The boy in the purple scarf ran his fingers down his face, letting out a groan of frustration. "Probably some stupid visiting time schedule. Come on, we'll ask the front desk again."

"Jaune, here's our chance," I hissed. "As they distract the front desk, we'll slip into the patient rooms."

"And how are we going to do that?" Rose appeared behind me. Jaune let out a sigh. "Okay. Never mind my last question."

My vision darkened as I broke up into rose petals. Everything became a lot more muted, the colors fading away as I drifted towards the door. The only thing I can see is a faded outline of everything in the room. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've actually turned my whole entire body into flower petals willingly, not as a distraction or anything. If I had a mouth, I would've let out a meep of joy. This is pretty weird but so cool and interesting at the same time! I can see everything at the same time!

The thought of what I could do started to hurt my brain. But I don't have a brain anymore, do I? I'm just a pile of rose petals. How am I thinking in the first place? I know certain petals correlate to different body parts, but are brain petals still part of my brain? Is it possible for brain petals and arm petals to— ow. My brain hurts thinking about it. That's enough thinking for now. I felt parts of me pass under the cracks of the door before reforming into their original body parts. Before I knew it, color returned to my vision as I found myself standing on the other side of the door.

Without any hesitation, I nudged the door open, inviting the surprised Jaune to come inside. "Don't think about it," I whispered. "Just get in."

He nodded, looking both ways before following me inside. I brought the door to a gentle close, brushing my hands. "Now that that's done, don't we have an interview with a certain boy?" Jaune grinned, not saying a single word. "I'll take that as a yes." I looked behind me to see a hallway with ten or so doors on each side. "... Do you think they label these rooms by patient names, or do we have to knock and check each one?"

"I think they label them based on patient names." He pointed his thumb at the door next to us. There were lights inside. Right beside the doorknob is a plaque with one of those replaceable name tags with the name "Nolan Porfirio" on it.

"Well, that was easy." My shoulders drooped. "I was hoping it was going to be more epic. You know, us two sneaking through a hospital and avoiding all of the nurses."

"Yeah," Jaune sighed. "Me too. Oh well." He walked over to the door and raised his fist up, before dropping it. "Do you think I should knock, or…?" I gave him a look of disbelief. "Barge right in. Got it. Just wait here." With that he slipped into the room, leaving me outside and alone in the hallway.

"Hello?" His voice was muffled from behind the door. "Are you Nolan?" I heard a mutter of agreement. "I'm Jaune. Remember me? We met yesterday…" There were muffled sounds, probably coming from Nolan. "Sorry for coming in like this… no, your teammates are still outside. They're okay. I'm here because of what happened… yeah, you must be confused as well. I don't know everything either, but I'll try to explain as much as I can. But first, I need to bring in someone else." I heard knocking on the door. "Ruby! Come in!" My chest rose as I sucked air in. Here goes nothing.

I walked through the door to meet a sterile white room. The empty chemical smell of antiseptics was one of the first things that hit me. It caused me to cringe a little bit. Ugh. Wow, that smells bad. Looking around the room there was little else aside from some machines hooked up to a display showing Aura levels and other biometric readings. And sitting in the bed was the boy I fought against just yesterday.

Nolan's eyes widened at the sight of me. He jerked his body back, pressing himself against the mattress. "What? Jaune, what is this? Why did you bring her in here? She's the one who beat me up with that ghost woman!" My friend didn't say anything, closing the door behind us and clicking the lock into place. That didn't do a lot to calm him down. I coughed into my hand as I approached Nolan.

"And I'm really, really sorry about that." My eyes flickered down to the floor. "What I did… It was probably an overreaction."

"No kidding! You punched me in the nose so many times!" He pointed to the little bandage strip on his nose. "I wasn't lying when I said I didn't know how to control this… Stand!"

"I realized that. However, I couldn't take any chances. We don't know too much about the Stands or how they work in the first place. The last thing I want is dead people on my hands. I'm sure you don't want any as well." I looked up at him, giving the resting boy a small smile. "If it's any comfort, I don't have any hard feelings against you. So how about we introduce each other again in a more comfortable setting?"

His teeth bit his lower lip, brow furrowing as he thought about my offer. "… I guess we can try having a do-over." The boy pointed his finger at me. "But you owe me a favor. Something I can cash in at any time. That cool?" I nodded my head. He held his hand out in response. "That being said, I'm Nolan Porfirio. I'm the N in Team BRNZ, from Shade Academy. I like to think I'm a lover of fun and action."

I took his offer and shook his hand. "And I'm Ruby Rose, weapons geek, and leader of Team RWBY." I gave him a smile. "You know, something tells me you would get along with my sister. She's also an adrenaline junkie." I released my grip on him. "Well, I guess now's better than never. I need to ask you a couple of questions. It's something that's important to discover the creature who has been creating Stand users."

Nolan raised his eyebrows. "What? I mean, I think I can help you with everything, but you're going to need to explain some stuff to me. What 'creature' are we talking about?"

"Hmm… This is going to take awhile to explain. I think it's best to have a Stand answer it as well." I summoned Rose behind me, causing him to wince somewhat. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Rose is just here to help me fill any gaps in my knowledge. Here's what we know about the Stands."

⇐ **TO BE CONTINUED= 6/9/2017**

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 **Dec 27, 2016. That's when I first opened a Google Docs on my phone and started on this story proper. It's been five months since I started writing this story. I'm looking at what I've done so far and think wow. I must be insane. I just love writing this story, and to think that I've been working on this story for this long, it's just mindbending. Yeah, I could've done this two chapters from now, but today happened to be really close to the original creation date, so... yeah. Again, thank you guys for reading.**

 **Time for the reviews!**

 **Critian Caceorte: Thank you for the review! It's not a JoJo fight if it didn't have its absurd moments. Here's to more pure insanity that is Stand fights!**

 **Doa570047: Oh, my Stand name process is fairly simple. I started by finding all of the songs that I like that can work as a Stand name. Most of it was several days of searching up songs that I loved hearing as a child and as a teen. Then I go through a list of every Stand user I wanted to use for my story and assign a particular emotion/human trait that they best personify. Of course, Ruby doesn't count (Sorta. My secrets, of course.) But Jaune was steadfastness. Nolan was anxiety. Then I went through the song list, checking their tone, the meaning of the lyrics, the meaning of the song, how much all of it relates to the emotion/theme I assigned. And then I choose based on that. That's the general pattern that I follow when choosing my user's Stand name. Most of them are named after songs; maybe five have a combination of band/song names.**

 **Daxen123: Ah, Stardust Crusaders. Glad to hear you had an awesome moment of perfection reading and listening at the same time!**

 **Galer: I hope this chapter did a decent job. How do you explain the unexplainable without looking insane? I feel like this is the best any Stand user can explain their situation without drawing suspicion. But when characters can see Stands? Well, that's when the explanation gets a lot easier.**

 **Mr. Green37: Thank you!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you greenscoop for your compliment about the Stand fight! I'm sure the other students have questions as well. But answering a question's hard when nobody really understands the question in the first place.**

 **Paradox The Ruler: Thanks, Paradox! You're going to be waiting a long time for Dio, though. Maybe forever. But last time I checked, vampires don't naturally die. So who knows?**

 **darkmist111: Man, thank you for suggesting all of these Stand abilities to me! They're just what I needed for a couple of characters! It's sad that nobody's going to see the fruits of your labors for a long time, but when I get there, I'll remember to point it out. You're going great work, and creating great ideas as well!**

 **Toon the Thane of Scrabble: Thanks, Toon! There's no need to play nice in a Stand fight. It's going to be brilliant and brutal for everyone involved. Makes it even more wonderful to see people think their way out of the problem as a result! Man, I'm seeing why Araki really likes writing Stands. There's so much potential that just never goes away!**

 **Guest: I like the speculation and theories you have. They're interesting to read; however it, unfortunately, wasn't the case.**

 **But anyways, that's about it for today. See ya guys in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: June 9, 2017**_


	12. Slave For You

**Hey everyone and happy Friday! The season of summer is finally here, and I get all the time in the world to write! ... I actually don't really like it all that much. But I'll explain more on the bottom.**

 **Unfortunately for this chapter, there's no beta. Fortunately for the future chapters, THE L0NE WANDERER should be available after today, so don't worry about that! But anyways, time for the next chapter!**

* * *

Nolan took in a sharp breath as I finished up my explanation. My Stand Rose floated around me, keeping her arms crossed. Her white cape occasionally wrapped around my body as she did so. It took all of the control with my body to not brush it away from my body or rub it. I wanted to so bad. For something that isn't supposed to be real, it felt so much like an actual cape. Sometimes Stands work in the most mysterious ways. Not that I'm complaining. It's kinda nice to feel Mom's cape wrap around my body.

To my side, Jaune leaned on a wall, tapping his foot on the ground. Occasionally we would pull up his scroll and look through something, but otherwise he didn't say anything. The entire room was silent after I finished my explanation aside from the light tapping Jaune was making.

With an exhale, the resting boy pulled himself up to a sitting position. Nolan rubbed his eyes, forehead crinkling in thought. "Okay… it's really weird hearing this explanation. A lot of it felt like gibberish to me. So let me get this straight. The best explanation of the Stands is that it's a manifestation of your soul, kinda like Aura if it took on a physical form?" I nodded. He continued: "If that's true, then why did I get hurt when you attacked **「** **BELFRY FALLS?** **」** "

I shrugged my shoulders. "Nobody really knows for sure. There is one idea that Jaune and I accepted. We think that Aura is removed from the body in order to form the Stand if we go with the idea that a Stand is the physical form of Aura. However, it leaves your body completely unprotected. That's why you got hurt while your Stand was out. Your Aura didn't go away, it went over to your Stand. After you were beaten, your Stand disappeared. Your Aura must've returned to your body and healed up as much of your wounds as possible after you reached a critical point."

"… That doesn't sound like a bad theory. After all, most of my injuries were healed after I lost consciousness. Although it didn't really fix my nose." He wrinkled the crooked body part, displeasure clearly seen on his face. A pang of sadness ran through me as he gingerly touched his nose. "It's still a bit lopsided after what you did to me."

"Eh, I mean it won't be that bad. Professor Peach will probably fix it," I shrugged. Should I say anything else about what happened? No. I shook my head. Now's not the time to feel sorry for what I've done. We have a Grimm baby to chase after!

"But let's not worry about that though. Back to the topic at hand. Generally, Stand users are created by the Arrow. Except for Jaune, but again, this is new for us as well. Granted, we all collectively know three users, so there's not a lot to work on in the first place. Which brings us to why Jaune and I are visiting you." I leaned towards him. "We need you to tell us about what you did yesterday and where. Since your powers were only manifested on Saturday, then you must've come into contact with it on that same day. If we knew what you did that day, we might have an idea of where to look."

"Hmm…" Nolan scratched the back of his head. A look of guilt washed over his face before disappearing. "Every bone in my body wants to say no. The last thing I want to do is to be dragged into some kind of mess… I've always been passive when it comes to doing stuff. Trouble is my worst enemy. But after you confronted me over what Belfry has done…"

He glanced up. "You do have a point. I didn't even know I had powers, and all of those people within the recreation room had the scare of their life. If this is the damage a person like me can cause, what's going to happen if somebody evil gets it? If I act, I'm going to get into some kind of trouble. But if I don't act, I'm going to get in even more trouble, one I might not get out of!" He sighed. "It's a really hard choice, um… Ruby, right?" I nodded. "I wish I didn't have to worry about this in the first place."

"You don't have to help us in searching," I responded, resting my hands on the right-hand side of his bed. "Keep living your life the way you want to. Just… don't let your Stand get out of control and don't tell anybody about their existence. That's all you have to do. We'll take care of the rest."

"That's it? If that's all I have to do, then I think I can tell. Okay, well…" The boy tapped the base of his chin. "Let's see. I left for Vale early in the morning since I had a friend who had this nice flat downtown. We hung out for a while before going to this boat party with a couple of the locals, on the riverside I think. I had fun, enjoyed being at the party. Then as we left to go to a proper club, I scratched myself on—"

He stopped, furrowing his brows again. That got my attention. "Then, I thought I scraped myself against a broken shard of glass, but now that I think about it, it was more… metallic rather than glass. It might very well be the Arrow you guys were talking about. Huh. I thought it was weird that there was glass on the loading ramp. But anyways, I got a headache half an hour later and left the rest of my group to come back home early. And I guess you guys know the rest of the story."

"Really? I think we might have something here!" Jaune pushed himself off of the wall and moved over to Nolan's bed. "Where was that? Where you cut yourself, I mean."

"It was some warehouse dock. Maybe it was the one that appeared in the news some time ago, you know, the one where a bunch of Beacon students busted a Dust trafficking ring during the semester break?" I stayed silent about my part in that raid, nodding. He doesn't need to know about Team RWBY's adventures. "I think it was that one. It still had these giant scorch marks that nobody bothered to clean." Yep. I think I know which one he's talking about.

I nodded to the boy. "Thanks, Nolan," I whispered, leaning away from him. "This could be the lead we need to find the Arrow." I turned over to the blonde boy across from me and nodded towards the door. "Jaune, let's go. We need to make sure that every second isn't wasted. If we hurry, we might be able to still find it there!"

The leader of JNPR nodded in response, unlocking the door and cracking it open as he peered out into the hallway. Within a split second, he slammed it shut again, causing me to jump. In a panic, he fumbled for the locking mechanism and slid it back into place. Jaune slammed his back against the door as he took some deep breaths. "Okay, big problem. One, Nolan's team is coming in right now. Two, they saw the door open and close. Three, they're probably going to be pissed that we snuck in here."

As if on cue, we heard the sounds of footsteps before a set of banging noises slammed against the door. "Nolan?" It sounded like the angry scarf dude. Oh man, I don't want to be around that guy. "What the hell, man? Why did you lock the door on us? And are you trying to slip out of the nurse's office? Open this door!" My heart dropped. That's not good. If we don't do anything quickly, we're going to get caught red-handed.

My eyes flickered around the room, landing on the window to the right of the resting boy. I dashed over to it, my hands running through the plastic edges. Panic started to climb up my throat. "Come on, there's got to be a place to open the window!" The jingling sound of keys registered in my mind. We're going to get caught! Come on, where is it?

A cold plastic lever brushed against the tips of my finger. Wait, could it be…? My fingers gripped what felt to be a handle. The feeling of relief shot through me. "Aha!" I yanked on it, bringing the glass up all the way. "Yes! I think we can make it out of here! Okay, there's one of those bug screen things, but that's okay. I can put it back on after I jump." My body leaned forwards, ready for the jump. "Opening is going to be a tight fit for you, Jaune. See you on the other side!"

"Wait, Ruby—"

I took off, tucking myself into a dive as I crashed into the meshed covering. It flew off with an audible pop, landing on the ground with a firm thud. I followed it a split second later, crashing into the ground and disturbing the dust. A cough escaped my mouth as debris entered my mouth. After a couple of rolls, I slipped back up to my feet, wrapping my fingers around the mesh as I reoriented myself.

"Now, Jaune!" Within moments, he barreled out of the window, collapsing to the ground with a groan. He pushed himself up onto his back, letting out a wheezing sound. I zipped towards the opening, leaped over the downed boy, slammed the bug screen back on, and dashed towards him. "Come on, we got to go!" I yelled as I jerked him back up to his feet. Jaune let out a yelp as I pulled him away from the window pushed him against a wall, just in time for the door to burst open with an audible bang.

"Nolan!" The voice sounded young and angry. Maybe it might be his leader? "What is the meaning of this?"

"Look, there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this," Nolan replied, tone a bit surprised.

"No! There are no excuses for you! Have you even considered—"

I elbowed Jaune in the ribs. "I think they're distracted. We should sneak away while we still can. After all, we got an airship to catch." A flicker of a shadow caught my attention yet again. My eyes flew up, trying to find our tail, only to find that they're gone again. "And we should do it soon. I think somebody's trying to follow us. For real this time."

He nodded. "Lead the way then."

* * *

I let out a gentle yawn as I sat in front of the coffee machine. The smell of ground coffee filled my office, creating this calming effect that always manages to sooth my mind. With a light hiss, the machine started shooting out the black ambrosia into a transparent container. A light steam escaped from the top of the container as it was filled up to its max capacity. A quiet yet sharp beep came from the machine, indicating how it finished its task.

With that, I snatched the container and poured the coffee into my mug. One sip brightened the room up. It felt like my bright green office gained even more contrast than right now. My personal blend had a crisp, sharp flavor that never ceased to amaze me. It's like magic, watching the room brighten up with the single sip of a freshly brewed drink. I felt myself slip away from the embrace of sleep and brought to the land of the living. A satisfied sigh escaped my mouth. It couldn't get better than this.

Now that I have my first cup of the day, I made my way back to my desk, seating myself in the futuristic chair. With a couple of taps, a hologram popped up on my desk, revealing camera footage, self-written notes, emails, and other bureaucratic tasks to deal with. With a lazy hand, I flicked through a couple of the tasks. Check and approve the proposed budget for the next school year. Track ongoing missions for Huntsmen in the field. Negotiate with the council to grant the Amity Colosseum entrance into Valean airspace. A quirk within Vale's law. No other Kingdom considers the Amity Colosseum an airship. Makes my job a lot harder than necessary.

My hand went up to my face to adjust my glasses. This is a lot of work, especially considering how the Vytal Festival is officially starting within the month. Three weeks if I remember correctly. So many things to do, so little time to get them done. And on a weekend, too. It's a temporary annoyance at best, but there's nothing more I want to do than to enjoy a relaxing Sunday to brush up on my skills. I have a feeling they're going to be needed again.

I tapped on the hologram, bringing up the camera footage. Considering how early it is in the morning, there shouldn't be anybody running around campus.

"Ruby! Seriously, let me go! I'm getting sick running at the speed of sound!" Or maybe not. My eyes flew over to the display that was playing the audio. I watched the blonde leader grovel and moan as he's being transported my Ms. Rose. They're making their way past the Dawning Hero Statue and down the main entranceway. My eyebrows raised up in curiosity. Why would they come that far? There's nothing there except for the air docks. A realization hit me as I took another sip from my mug. I grimaced.

It looks like they found something about our uninvited guest. A clue to trace down the origin of all of our problems. Whatever the clue is, it's within the city of Vale. I opened another screen, this time having it display a live feed of the patients. The foreign student found himself surrounded by his teammates, taking a heavy amount of questioning. My eyes softened at the sight. Poor boy. He shouldn't be part of this secret world of Stands. Then again, Ms. Rose and Mr. Arc shouldn't be worried about this, either. But here they are, chasing after the Arrow.

I leaned back into my chair and let out a frustrated sigh. She's planning something, and something big. Does this have to do something with the reports I've been getting from the other Huntsmen? This can't just be a coincidence. The White Fang's growing and becoming more radical. Thefts in the city rob the average citizen of Dust. And the intel coming from Qrow points to a potential attack incoming. The Queen's trying to get the population to panic.

But what's the point? She's not going to raze Vale to the ground. That would be counterintuitive to her old dream, her goal before all of this. The Queen has to be within the city in order to achieve it. I made sure she's not escaping into Remnant anytime soon. Especially since the only person who could help her has been dead for years. There are only two reasons she could be doing this right now. One, she gave up on her new world, finally losing herself to her Grimm side. That in itself would be a big concern. She used to be a determined woman; it would be ironic if she lost her way after all these years. The other reason is if she figured out how to leave her prison. And the person she's looking for is somewhere in Vale right now.

If it's the latter, then that makes it even more important that we get the Arrow. One Stand user: that's all she needs to get out. If it wasn't for the fact that I have to deal with all of this business with the Vytal Festival, I would be hunting the Arrow down right now. But unfortunately, I'm stuck here. And for every second we fail to find the Arrow, it's an extra second she has to find the key out of her prison. … As much as I don't want the students to get into this situation, I might need to call up Mr. Arc and Ms. Rose and tell them about the issue. They have the freedom and the time to go where I cannot.

A dinging sound distracted me from my thoughts. I looked up. The elevator door popped open, revealing a familiar blonde adjusting his glasses. "Ozpin?" Glynda didn't sound so pleased with me. Her eyes glared at me, sending shivers down my back.

I let out a sigh. "Come in." She nodded, striding into the room with the care of a surgeon. "If you wanted to brief me on the appointment with the Council, I will get around to having the talk with them. Believe me when I say—"

"That's not why I'm here. It's about the incident yesterday." My eyes blinked. I feared that that was the case. "Ozpin, this is a serious case that we're dealing with. More than twenty people were traumatized by whatever happened in there. Not a single professor can find a cause of the incident after analyzing the footage. A foreign student was sent to Peach's with injuries. And you're ordering us to sweep it under the rug?"

"Yes." I tilted my head to the side. "I don't see why this is an issue."

"… Is that supposed to be a joke?" the combat professor growled as she stepped forwards. "This is big, Ozpin! There's so much potential for damage! The footage of the events is there, and we can't ignore it. I watched with my own eyes people getting bit by an invisible figure! Ms. Rose, the student you personally invited to Beacon, lost her arm, eye, and head chasing after said invisible figure! Any person would be dead after what she sustained, but it's like nothing happened to her. These students are haunted by what happened yesterday! Why bother trying to hide this, especially after you made your stance clear about how the students should be treated back during their food fight?"

I coughed into my hand. "Do you know why we hide the truth about fairy tales? It's so that no one—"

"—So that no one will panic," Glynda recited, keeping her eyes on mine. "The powers of our legends are beyond Remnant's comprehension, and the knowledge of any of them could be used by less than savory people. I remember. But Ozpin." She crossed her arms, her mouth turning into a frown. "This isn't any legend that you've told our secret group. You've told us about the importance of the Relics but not a single word about this. You know something, but you won't tell us what."

"No, I haven't. You're observant as usual, Glynda. That's why I brought you into our group. You catch stuff people normally wouldn't catch." I formed steeples with my fingers. "I do have a good reason why I'm not telling anybody. Even if you did know, it wouldn't make sense. At least with my legends, there's some sort of tangibility to them. They can be seen by normal eyes. That's why we hide them. But the thing that happened yesterday is intangible. No normal person can see what's truly going on. As such, it's easier to blow it off as some unusual series of events or the paranormal. No one would believe it happened."

I adjusted myself in my seat. "Glynda, this is a matter that nobody should have to deal with. I recognize this is a serious business, and it will be dealt with." I looked at the clock. "It's a perfectly good Sunday. I heard the weather's good. Enjoy it in the city, relax in your office, keep your mind off of the issue. It shouldn't appear again."

Her eyes narrowed, considering my words. "Okay," she nodded. "I don't like what you have to say. In fact, I still think you should've gone clean. But I'll put it aside, for now." She turned around as if to leave, but stopped. "I'm going to keep this conversation in mind. If something like this happens again, I'll be back, demanding actual answers this time." Without another word, she made her way to the elevator.

Before the doors closed completely, I made one final statement: "I know." My steaming cup was set to the side as I pushed my glasses up to rub my eyes. I spent so much time trying to keep civilization away from the Stands. It's the least I could do after I let my hubris get the better of me. I can't let the Queen complete her plans. What she wants cost us too much.

Admittedly, Glynda's right about this. I should tell somebody about the Stands. But who would believe the idea that there were spiritual beings that can break every known rule of the universe? It was hard for them to accept the idea about the Relics until I showed them one of them. But there's no way I can show them a Stand. But… maybe I can tell them about the Arrow. At the very least they can believe that. Hmm… that'll work. I wonder when the group is available to have this kind of talk. Qrow's still out on the field somewhere. The other Headmasters are always busy. Well, we can start with James, since I think he's not busy right now.

A presence appeared behind me as I opened up an email to send to the General. The sounds of a tongue clicking vibrated in my ears as the figure made their way behind me. I remained at ease, however. It's a presence that I've been used to for a long, long time.

" _It's been a long time since we could talk, sir,_ " a deep, melodic voice spoke. " _I didn't think that my presence was necessary in this day and age._ "

"A sentiment that I share as well, my friend." My eyes turned back to the monitors displaying the camera feed. It seems that the two were about to arrive at the stopped before slapping their foreheads. "But a lot has changed since the last time we had the chance to talk. Get comfortable. We have a lot to discuss."

* * *

"I can't believe we didn't think about this," I groaned, tugging at my blonde hair as I stared at an empty platform. Ruby stood next to me in a similar position, drawing out a long sigh. I rubbed my forehead. "How did we forget? Airships don't start arriving until nine on Sunday! It's barely eight right now!"

"Oh gods, this isn't good at all." Ruby grabbed my shoulders, jerking me towards her. "What are we going to do, Jaune? While the information we got from Nolan was nice, it's still off by half a day! Who knows where the Arrow will be by the time we get to the docks!" She shook my shoulders. "There's gotta be another way off of Beacon cliffs that's not by airship! Like an old pathway, or maybe a launch pad like the ones during Initiation!"

My mind raced, digging through everything in my head. Why did this sound so familiar? Come on, I remember talking to somebody about another way out of Beacon. When was it? I racked my brain for the answers. It had something to do with Nora and Ren. That I remember for sure. Something about not knowing that transport was free, and sneaking through a facility. I slapped my forehead. "Of course!"

The young leader turned towards me, raising her eyebrows. "What is it, Jaune? Did you figure something out?" I nodded, rushing towards the platform and gazing at the area around it. Okay, there's gotta be something here, like some kind of hatch, or maybe an automatic door. My eyes surveyed the ground only to find nothing of use. Nora said that they came out somewhere alongside the platforms; where is it?

A tiny detail caught my attention. A single round sheet of steel stuck out from the metallic platform. It almost blended in with the ground around it. In fact, the only reason I spotted it was because it was a duller shade than the rest of the ground. There's no way that could be just a coincidence. I took a couple of steps towards it, squatting down to get a closer look. It had the same shade as the cement around it. No wonder I didn't see it at first. This might be what we're looking for.

"What's over there, Jaune?" Ruby asked as she approached me. The girl looked over my shoulder before letting out a hum. "Doesn't that lead to the sewers or something?"

"Why would an airship platform need immediate access to the sewers?" My fingers started prying at a tiny gap on the edge of the manhole. With the help of **「** **EVERYDAY BOY,** **」** I can feel the density of the manhole drop. "Nora told me about one of her escapades with Ren. It involved riding an elevator up to an underground service tunnel right below Beacon and escaping through some sort of hatch. If they weren't trying to pull my leg—" I yanked upwards, flipping the metallic covering open. It swung alongside a hinge, slamming into the ground with a loud gong and revealing a set of ladder steps. "—This must be the spot."

She let out a cooing noise before stepping forwards and taking a small whiff. "It doesn't smell bad." Ruby's hands pressed against the edge of the hole. "Maybe you have a point here, Jaune." She leaned forwards, slipping down the dark hole. A grunt echoed from the caverns shortly afterward. "There's nothing wet down here! Come on down!"

I nodded, starting down the ladder before a thought hit me. With a shrug I grasped a handle on the manhole, closing it over us. Darkness shrouded us as the hatch shielded everyone from the sun. The only sources of light are the orange bulbs, and that didn't help with my vision at all. "Hey, Ruby?" I yelled down to the girl. "I could use a bit of light down here!"

A nervous chuckle vibrated through the tunnel. "Could you drop your scroll down here instead? Hehe… I forgot mine back in the dorms." A groan escaped my mouth. "I'm sorry Jaune. I forgot this one time! I mean it's not my fault anyways! Even if I did remember, Zwei was sleeping right next to my drawers! He would wake up and start barking if I came close to him!"

"Huh? Is Zwei a— You have a dog in your dorm? Isn't that against Beacon rules?" Ruby said nothing, letting out the whistle every person uses when they don't want to look suspicious. I sighed. "Whatever. I'll make my way down first." My fingers released the rungs as I dropped myself down to the ground. I landed feet first before I stumbled backward and landed on my rear. Ow, I should really get around to making a good landing strategy.

Ruby's voice echoed through the tunnel. "Woah! Jaune, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, bringing myself back to my feet and brushing myself off. "Bad landing, that's all." A press of a button activated the flashlight function, illuminating the tunnel with an artificial white light. That's much better. Ruby appeared in front of me as she shielded her eyes.

"Geez, Jaune! Don't flash it my way!"

"Oops! Sorry!" My wrist twisted the beam of light away from her face. "My bad!" Now that we weren't completely blinded by the darkness, I glanced around the corridor. In comparison to the science fiction-esque platform above us, the concrete surrounding us gives off a more industrial feel. Memories of old history lessons popped back into my mind. Didn't Mountain Glenn use a lot of concrete for all of their structures? I shook my head. Now's not the time to be thinking about history, Jaune! There's an Arrow we have to go after!

I hummed as I looked at the two directions. "Well, let's see. If I remember correctly, the platforms and the cliffside are to the right of this ladder." I twisted my body to the right. "So that means why need to go this way. I guess I'll lead, since I have the flashlight." Ruby nodded, staying close behind me as we started walking.

We didn't need to travel long. The hallway came to a dead end after a couple of minutes of walking. To our right was a giant elevator door. It looked like it was designed to bring in a ton of stuff, like a freighter. I let out a long whistle. "Man, I guess Nora was telling the truth then." I jammed my finger at the down button, causing the door to open and reveal a wide empty chamber. Several straps that looked like harnesses lined the walls. A handrail also ran around the room. Every couple of meters, there was a metal loop welded on. It's most likely a place for one of those mountain climber clip things to clip on to. It was called a carabiner, I think? But that didn't matter. I stared in awe. "Wow! That's a big room!"

Ruby cooed in awe as she stepped into the elevator, with me following close behind. "I can't believe they made elevators this big! I think we can fit an entire car in here! She smashed her fist against the only button available to us inside the elevator. "This is so cool! I can't believe we get to travel like this! Next stop, the docks!" I gave her a smile, but something was nagging me in the back of my head; there was something off about this.

"Wait a moment." My eyebrows furrowed as I watched the doors close on us. "I feel like there's something we're not considering." I tapped the base of my chin.

"Aw, come on Jaune! We couldn't be missing anything that important!" Ruby plopped against one side of the wall. "It should be like a normal elevator! Hit a button, and we sink down to the surface!"

"Yeah, I guess, but at the same time, we're really high up. Like, really high up."

Ruby gave me a shrug. "I'm not really getting what you're trying to say, Jaune."

My back pressed against the wall next to her. "Think about it. Beacon's roughly two and a half kilometers above sea level. Nobody's going to sit down there bored waiting for the elevator to come back down. So wouldn't it make sense for an elevator to move faster the taller a building is?" She nodded. "If we're moving really quickly, how are we supposed to stay in one spot?"

Right after I said that, the elevator floor fell away from us. A scream escaped from both of our mouths as we started floating in the air. My friend started drifting towards the center of the room. "Jaune!" Ruby waved her arms through the air, trying to swim towards me. Nothing really happened despite her efforts. "What's going on?" Somehow in my panic, I managed to register those words in my mind. The familiar feeling of nausea hit me.

My heart was pumping so fast that it felt like it was going to burst. I gagged, throwing my hands towards my mouth. "Freefall," I managed to get out. "We're free falling! Oh my gods, it makes sense now! That's what those harnesses on the side are for! We're supposed to strap ourselves in!" I grabbed the strap, wrapped it around my arm, and pulled myself towards the wall. "It's there to stop our fall!"

The girl paled as she heard the situation. "What? We are?" Her eyes glanced towards me. "But that's only for the workers without Aura, right?"

"But Aura can only go so far, Ruby! I'm sure Huntsmen still have landing strategies for a reason! If we land wrong, we can still hurt ourselves! But how are we going to perform a landing if we don't know where the ground is?"

At this point, Ruby's grew to the size of saucers. A shriek escaped her mouth. "What do I do?"

"I don't know, I've never been in a situation like this before!" I threw my arm at her. "Give me a hand or something!"

She nodded, summoning Rose. The white cloaked figure chopped at Ruby's right arm, severing it from the elbow down. The girl gasped as she grabbed the limb and threw it my way before dissolving into rose petals. My face crinkled up in disgust as I caught the arm. "That's not what I meant, but good enough!" Within moments, she rebuilt herself. Now fully completed, my friend snatched one of the harnesses and it around herself. How long are we going to fall? "Brace yourself, Ruby! We're going to hit the bottom any time now!" I shut my eyes, waiting for impact.

However, the elevator broke my expectations, instead slowing down to a gentle halt. We didn't even jerk around. Everything was completely smooth. My eyebrows flew up. What? We both made a sigh of relief as we unbuckled ourselves out of our harnesses. "Wait, what happened?" I asked as I slumped to the floor. "Shouldn't the landing be more violent? It felt like we were in freefall for way too long unless—" I slapped my face. "Oh yeah. Gravity Dust. Wow, now I feel really dumb."

"Not as dumb as I feel!" Ruby snapped back onto her feet, brushing dust off the front of her dress. "I chopped my arm off thinking I was going to spatter to a paste!" Yeah, that's true. She did panic for a moment there.

"Hey, at least I didn't throw up this time." I elbowed her in the arm. "It would suck if somebody figured out where we were because my stomach couldn't handle it."

The doors popped open, revealing a giant warehouse. Ruby swallowed down a gasp. The whole entire place was filled with boxes of various sizes and materials. Wooden boxes, metallic boxes, and cardboard boxes rested on giant metal shelves stretching stories high. Some of the crates were lying on the floor. Several workers in neon vests walked around the facility, working as usual.

I turned my head towards the young leader, who gave me a questioning look. "So, do you have a plan?" A smile formed on my face.

"Nora told me about this part as well." I took a step and looked around the area for what we need. "There're a lot of boxes in this place, more than a dozen workers can track. In fact, I don't think anybody will notice if a couple of them moved around on their own. After all, it's their job to move boxes around."

"What are you saying—" There! My hands grabbed an empty cardboard box. I chucked it at her. A yelp nearly escaped her mouth as she barely managed to catch it. The thing looked almost as big as her. As for myself, I took another cardboard box and slipped over me. From the handle hole, I could see her raising her eyebrows at me.

She couldn't see the stupid grin I have on my face. "Get in the box. We're sneaking out of here in style."

* * *

My fingers twirled around my favorite Zippo lighter. The metal container looked as if it walked across my fingers like magic. Of course, there's nothing magic about it. Simply sleight of hand and finger endurance. But people are so willing to buy into the mysterious. They always want to believe that there's something out there beyond our control; that we aren't the ultimate decider of our fates. Hah! Anybody who says that are content with being losers. They aren't willing to accept that we can recreate these incredible feats. However, I am. That's why I do what I do. I don't look to a higher power, hoping for a better future. I create my own magic.

With a twist of my fingers, the Zippo stood straight up between my index and thumb finger. With the other hand, I snatched a cigar that sat next to my favorite hat. With a quick flick of my thumb, I lit the tip up and took in a long drag. A feeling of euphoria ran through me as the smoke filled my lungs.

I let out a sigh, tapping the ashes off from the edge of the building. The cloud that escaped my mouth sank in the air. How long was I supposed to sit here? It's already bad enough that my employer's staying silent about her current plans. In fact, I don't understand why she wants me to deal with little Red and some blonde kid. They've been a nuisance for sure, but it didn't stop the Dust heists I've been performing for years. It's only now that she demanded that I hunt them down.

Maybe it had to do with the mythical spirit people the woman's been raving about. It's funny; I myself have one floating behind me, but at the same time, there's the pragmatic side of me saying that it's all hogwash. This little feud means so little to me. As long as little Red and her friends stay predictable, it's possible to work around them, but no. She wants them taken care of as soon as possible. Not my style at all. I'm not a thug, I'm a thief. My job is to avoid confrontation. It's my partner's job to manhandle everyone. But then again, she's in on this job as well, so I can't argue there. Her Stand's going to be critical for this assassination attempt.

The sounds of heavy breathing from afar caught my attention. Within moments, I sank as close to the edge as possible. My eyes squinted at the two figures right below me, one in red and one in white. A sigh escaped my mouth. There's no doubt. That's little Red and some blonde idiot. I should listen in a bit, see why they need to be put down.

"Jaune!" A female voice took in several deep breaths. "That was one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever done!" Sounds like little Red was talking to her friend. "I think we lost more time trying to sneak out of there than if we just waited for the airships to come!"

The blonde threw his hands up into the air. "I'm sorry! Who knew that crawling around in a box would be taxing? I mean Snake can do it for hours, and he did it risking death! I thought we can just as easily do it! And besides, I didn't expect one of the workers to pick the box I happened to be in! That was bad luck all around!"

Little Red opened her mouth as to say something before stopping. "Well, at least we made it to the docks. The Arrow and the creature must be around here somewhere." My eyes widened. So they know about that ornate arrow. One scratch from the arrowhead releases a Stand within a user with strong willpower. I would know this: after all, somebody jabbed the Arrow into my and Neo's back the moment we agreed to take on this job. My face crinkled as I reached for spot right under my neck. It wasn't a fun experience, that's for sure.

I kept watch of the two children. If they know the secret of the Arrow, then they must already be Stand users. No wonder my employer wanted them dead. They can topple whatever plan she has up her sleeves. My pragmatic side wants to slip away right then and there. Why stick my neck out for my employer? She's bitten off more than she could chew, especially knowing little Red.

My thoughts went back to my hidden partner. But if we leave now, our old life of stealing would end here. Nobody's going to let two Stand users wander around the city unhindered. We would have to be on the run for the rest of our lives with those ideological fools hunting us down to the ends of Remnant. Our only chance of continuing this life, of escaping the cycle lies in our ability to pull this run off. I gritted my teeth on the burning cigar. Offing two kids is a scummy thing to do, even if they did interfere in my work many, many times. But it was to survive…

The caped girl placed her hands over her eyes, surveying the area. I backed myself a bit further, so that they didn't spot me. "So where do we start?" From the corner of my eye, a dark creature leaped out into the open, landing on a metal container with a loud clunk. Everybody's eyes turned towards the monster. The children let out a gasp.

The blonde was the first to react to its sudden appearance. "Wait. Ruby, is that—?"

What am I looking at? It's like a creature of Grimm, yet different. Its skin was black, yet the bony structure commonly associated with the Grimm is absent. Dark, glowing eyes glowed through its eye sockets. The figure reminded me of a young infant, maybe a year old or so. The humanoid monster danced on top of the box before pulling out the Arrow. My eyes widened in shock. How did this thing get the Arrow from my employer? In fact, what is that thing doing? It's holding one of the most valuable artifacts to date, and it chooses to show it off to the two people hunting it down?

"Jaune, after it!" Little Red sprinted towards the creature. "It's got the Arrow!" She leaped on top of the metal container, only for the little baby to titter and jump right off. The blonde boy dove after it, but it jumped just as it landed, avoiding the boy and bouncing towards the warehouse I'm on top of. Wait a minute. Is that thing… our ally? I shook my head. No way. People aren't friends with the Grimm. No, it looks like it just wants to mess with these two. However, it is going in the direction I want to go. Originally I was going to bait them into entering the warehouse, but if that thing's the bait…

A smile crawled across my face. My employer didn't mention this fact, but I'll take what I can get. My hand reached for my bowler hat and I rested it on my head. The other thumbed at a scroll, typing out a message.

 _Neo, targets coming into range. Activate_ **「** _ **CORNERSTONE.**_ **」** I sent the text, pocketed my scroll, and grabbed my cane. I snatched a knife and stuffed it into my sleeve, letting the object be swallowed up in its bagginess. And like that, it's like it completely disappeared. A whistle escaped my mouth as I made my way towards the roof entrance. Roman, it's your time to shine! Time to put these kids in their place. It's **「** **CHAINING DAY.** **」**

* * *

"Hey, come back here!" I yelled as I leaped off of the metal container. Jaune got up from his dive, making a sprint towards the Arrow carrier. The creature didn't stop, instead moving towards the warehouse in front of us. My heart pounded as I considered this stroke of luck. What are the odds that we would just run into it just like this? We can't let the opportunity slip through our fingers! This is the best chance at stopping the monster from creating new Stand users!

I let out a growl as I ran towards it. If only the creature wasn't floating so high up. I would be able to tackle it out of the air with a single use of my Semblance. In fact, if I had Crescent Rose with me here, I can just shoot it out of the air! But we're stuck on the ground, while that thing's in the air. How on Remnant could that thing fly? It doesn't even have any wings!

Before I could think of anything else, the monster flew into an open window of the warehouse, disappearing out of sight. "Ruby!" Jaune sounded hoarse. "We have to run in! We're going to lose it otherwise!"

"I know!" My eyes ran along the wall, looking for any way we could get in. I smiled as I spotted a small side door. "Over there!" I pointed at the structure. "I'll ram it open, and then you come in with your sword out! We'll close all of the windows and doors, and then we have all the time in the world to take the Arrow back!" Jaune didn't say a word, instead slowing down his breathing. I braced myself as the door approached me. This was going to hurt.

With a strong burst of super speed, I smashed through the door, breaking it into little bits. Wood splinters forced me to close my eyes as I landed on the ground. I can hear the boy's footsteps follow me into the building and the sounds of a sword being unsheathed. "Um, Ruby?" Jaune had a tone of confusion in his voice. "You're gonna want to see this."

My eyes popped open, seeing that I'm not lying on cement like I thought I would. Instead, a rough beige carpet entered my sight. What in the world? I looked up. We were in a corridor, similar to what one might find in an apartment in the city of Vale. It had a nice, warm feel to it, with various painting hanging on the walls. A small side table rested to the left of me. Another room was visible from where I am, most likely the kitchen or main room. A stairwell sat right past the table. I pushed myself up to a standing position.

"Jaune, where are we?" I brushed myself off as I asked the question. "I don't think that this is a warehouse building."

He shrugged. "I'm not too sure myself. This is weird. It doesn't look like the building we entered." The boy let out a hum as he looked over at the table. "Hey, there's a scrap of paper there." My eyes turned over to my left. There is something written on it. "Try reading it or something."

I nodded, snatching the paper up in my hands.

 _In a single blink, I found myself seated at a fancy wooden desk. Wait, when did I end up here? Wasn't I standing up a moment— My hand within a pink and white coat reached for a pen on the table. Why do I have a white coat on? I tried pulling away, only to find that nothing I do works. I felt my face grow clammy as the realization hit me. This is bad. Really bad. I can't control my body._

 _There was nothing I could do but watch as I wrote something down on a piece of paper._ To the person reading this right now. _My throat became dry in fear. Now I know for sure that's not me. Who's writing the letter?_ If you are reading this, you are stuck in my **「** **CORNERSTONE.** **」** It's too late for you. No matter what you do, there is no way for you to exit my home.

I yelped as I dropped the paper. Within moments I found myself back to the hallway. What did I see back there? That didn't matter. What's important now is that I warn my friend.

The boy looked at me with some concern. "Ruby, are you alright? What happened—"

"Jaune! This is a trap!" That shut him up, causing him to pucker his lips in worry. "This house is the work of an enemy Stand! We have to get out of here now!" My body twisted one-hundred and eighty degrees. The door was fixed, closed shut in its frame. I grabbed the doorknob and twisted. Nothing. The thing won't budge! I slammed my body into the wooden structure. "Open up!"

"Wait, let me try." I backed off, giving Jaune some space. He touched the side of the door before leaning back. His right leg was twitching, ready to kick down the obstacle in front of us. "One, two, three!" With a furious roar, he slammed his foot with all the force he could manage. But it wouldn't budge. "That's impossible," he gasped as he stepped back. "I reduced the density of the door and increased the density of my foot. There's no way it should still be standing."

My back pressed against the wall as I summoned Rose in front of me. Two thoughts ran through my mind as I scanned the area. Who's trying to hunt us down? And more importantly, how do we get out of here?

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 6/23/17**

* * *

 **And with that, the next Stand battle begins now. I'll give Internet cookies to anyone who can figure out either the inspiration for** **「** **CORNERSTONE** **」and** **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」or their abilities.**

 **Now for my explanation of not liking having so much time to myself. Normally when people hear free time, they'll jump on it. But I actually dread an extended amount of free time. Why? Well, I know for a fact that I've suffered burnout when I just spend all of my time throwing myself into writing. School work, as silly as it sounds, provided me with a way to reorganize all of my thoughts and just focus on another task. It also forced me to be efficient with my time, since I only have two hours before I go to school then two more during free periods. I like the pressure of not having all of the time in the world.**

 **Now that that's gone, I fear for the burnout. Plus, I rarely spend all day writing. I know that I'm most productive in the morning, but as soon as the afternoon hits and I eat lunch, I start watching videos to keep myself distracted while eating, and before I know it, I have no motivation to write.** **Granted, the buffer's big enough that I can keep posting chapters without having to write for the rest of the year. But I really want to make this the best story people will enjoy reading. So yeah. Honestly, this affects nothing on story posting. Just a rant on the dangers of too much free time.**

 **I don't think there's anything else to say. Time for the reviews!**

 **alexc123: The person behind all of the Stands... I've already dropped a couple of hints on who that could be. But I can't wait for the day I can show the mastermind behind all of this!**

 **Galer: Thank you, Galer. In my opinion, Yang is doing it to keep what happened out of her mind. Humor is one of the best ways to deal with the messed up nature of the world, after all.**

 **darkmist111: Thank you so much for all of the Stand suggestions! It's nice to see Stand ideas that other people have. Although I have to note that at this point of time, I now have a full list of all of the Stand abilities I want to have in this story proper. While I love receiving Stand abilities and thinking through how it will affect the story, it's unlikely that I'll incorporate any suggested Stands from this point onwards. But thank you darkmist for all of your suggestions anyways!**

 **doa570047: You were expecting a White Fang user, but it was Roman! (And Neo too.) But thank you for the compliment about the ending of Belfry Falls! I hope the rest of the battles will reach those same standards when it comes to fights!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you, greenscoop! Nolan will still have a part within the story, although it's going to be more limited in scope. I kinda like thinking of it in terms of Part 4 of JoJo. Characters come and go, living their own lives. Although I will attempt to fix the issue of them just straight up disappearing from the story until the very end.**

 **And that's all for today! I'll see you guys next time when Ruby and Jaune explore** **「CORNERSTONE!」**

 _ **Next Chapter Date: June 23, 2017**_


	13. Cornerstone and Chaining Day - Part 1

**Happy Friday, everyone! I'm back with another chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure! Anyways, I want to give a quick thanks to Baz'az'Zul on Discord for helping me beta the chapter this time around! As for the beta I normally have, THE L0NE WANDERER, I don't really know where he is right now. Maybe he went on vacation or something. Currently he isn't responding. But until he gets back to me, I'm going to assume that he isn't going to beta for me anymore.**

 **Besides that, there really isn't much to say. On with the story!**

* * *

 _ **Beta: Baz'az'Zul from Discord**_

* * *

I held my sword up as I pressed myself against a wall. Ruby's right beside me, choosing to stay behind Rose. I wanted to slap myself. Someone's hunting us down, and we just waltzed right into their trap! My eyes glanced around the empty corridor as a sense of dread built up in my chest. What can this Stand do? It obviously trapped us in here, but there's no way that's its only ability. There's gotta be something to this house that we don't know about. There has to be something else, something that spooked Ruby when she touched the paper.

Who's the Stand user? The fact that somebody trapped us here points to somebody who might want us dead. Could it be one of the criminals Team RWBY fought back during the first semester? Where could that person be right now? Depending on how big this house is, it might take us awhile to beat up the Stand user. And granted, I can only see the corridor that we entered, but it could potentially be a giant, sprawling building.

Which brings us to what might be my most important question: how do we leave this place? If we don't get out of here in time, we're going to lose the creature and with it the Arrow. We're so close to stopping it right now. If we can't… Visions of Team RWBY and JNPR gaining Stands appeared in my mind. Would they be like Nolan, unaware of the destruction they can cause? Will we have to pummel our friends to the brink of death just to save everyone else? And considering how dangerous Stand abilities are, there's a chance that one of us can go too far and actually— I shuttered before shaking my head. Don't think about it, Jaune. Make sure it never happens.

But there's another reason we should make this fast; we don't know what's going to happen to us. Nolan's Stand according to Ruby paralyzed everybody and nearly exploded everyone. Something like this can happen here, too. The sooner we escape, the less time we can be exposed to this Stand's abilities. But we need to figure out the Stand's ability first, right?

"Hey Ruby?" The girl jumped, shooting a glance at me as I lowered my sword. "What happened when you touched the paper? What's on it?" I started reaching for it.

"Jaune, don't touch it!" My hand stopped in midair. "I don't know what's going on, but when I touched it, I got transported into some sort of vision. Before I knew it, I was writing the thing on the page!"

"You… were writing the note? That doesn't sound that bad, but… Alright, I won't touch." I leaned down to inspect the paper. We're lucky that the text landed face up. I don't know what we were going to do if it didn't. "Okay. 'If you are reading this, you are stuck in my **「** **CORNERSTONE.** **」** It is too late for you. There is no way for you to exit my home." Shivers went down my spine. Does that mean we're trapped here? Is the house the Stand? I continued reading.

"However because it wouldn't be fun otherwise, let me tell you a secret about my Stand. One of the items in this house holds the key to escaping **「** **CORNERSTONE.** **」** We will not go after you if you can leave without dying." My eyes widened at that. So there is a way to get out! I continued: "However, there are a lot of items that have sentimental value to us. If you touch something that isn't yours, there will be a price to pay." I puckered my lips. A price to pay. What does that mean? "And by the way, one of us will be at home ready to kill you. The other will be watching very closely."

The room got a couple of degrees colder. My head yanked up, trying to spot anyone watching us. Nothing but two mirrors hanging on opposite sides of each other. "Ruby," I hissed at the girl. She jerked up in surprise. "We have to get out of here. What else did you see in the vision? Maybe it might give us a clue about what we need to find."

"That's all." She gave me a shrug. "That's all I saw myself doing: write the note. I don't remember seeing anything else." I let out a sigh at that. Well, that makes our task a lot harder. The girl let out a hum. "I mean, we can just search the house. From the looks of it, the building isn't as big as it looks to be. It's similar in style to a small home in the residential district. One of my friends back at Signal had a house similar to this. I think we can search through the entire place without losing too much time."

My lips pressed against each other. "I don't think there's anything else we can do but search for the key out. So, should we start with the door on the right?" I pointed Crocea Mors towards the white painted door. "I'll go in first with the shield up, and you keep my back safe from anyone attacking." She nodded, and with a grunt, I threw the door open.

I glanced around the room. In contrast to the carpet flooring in the corridors, the whole entire room had nothing but concrete. Visible wooden beams lined the walls without any plaster to cover it up. Each beam had hooks holding several workshop tools, from screwdrivers and hammers to more specialized stuff that I couldn't recognize. A cherry red luxury car with an open canopy sat close to the side of the room opposite of us, tricked out with a bunch of unusual modifications. For some odd reason, there was a mirror hanging on the wall closest to the car.

But the thing that caught my attention is the sheer amount of items stacked in one corner against the garage door. My jaw dropped looking at it. There's so much junk in one place! In that pile, I found monitors, children's toys, several umbrellas, silverware, books, scrolls, weaponry from muskets and swords to modern mechashift, way too many cardboard boxes and so much more! And this is just in the garage! What are the odds that the thing we're looking for is the one we need to escape?

A meep escaped my friend's mouth. "Wow… that's a lot of stuff to go through." She turned towards me. "How do we know if we found the thing we're looking for?" I shrugged.

"Who knows? But we have to start with something." I glanced at the giant pile of items, thinking through my options before turning towards the car. "Maybe we should start big, like this car. We're looking for something that can unlock our way out. What if it's something literal, like a key?" I pulled the car door open and slipped in. "If so, then there's a chance that the owners left the keys inside a car. If we snatch it, then we can get out!"

"Yeah, I guess… Oh." Ruby walked over to the front of the car and frowned. "This one looked like it got into a pretty big accident; like it crashed into a tree or something."

I ignored the comment, leaning towards the passenger seat and opening the glove compartment. My hand grabbed the wheel for a bit of stability.

 _Before I knew it, I found myself driving down the streets of Vale in the moonlight. The wind whipped my face as I shifted the car up a gear. A torrent of air blew through my hair as I flew down these empty streets. The street lights zoomed past, with the indicator on the speed dial crawling up to one-eighty km/h. My heart beat faster and faster with every increase in speed. Adrenaline filled my body, making me shiver in delight. I felt free going at these speeds like I had control of my life. Like I was the king of the world and I could do whatever I want._

 _Wait a minute, I can't drive. I've never taken a class! My family either walked everywhere or took an airship! I glanced around. Isn't this the car I was searching through just a few moments ago? Something's not right. I was in a garage just a couple of moments ago, now I'm on the streets. And I'm sure that it was daytime when we went into_ _ **「**_ _ **CORNERSTONE.**_ _ **」**_ _Is this what Ruby's talking about? These are the visions she was talking about?_

" _Neo, you getting a handle of the stick?" My head turned around involuntarily, meeting the green eyes of a man in a suit. He let out a whoop as his hand held his hat down onto his bright red hair. "Whew! 'Cause you're killing it! I knew it was a good idea to try this baby out before we sell it! Man, what a rush!"_

 _My mouth let out a high-pitched giggle, way higher than my usual pitch. Almost like… like a girl. And while I'm at that, who's Neo? I tried turning my head, only to find that it wouldn't move. I can't move! No… my body's moving fine, but it's not listening to me. But is this even my own body? Is this Neo's body I'm in?_

 _My mind raced as I watched the buildings fly by like nothing. This can't just be a vision. It's like I'm living through a flashback of this girl's life. There has to be something more to this. Why would I be going through this memory otherwise? Whatever it is, it must be the key to figuring out how to get out of here. It might be the secret to_ _ **「**_ _ **CORNERSTONE.**_ _ **」**_

" _Hey, Neo." The redhead jammed a finger to the left. "As fun as this is, we gotta get back and finish the delivery. Client's going to get angry with us if we don't bring the car back for him to inspect." This Neo let out a whine, rolling her eyes. Yeah, so I'm in Neo's body. That's for sure. "Hey, rules are rules. We're going to need the money, and we can't leave him hanging. You know how it is."_

" _Fine," the girl responded, making a sharp left at the intersection. She let a hmph, twisting her face in a pout._

" _Aww, come on Neo. Don't give me that." She didn't respond, instead keeping her silence. The man beside me scratched his head, his face twisting forlornly. "Tell you what. We'll go out to Hathor's Ice Cream Parlor after this, get your favorite. Tab's on me. That good with you?" A smile crawled across the girl's face. I wonder what's she's thinking about._

 _Before I could consider that, the sounds of police sirens resonated through the air, rattling my— no, her body. Her smile dropped at that. Roman jerked his head back, letting out a hiss. "It's the cops! Come on! Let's lose them!" She nodded, jerking the wheel to the right._

 _My stomach lurched as Neo took the car into a wild direction, drifting through a city intersection right as the opposite side turned green. Wild sounds of horns ensued behind me; what they were honking at I cannot see. The squealing of rubber and metal crumbling registered in my ears as we made our getaway. Left, right, right, then left again. Every turn I made sent me careening through the streets and left sounds of mayhem behind us. I want to look behind so bad to make sure the police were okay, but I can't move my head!_

 _Another yank of the wheel steered the cherry red beast right into a narrow alleyway. All I can do was watch in horror as we drove through several trash cans, sending their contents flying over us. One last crash sounded behind me before we took a sharp left onto a small and thin street. I never felt my heart pound so quickly trying to get away from the cops, and I'm technically not the one driving it! Never in my life would I even imagine myself driving a car, let alone running away from the police in a stolen vehicle!_

 _But just as quickly as it began, the police sirens faded into the air as we made some distance. "I think we lost them," Roman stated as he turned back to face the front. He gave off a long sigh. "Thank gods they didn't have the hindsight to bring any Bullheads or place spike traps on the more obscure roads." Her head turned towards Roman as he glanced at his scroll. "Looks like we're close to the drop off point. Take another turn here and— my gods, Neo watch out!"_

 _What the— Her head turned back, only for her eyes to widen as I— she— we saw a car coming right towards us. My hand jerked at the wheel, swerving the car back into the right lane and narrowly dodging the car passing us. At the same time, the car squealed as the tires just couldn't get a grip on the road. No jerk on the wheel could help her regain control fast enough. A streetlight approached us at breakneck speeds. Her legs slammed on the brakes, but we were just too close. Her eyes widened at the sight of the incoming pole. It was like that odd moment where you're aware of everything that's going on, but you just can't do anything to stop it._

 _The front of the car crumpled as we smashed right into it, launching me— no, her flying into the air. My legs flared in pain as they crashed through the window, creating long shards that sunk deep into my thighs, my calves, my everything. I twirled in the air. What a weird sensation. There's no way to describe it. Her throat let out a scream as she and I fell towards the ground, the corner of the curb coming dangerously close to my left temple._

Ruby jerked me out of the car, dragging me back into the garage. My eyes blinked furiously. Wha? I collapsed to the floor breathing hard. Beads of sweat are just running down my face and back. "Jaune!" she yelled as she pressed her hands down against my legs. "What happened back there? Two seconds ago you touched the wheel. Then you just… froze in place before screaming as blood shot out from your legs!" What? I looked down to see the red liquid staining my jeans. Several cuts existed in the same spots as where the glass shards hit me in the vision. I called back my Stand, and with that, the wounds faded away at my very eyes.

"I… I think I know what we're in right now." I gave her a stern stare as the wounds faded away. "Whenever we touch an item, we live through a memory of a certain person, right?" She nodded. "Ruby… I saw myself running away from the cops before the car crashed. That's someone's memory. You know, there's something I remember seeing on the CCT that reminds me of what we're experiencing. What was the name?" I tapped the base of my chin. "It was something like memory map or something?" I snapped my fingers. "Mind palace! That's what it is!"

"Mind palace?" Ruby raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What's that?"

"A memorization tool." I pointed around the garage. "The idea is that you imagine something that you are extremely familiar with. Something that doesn't take a lot of effort to remember perfectly. For most people, it's usually their house. They imagine every single detail in the house, from how it is structured to the things they keep in it. It's easier than it sounds if you live in one place for so long. Every item is associated with something you want to remember, whether it's a pattern or a memory. If you need to remember something, you travel through the memory palace and look for the item. If you do that, then you can remember almost anything."

I let out a groan as I pushed myself up. My legs are more or less okay now. That's fine. Ruby raised her eyebrows before letting out an ohh. "So what we're looking for is a memory of how to get out?"

"Yeah, that seems to be the case."

"But in this sea of stuff, how are we gonna find it?" She gave a nervous glance at the pile of stuff next to us. "If everything in this house is connected to a memory, how are we gonna find the one we need? Jaune, you got cut up touching a car wheel for two seconds, and you had your legs sliced into ribbons! What if future memories are worse?"

"Well, I think most of the injuries must be survivable. If they weren't, then we wouldn't be trapped here in the first place because the user would be dead. Every memory within this place is a memory that shouldn't kill us. Besides, we can just pull back our Stands and have our Aura heal us." I glanced at my scroll. The accident alone took roughly five percent of my Aura. "It can't possibly get much worse than a car crash. That stuff's usually fatal."

Ruby let out a hum. "Yeah, that's true. A regular civilian wouldn't have experienced that much accidents and injuries. But at the same time, didn't you say that you were driving away from the police?" I nodded. She continued: "Shouldn't that mean that this Stand user's a criminal? No matter how small time, they would probably have some tough memories to move past."

She has a point. This can't just be some ordinary person. Why would the Arrow choose an average person to be a Stand user? Back in the hospital, Rose said how only the strong-willed can use Stands in the first place. How many civilians have those qualities of determination? I let out a sigh. "That's probably the case. But we also don't have much of a choice. We have to risk it, or we're not getting out of here. Plus, isn't there supposed to be another person in here? The last thing we need is to have that person tracking us down before we can find the key out of here."

"… Alright. I'll try to start with something safer." She went up to the pile and looked through its contents. "Maybe this little plastic oven toy. How could this go wrong?" Ruby snatched up the container and froze in place. Without warning my friend let out a yelp, dropping the oven and flicking her hand in pain. "Ow! Hot! Geez, how did this person manage to burn herself on a toy oven?" I bit my lip as I glanced at one of the mirrors, barely noticing some kind of shadow disappear from sight. Was that… the user? I held my sword out and sighed. Oh boy. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

A sigh escaped from my mouth as Jaune and I left the garage, turning right into the hallway. The blonde next to me threw his hands around as we made our way into the main living room. "Ruby, you have to agree with me: there's no way one person could have that much bad luck! This girl's gotten into a car accident, burned herself on a toy oven, cut herself on plastic packaging, getting hit by a baseball bat on accident, beaten up with a baseball bat by an angry bartender, and has gotten run over by a stray bicycle! And that's just the stuff in the garage!"

"Don't forget the one where she faceplanted against the desk after a spider jumped her." I shivered at that memory. "How can one person slam their face so hard that a tooth gets loose? But hey, at least it's not along the lines of getting into a car accident. You know, maybe she keeps all of her bad memories in the garage."

He gave me a shrug. "Maybe. But at the same time, this is taking a toll on our Aura. Small nicks that we would shrug off every day just appearing on us through a memory… I don't miss not having Aura. Man, getting hurt without Aura sucks!"

"Well, look at the bright side. At least we don't have to check the garage anymore. That's one room down." We walked into the big living room and screeched to a halt. My jaw flew open as I felt the blood drain from my face. The junk pile here is even bigger than the one in the garage! Like if the one inside the garage was a hill, this was a mountain! If the garage looked packed, then this room was filled to the brim! Are we ever going to get out of here at this rate?

"Oh my gods. Where are we going to start?" Jaune asked as he smacked his face and groaned. "I swear, everything here is a deathtrap just waiting to happen!"

I glanced at all of the items within the room. Come on, something's gotta be safe. The smooth texture of silk caught my eye. "Well, let's try this umbrella." I pointed to a pink one with white lacing. "I mean, it's an umbrella. What could go wrong?"

Jaune shrugged. "I'd be worried about poking my eyes out, knowing this girl's luck."

"Oh, come on, Jaune! Compared to everything else, this couldn't hurt me that bad!" Before he can say anything else, I snatched the handle.

 _Rain started pouring down on me as I found myself in a dark alleyway. The skies were gray, clouds snatching the sunlight away from the ground. The water hitting me came down in a heavy torrent, soaking the girl's brunette hair to the roots. I wanted to wipe the raindrops off of her face; they were clouding up her vision. She didn't do that. I think every inch of her body was drenched in the rain except for her torso._

 _The only reason why her body didn't get wet was the trash bag she wore over her body, which served as a makeshift poncho. But even with the poncho she still shivered whenever the wind picked up, causing me to feel the chill as well. Well, this is different. Before there were memories of her living in a home. Not too well off, but a decent home nevertheless. But she looked like a toddler then. In this memory, her body still looked young, maybe ten years old at this point. What could've happened to her that she would end up on the streets?_

 _Her eyes glanced up and out of the alleyway. The sounds of chatting and laughter caught my host's attention as she looked out of the dirty corridor and into the actual streets. Several umbrellas of various vibrant colors popped into view alongside men and women wearing beautiful outfits, expensive looking outfits. This must be within the city of Vale, probably within the Commercial District somewhere. A pang of sadness hit me in the chest. It felt so sad to see all of these people pass by all nice and dry and safe while this girl could only stare out in wonder at the beautiful colors outside her shelter._

 _The girl's stomach growled. She let out a soft whine before turning away from the colorful canopy of umbrellas. The boring browns and grays of the alleyway came back into her world. Another small grumble escaped her mouth as she approached one of the trashcans. Wait, she is planning to—_

 _She lifted one of the garbage lids open. The foul odor of rotting food mixed together bashed me right in the face, nearly knocking me out. If I can get knocked out in the first place. Every instinct wanted me to retch, but I couldn't control her body. The girl did crinkle her nose in disgust, so that's a plus. My sight involuntarily turned towards the mixture. A sickening mush of various fruits and vegetables covered the sides of the garbage can. The rotting plants had a pale brown color. Leftovers from a local cafe mixed and churned together with the rainwater, creating a runny soupy substance. A half eaten loaf of bread rested on top of all of that. I wanted to cry at the horrible sight._

 _My heart dropped as the girl reached in for the bread, dipping it into the mixture. No! What are you doing? That can't possibly be safe to eat! You'll get germs or something! The girl ignored my pleas for mercy, instead raising the piece a bread to her chest. If I had control of my stomach, it would be churning in disgust. The smell hit me yet again now that the loaf was close to my face. I can make out a few fuzzy green spots growing on the bread. Her hands shook as she considered the simple "meal" in front of her. I'm trying my best to get her to stop. Don't do it, it's just going to come back up—_

 _Without any hesitation, she took the biggest bite out of the loaf as she could. Tears ran down her face as the foul taste tainted her mouth. I wanted to spit it out so bad. The poor girl gagged as her tongue brushed against the furry fungus. Yet she still went on chewing. The already terrible taste became even worse as I could make out a hint of bitterness. Oh, gods! Please spit it out, please spit it out, please—_

 _In a single gulp, the girl swallowed the mixture, letting out a small burp. The aftertaste sent her stomach churning, causing her to retch. A hand flew up to her face as she fell to her knees, weathering out the instinct to hurl her meal out. Retching slowly transformed into gagging, then into long gasps for air. I felt sick of myself watching this girl's agony. How long do I have to watch this girl suffer just to eat a meal? What's the point of seeing all of this? And what does an umbrella have to do with watching this girl eat trash?_

 _Before long the feeling of sickness started to pass. Her breath started to become more relaxed and controlled. Any semblance of sweat on her forehead was washed away by the rain. A sigh escaped her mouth as she propped herself on a nearby wall, looking at the half-eaten loaf. It's still as disgusting as ever. Her mouth drooled at the sight. Yet it's the only thing she can eat. She readied herself for yet another bite. Oh no, not again!_

" _Hey you! Get back here with my purse!" The high-pitched cries of some lady stopped the girl from taking another bite. "Somebody help me! Thief! Thief! Arrest that scum of a Remnan!" She curled up at the sounds of that, pulling the bread close to her chest. The sounds of footsteps breaking through a puddle registered in her ears. Her other hand snatched a piece of piping that laid on the floor nearby her. The girl held the makeshift weapon close, ready to hit whoever would come her way._

 _A young boy around my age passed through, looking back in a panic. In his hands were a bright pink handbag and an expensive looking umbrella. He had an ugly brown hoodie draped over his body, making him look big. The hood was pulled up as far as possible, covering his head almost completely. An olive green scarf covered up his face, only revealing emerald eyes full of fear and determination. He knelt down near a dumpster and peered out from the corner._

" _Is she still following me?" he whispered to no one in general, instead focusing on the opening of the alleyway. I don't think he noticed the girl in the trash bag. Minutes passed in silence. The sounds of the yelling woman faded away under the noisy rain. The boy let out a relieved sigh. "Whew, that was close. She would've had my head on a pike. Now to see what I won." A giggle of glee escaped his mouth as he popped the bag open and dumped all of the contents onto the ground. Out came a bunch of cosmetics. Lipstick, mascara, blush, foundation, and various other canisters clacked against the ground._

 _He let out a groan. "That's it? All I managed to steal is some girl's makeup? There's got to be more than this! Come on, no lien? No credit cards to siphon money from?" The thief ripped into the bag, checking every single corner for something. "Aw man!" He tossed the bag on the wall in disgust. "And I thought I chose a good target this time. There's no way a guy like me can show my face selling makeup! Ugh, this sucks!" He let out an annoyed sigh, glancing at the last possession in hand. "Well, at least I still have this umbrella."_

 _The pipe slid through the girl's grip, clanging against the cement. A small eep escaped her mouth at the sound. He turned his head towards her before his eyes widened. "Oh gods, no." She brandished the tube as she pressed her back to the wall. His hands flew to the air. "Whoa! Calm down, girl! I'm not going to hurt you!" The boy started backing away from her. "I'm going on my way right now, but please. Don't tell anybody about what happened. I— I'll give you these cosmetics!" He snatched a canister from the ground and offered it to the girl. "You can sell it for lien! Just don't tell anybody about where I am!"_

 _She shook her head. "Don't want makeup." Her other hand slipped out from the poncho, revealing the piece of bread. "Give me food." The boy's hand dropped._

" _Really? That's it? No money, no nothing? Just decent food?" Her head nodded. The thief dipped his hands into his pocket. "Well, okay. I think I have some cans back at home. I can give you one. But after that, we're good. You won't tell anyone about what I did or where I live, okay?" The girl hummed for a moment before nodding again. With that he popped open the pink umbrella, creating a pink canopy that shielded the two from the torrent. The girl's eyes widened as her eyes followed the intricate design of the lacing. It's a pretty design, to be honest._

 _The two of us took a brisk walk, only a couple of minutes or so until we reached a dingy apartment building. The brick structure was in a state of disrepair. Wooden doors boarded up the broken windows from the inside and moss hung from the ledge of the roof. The boy let out a quiet hum, fishing out something from his pockets. "Well, here we are." He spun a key around his index finger as he admired the building. "It's not the nicest place to live in, but that's going to change soon. Real soon I hope."_

 _A loud creak escaped from the door as the two of them entered the home. Dust from the stale air filled her lungs, irritating them. I wanted to let out a cough, but the girl didn't do so, only waving her hand to swat the worst of the dust away. The room that greeted us only had a couch wrapped in plastic. Most likely furniture abandoned by the last tenant. The walls were bare, showing off their faded striped pattern in their full broken glory. A brick fireplace rested on the far wall. The ash on it looked undisturbed for quite some time. In the center was a small spin table with a lump of something on it. It kinda reminded me of colored clay. Various tools rested on top of them._

 _Before the girl could open her mouth, the host sat her down on the couch. With the coat and hoodie off, he looked neater. A gray cardigan sat over a cotton white shirt, both hugging his figure tightly. Dark slacks completed the look. The removal of the hood revealed a bright red head of hair and a decent looking face. If it wasn't for the fact that he was poor, he "Just sit here for now. I'll get a can of corn and a spoon. That good?" She gave him a nod of affirmation. Not a minute passed staring at the fireplace when the boy shoved an open can into the girl's hands. Her eyes widened at the sight before she dug right in._

 _It was quiet for awhile, the only sounds coming from the hungry chewing of the girl. The redhead was the first to cut through the silence, stating: "Hey, what's your name?"_

 _Bits of corn fell from the girl's mouth as she looked up. "Neo."_

" _Oh, okay." He glanced down onto the floor for a moment. Is he trying to make small talk with this Neo? He looked back up. "What about favorite things? Is there anything you like?"_

 _The girl hummed at the question, kicking her feet against the plastic wrap. "Roosters are cool."_

 _A smirk appeared on his face. "Roosters, huh? Why roosters?" The girl shrugged, continuing to eat. He played around with his fingers. "So how did you end up on the streets?" Neo stopped chewing. Small tears started forming on the edges of her vision. He looked at her in concern. "Is it too hard for you to say?" She nodded, sniffling a bit. The boy sighed. "Okay then. Don't say anything then. It's better for you that way. Sucks that I can't follow my own advice. I like talking too much for my own good. Do you mind if I do? Talk, I mean." Neo shook her head._

 _The thief leaned back and hummed. "So I'm living in a place like this. You're living… out there. Do you ever wonder what it's like to be rich?" He turned towards the fireplace. "For most of my life, ever since I saw the rich walk on the streets, I wanted to be rich and famous. You know, like the people living in the Upper District. I wear stuff to make me look rich, but I want the real deal. I don't want to keep living in this place alone forever, just rotting in these kinds of buildings without a penny to spare."_

 _He held his hands out, lost in his own vision. "I want to live in a big house, with a ton of stuff to fill it with. Not like this empty, dirty place. I want to be someone people consider important, doing what I love." He gestured to the table of clay. "I want to do whatever I want without having to sell it away to stay alive. But nobody wants to hire a kid. Nobody wants to buy clay sculptures from some kid on the streets. There's no way for me to survive, let alone grow rich. So I steal. I commit crimes. It's the only way to keep living, no, to succeed with the cards people like us are dealt." The boy waved it off. "But that doesn't matter. We're not going to see each other after this." The girl looked down to see an empty can. He must've noticed too, considering the look on his face. "Well, I guess it's time for you to leave."_

 _Neo placed the can to the side before standing up and starting for the door. "Wait." She stopped and turned around. A silky material slipped into her hands. "I don't think I can sell this umbrella either without getting caught. Go ahead and have it. It's still a rainy day, after all. But a little advice from me, I would stain it or put dents into the thing so it looks like you rooted it from the trash."_

 _She gripped the colorful canopy in her hands and gave the boy a big smile. "Thank you."_

 _"Hey, anything to keep surviving. It's not often people listen to me in the first place." He gave the girl a toothy grin. "When I get big, give big thanks to Roman Torchwick, okay?"_

"… Wow." I stepped away from the table, dropping the umbrella to the floor. "I can't believe it… this girl knew Torchwick? But he's a terrible person! He steals Dust from stores!" How could a kid like him grow up to be such a horrible person? He's… he was such a good person back then! He helped that girl out for no apparent reason! This can't be right, this can't be the Torchwick I fought at the Dust store or in the highways—

"Ruby, watch out!" My foot slipped on the rug, sending me falling backward. I felt something metallic press against my back.

 _I'm back in another alleyway, searching through the bins yet again. The umbrella she received from Torchwick remained open, shielding her from the rain. She didn't search even two minutes before Neo's ears caught the sounds of a scuffle._

" _Hey, punk! Ya made a bad mistake messing with me!" A thump sounded, followed by the cry that… sounded really familiar. Her eyes widened. It couldn't be… is this— Could this be? "What'cha thinking pickpocketing me? I'll cleave ya hands and send ya to the popo for that!"_

" _Nono, I can explain! Really guys, you have to listen to me!" The girl looked up in surprise. That is Torchwick! Without a thought, she dropped everything except the umbrella and ran towards the scuffle._

 _She rounded the corner to see Torchwick held up by a massive, burly man. His eyes were bloodshot as bruises formed around them. Pink rainwater ran down, staining his hoodie. The brute smashed the thief against the wall. "No more games, kiddo! Talk is cheap, and I don't want it from anyone, especially from your silver tongue! Dirt like you needs to learn a lesson. Don't mess with me!" He pulled out a knife and pulled back for a quick stab._

 _Before the muscleman could execute his blow, Neo had the umbrella folded back up, charging right into battle. Before anyone can react, she jabbed the metal point right into the guy's eyes. He screamed murder as blood shot out from his left eye socket, spurting all over the umbrella. The red liquid washed off in the rain as Neo drew the weapon back._

 _Torchwick coughed as he fell down, bringing his hand to his neck. "Thanks— Look out!" She turned to see the man swing wide, skewering her in the shoulder and through bone._

"Argh!" Blood flew from my arm, staining the carpet red. My left arm flew towards my right shoulder as I pressed against the wound to stop the bleeding. Oh gods! Argh, my arm felt really flimsy all of a sudden. Like it could bend the wrong way at any moment. I cringed at the thought.

"Ruby!" Jaune was at my side within moments, pulling me away from whatever was pressed against me. "Oh gods, are you okay?"

"I'm good," I groaned. Rose disappeared from sight as the injury glowed red with Aura. "That took me by surprise. I should've been more careful with what was behind me." What was behind me? I turned around to see the switchblade that stabbed me in the memory. Okay, that's just not fair. My hand remained pressed against the bleeding hole. I winced as my bones forcibly mended themselves back together. No matter what, I don't want to let go, even knowing it's almost healed now.

Movement caught my eye to my left. A painting of a girl with pink and brown hair. Her eyes were also like that: one like coral, the other like chocolate. The area around her was very shiny, almost reflective like a mirror. And she's moving. Huh? Why would a picture be moving, unless… unless she's a Stand user! We both met eyes at that moment. She smirked with amusement as I stared at wonder. So this is Neo, huh? Wait a minute… she's the one from when we fought the Paladin! That's Neo? So the reason why she can't speak is— I shook my head. Now's not the time for this!

"Jaune! The mirror!" He jerked his head towards the mirror before his eyes widened as well. With a wink, she jumped towards the upper right corner, disappearing from sight. "No!" I tried crawling towards the frame, nearly slamming my hands into it before stopping. No. I'm not going to risk activating a memory. Not this time. I backed away. So Neo's traveling by mirror and watching us. Or at least, she's in a mirror. Could this tell us something? Like where would she go? The top right… that leads up the stairs.

"Oh, come on!" Jaune let out a frustrated huff. "Our first sighting and she just disappears into a mirror! How are we ever going to stop her?"

My eyes narrowed in suspicion as several sounds appeared out of nowhere. "Wait, shush!"I strained my ears. It sounded like… movement. Like how you can tell when people are walking above you sometimes. The sounds slowly died out. All was quiet for a couple of seconds. "I think I heard somebody upstairs laugh." My voice went down to a whisper. "The other Stand user isn't hunting us. They're leading us up the stairs. There's no way this couldn't be a trap, but at the same time… this might be our only chance of escaping."

The blonde boy paled. "Wait, so we're going to chase after them anyways?"

I nodded. "I think we're going to die before we find the key out. So the only way to get out of here is to go after the Stand user. And she's probably up there with Torchwick or something." I let out a long sigh. "Once I'm good to go, let's ambush them."

* * *

I had to stifle a laugh as little Red suffered yet another injury on the mirror that hung above the computer monitors. Oh, this is too much! I don't think I even need to step in to finish them off! With the sheer amount of items in the house, there's no way their Aura's going to survive all of the deadly memories that Neo has at her disposal!

My sight flew towards the ceiling as I reclined in the nice leather swivel chair. It was an embarrassing memory to get through, but the comfort was worth seeing Neo being caught by me dancing on a chair and then falling off. It's really comfy, just like the real one back at home. Good thing it was just the dancing one, too. The last thing I want to see is me catching Neo… releasing her stress from her perspective.

I swung my body around, viewing the entire room. I can't believe that they only managed to check two rooms so far. They're taking so much damage, it's not even funny. It's almost sad seeing them dig through entire rooms only to find nothing but a world of hurt. But then again, it looks like they're getting desperate looking for the object, not knowing I'm sitting on the same floor as it. Now that's the brilliant part of this plan.

Something caught my eye mid-swing, causing me to stop. Wait a minute. On that desk, is that…? I wheeled myself closer to get a better look. It's a small ceramic rooster, maybe three inches big at the most. This rooster had a bit more detail than I normally do, with more outlined feathers. But there was this minor imperfection with the beak that always drove me crazy. I thought she threw that away years ago. Maybe it's because I'm in her mind instead of our home, but wow. I gave this thing to her so long ago after that accident we got into during that one car heist. After all of the clay figurines that I made of roosters, it's weird for this particular one to be sitting in the bedroom instead of the rec room.

Fingers trembled in the air as I considered my options. Should I pick it up? On one hand, it feels like I'm intruding on my partner's life. I mean, we did agree not to touch anything that wasn't immediately pressing. And as dumb as it is, having a comfortable seat is pressing. On the other hand, this couldn't be that important to her, right? Not enough that it would be part of the house. All doubt erased my mind as I scooped the figurine up into my palm.

 _I found myself opening my eyes, only to be blinded by a bright white light. My arms raised up to block the rays. What the— it's so bright! I blinked in confusion as I got my bearings. I'm… in a room. I glanced around. The wallpaper had several stains spotted around them. They peeled away from the wood, a testament to the level of neglect given by the homeowner. Chipped dishes laid around in a drying rack next to the sink. On the counters sat various cans of sliced pineapples, corn, chicken noodle soup, and sausage._

 _I'm, or rather Neo's lying on a kitchen table. This must be after the car accident. I was twenty-five, she was twenty-two. We used to squat here; it's a convenient safehouse hidden deep within the broken down part of Vale. Neo had been by my side for maybe eleven years now. Yeah, now it's all so clear to me. I pulled her out of the wreckage and made a break for it for the safehouse. Considering that we trashed the car, our employer was probably going to come after our skins. But here deep in the ghetto part of town, everybody's ready to shank another person with one wrong look with little regard. Safer to surround ourselves with those looking out for their own safety._

 _The wooden table I was on creaked and groaned under my weight as I sat up. A wave of pain shot through my chest, causing me to wince. It wasn't sharp; the pain is duller, the kind that sticks with a person day by day._

" _Woah there, Neo. Take it easy." I looked over to the voice to see me leaning on a nearby wall, smoking a cigar. What I wouldn't do to get a roll right now. "That crash did a number on you. Managed to get a Doc to look after your treatments." My past self pushed himself off of the wall as he knocked a bit of ash into a porcelain plate. "Your condition is stable based on what Doc said, but we don't know too much about your condition. How're you feeling?"_

 _My mouth opened to speak. "Wha—" I stopped. My mouth won't finish the word. I can't finish the word 'what!' The muscle in my mouth quivered. No matter how much I try, my tongue refuses to make a solid t sound. "Roman… Why… uh-uh— I…" Frustration hit me as my mouth refuses to say 'can't.' "—I… no… say… wor—"_

 _The past me raised my eyebrows up in confusion before sinking in concern. "Neo, what's wrong? I know you aren't the talkative type, but you need to say something to me."_

 _Tears started running down my face. My chest started jumping back and forth erratically. "No… say… well. Wrong… mou—" I got caught yet again, the t never slipping out of my tongue._

" _No say well?" The redhead scratched his hair. "I don't know what you're trying to get at, but I think you're trying to say something's wrong with your speech." My head shook in excitement. He stuffed his hands in his pocket, rummaging for something. "If that's the case, let's try something different." A pen and paper appeared in his hands before he held them out. "Try writing out your thoughts."_

 _Without a further thought, I snatched the writing utensils and started scribbling down my thoughts. Letters and words appeared on the paper to illustrate the problem before I thrust it into his hands. My past self took it, reading a couple of lines. His eyes widened. "Doctor!" he yelled, stomping towards the door. "We have a problem!"_

 _A wiry old man stepped in front of the doorframe within seconds, scratching what remains of his hair. "Roman, Roman, calm down, sonny. Does this have to do with—"_

" _Yes it does!" He thrust the sheet into the doctor's hand. A quick glance seemed to do the trick as the doctor approached me._

" _Neo, is that right?" He held a hand up as I opened my mouth. "Don't say a single word until I tell you to do so. Just nod or shake your head." I bobbed my head. "Alright, so did you have problems speaking before your accident?" I shook my head. "Hmm… well did you hit your head when the car crashed?" My lips puckered. Neo doesn't remember what happened._

 _"She did." Everyone turned to look at past me leaning back on the wall. "She flew out of the driver's seat and landed head first on the concrete. Knocked her out cold."_

 _The doctor rubbed a smooth part of his head. "Oh, that's not good. Not good at all. Only one way to make sure." He turned over to me. "Neo, repeat this after me: 'I went out on Saturday to buy some groceries."_

"… _uh— I wen… ou… on Sa… Sa… Sa—!"_

 _Again he stopped me. "That's more than good enough, my dear. I'm sorry, but you have aphasia."_

 _My past self stepped forwards. "What's—"_

" _The best way to describe the condition is that it's the inability to understand and create language. One cause of it is head trauma to the left hemisphere of the brain. You got lucky; the case isn't so bad. You lost the ability to make certain sounds, particularly the harder ones like t. But your writing ability is still intact as well as your reading skill and speech comprehension. I have to say, that's better than being completely unable to communicate at all."_

" _But isn't there a way to cure it, or at least mitigate it?" my past self yelled. The doctor shook his head._

" _It's brain trauma. I can't fix it. In fact, nobody has figured out a way to cure it. The best option would probably be therapy, but that's expensive, and I don't have that kind of training. Besides, you two are trying to stay off the grid, am I right?" She and I nodded. "The second you walk into a clinic, they can probably figure out who you are and then you end up in jail!" The room went silent. Tears started rolling down her face again as the doctor placed a hand on my shoulder. "Child, don't be so upset. Compared to the other things that might've happened, coming away with aphasia is one of the luckier options. It's possible to live a regular life with your condition. Now if you excuse me, I need to get some rest."_

 _The two of us watched in silence as he left the kitchen, leaving the two of us to mill about. My past self was the first to speak. "Neo…" I looked pitiful. No longer did I see a confident man who knew what he wanted in life. Now uncertainty clouded his eyes as he thought through his words. They weren't going to be received well. I would know; I said them. "I don't know what to say."_

 _Neo's fist slammed into the table, causing past Roman to jump in surprise. "—amn i—!" Her throat got stuck yet again, but I know that she no longer cared. Neo hiccupped. "Why? I… won'— … acce—" I can feel my body ready to crumple in defeat. My past self leaned towards Neo's body. "No! I… —an s—!" A yelp escaped my mouth as my hand grabbed nothing but air, sending me collapsing onto the tiled floor._

 _And with that, the floodgates let loose as Neo curled up into a ball, holding a hand to her mouth. I can't feel the emotions that she's feeling at this moment, or maybe it's mixing with my own emotions. But I know I felt shame. Shame that I couldn't help my partner, my closest friend deal with the news. Watching her break down through her own eyes compounded those feelings. What did I do while Neo was on the ground? For the longest time, it was just staring down at her and despairing._

 _It felt like forever before Neo's head was pulled up and close to my past self's chest. "There, there. Just let it all out." Her hands wrapped around his torso, pulling him closer to her. Past Roman looked up at the ceiling, keeping his silence._

" _Hey." Her eyes looked up at my past self's face. "I made something for you." He started rummaging through his coat. "You know how you said your favorite animal is a rooster?" My past self showed her a tiny rooster figurine. Her eyes blinked twice. He looked away in embarrassment. "… In hindsight, this feels like a terrible gift. I was going to give it to you after the heist. But I guess now's a better time than any."_

 _She took the clay statue and rubbed its head. A pang of relief went through me again as she let a tiny smile crawl onto her face._

 _Past me sat down next to Neo and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We'll get through this together, Neo. There's a dream we have to catch, remember? Back in that old alleyway where we first met? A place where we can call our own, all the things we can ever need, a chance to give you back your words. We'll get all of that and escape our past. We'll be like everyone else; not poor people who should be thrown aside, but people that others can respect."_

The room reformed around me as I escaped the memory. I rubbed the beak of the rooster in contemplation, imperfections and all. We did a lot ever since then. But we haven't reached our dream, have we? Yeah, we have money. We have a nice home, a lot of material goods, nice clothes and even respect in the criminal world. Yet we never did escape our past, did we? At our core, we're still thieves and criminals. I thought having money would be enough to move past our previous lives. But our dream is still so far. A sigh escaped my mouth as I leaned back on the chair, looking at all of the stuff that surrounded us. Every single thing here was born out of the illegal things we did for the sake of our dreams.

"You know, I've always wondered about this, Neo." The walls didn't respond. I'm sure she's still listening in from the mirror. I didn't want to look. "Looking back on everything, have I been looking in the wrong direction? We're surrounded by all of the things that we're ever wanted, but I don't think we can ever come to a normal life. We're always going to be called on to do something illegal. Hell, our current employer's asking us to off these two kids! What went wrong? What could have we done differently?"

I let out a hum. "Maybe after all of this, we should just drop everything. Screw the Dust raids, screw our employer's plans. We've lived through more action in ten years than an average person lives in their entire lives. After what we've been through, maybe it's time to quit. It's time to find something else and live a quiet life." I chuckled. "Not like you would have any problem with that." Neo would punch me if she could. "Maybe I should offer myself up to the authorities, ask for immunity in exchange for security help. Or maybe just run back home and live out the rest of our lives with new identities."

The sounds of footsteps caused me to sit back upright. "Ruby, I heard somebody speaking in here! We'll kick down the door and take the Stand user down!" But first, we need to finish our job. The first step to true freedom. I grabbed my cane, threw my hat on, and pushed myself up to a standing position, For years now we've been fighting for our freedom from our pasts. What's one more battle to end it all? I pointed Melodic Cudgel towards the door and flicked the sights up.

The door flew off the hinges, revealing the two children behind it. With a yell, little Red charged into the room, sending her Stand out to get me. I responded by firing an explosive round, setting the whole room ablaze.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 7/7/17**

* * *

 **Anyways, congrats to greenscoop1 for guessing Neo's Stand ability! You get an internet cookie! There's still time for others to guess Roman's Stand ability! But anyways, t** **ime for the reviews!**

 **greenscoop1: You're right! Neo's Stand does involve memories. I'll elaborate more on my thought processes while creating 「CORNERSTONE」during the retrospective, but I loved writing with this Stand ability because it allows me to try out this weird combination of first person and third person. And I have to say, it was fun to write. Of course, Roman's up next. I wonder if anyone can guess Roman's Stand ability before the next chapter. I feel like it's going to be a lot harder to figure out.**

 **darkmist111: Yeah, I want to make sure Nolan still has a presence in the story as well. I said how Part 4 was one of my favorite parts for their wide cast of characters. I've always believed that the weakest part of Part 4 was that Araki had this mindset of creating one-off characters for minor antagonists, and most enemy Stand users weren't used too often after their respective battle. This made Part 4 weird since everyone lives in a small town together, and rarely did Stand users kill other Stand users. I want to try to avoid that with the characters in RWBY BA, since it generally follows the same idea of Stand users being relatively close to each other.**

 **And I hear you about your suggestion to keep every team to having only one Stand user. I personally believe that, too. It's generally awkward having two enemy Stand users come from the same team, since it creates a weird plot hole I don't want to think too hard about. At the same time, not everybody who becomes a Stand user will join the hunt for the Arrow. Not everybody wants to go after the monster especially on the word of a stranger. But friends, on the other hand... I'll stop right there.**

 **Anyways, that's all this time around! I'll see you guys next time!**

 _ **Next Release Date: July 7, 2017**_


	14. Cornerstone and Chaining Day - Part 2

**Happy Friday, everybody! Welcome to the second half of Cornerstone and Chaining Day! I don't think there's anything else for me to say, so let's just jump right in!**

* * *

A scream escaped my mouth as I charged the thief in front of me. So Torchwick was in here after all! You're not escaping this time around! Rose flew towards the man, fists brought back and ready to pummel the man. A smile grew across his face as he squeezed the trigger on his cane. My eyes widened. Oh, what the—

A deafening boom escaped the barrel of the gun, sending a streak of red spiraling towards my face. Wait a minute… this situation is familiar. I remember back when I first met Torchwick, he fired an explosive round like this one. Or was it a Dust crystal activated by a Dust round? No wait, those were two different things. But to be honest, my Aura wouldn't have survived either of those attacks if it hit me directly. In fact, I think the only reason why I survived the Dust round explosion was that Professor Goodwitch managed to step in and shield me. One shot like this would maim a normal person. But I'm not normal, am I?

I felt my face peel apart as the round pressed against my left eyebrow. The room disappeared from my sight, replaced with a bare outline of everything around me. One figure raised his shield up to his face while the other turned his head, lowering his cane ever so slightly. A faint shock wave rumbled through the room, causing several objects to shake and wobble. Yet I'm still fine. I felt an unusual sense of force pressing against my petals, the warm energy blasting me forward. Was that due to the explosion? I'm not too sure.

I commanded my body to reform. Like that, color returned to me as my body soared towards the man. A wave of heat struck me soon after, most likely the result of the explosion. His eyes widened the moment he saw me draw my fist back. Torchwick swung his cane to intercept me, but Rose acted first, shooting out of me and launching a quick jab that smashed him right in the jaw. I swore I heard an unnerving crack when her fist landed.

The blow sent him flying into a computer desk, knocking over all of the objects onto the floor; none of them broke apart or shattered into pieces. Must be due to the effects of **「** **CORNERSTONE.** **」** I myself landed flat on the ground just a second later with an oof. Come on… get up Ruby! I quickly stumbled back up to my feet. Did I knock him out in time?

Torchwick's eyes were glazed over, staring off into space. Huh? I waved my hand in front of him. He isn't paying attention to anything in front of him. A gasp escaped my mouth. He must be going through all of the memories contained in each object he touched. There's no way we're not going to take that opportunity! Rose charged the man yet again, her left arm swinging towards his temple. If Torchwick goes down, then we don't have to worry about somebody killing us before we find the key!

A ferocious roar escaped from Rose's mouth as her attack connected, causing his skin to ripple through the sheer force of the impact. A pain shot through my hand and down my arm. What the— A giant cut formed across my fingers before a spurt of blood flew out. I could see bits of white bone from the cut right before the red liquid filled in the hole. Rose jerked away soon after, drifting back to a spot roughly a meter in front of me.

I bit my lip. Oh, oww… Are they still…? My eyes flickered to the cut hand. Most of my fingers hung limp, but they're still attached. Thankfully, whatever he did failed to slice my fingers off. And they still wiggled whenever I want to, so he didn't hit any of my tendons. My mind raced as I nursed the wound. What? How did he manage to hurt me? He was still out of it when I attacked! I gritted my teeth, pulling Rose behind me. There's no way I'm going to drop Rose while Torchwick was still in front of me! I'm just going to have to keep bleeding until I put my body back together. The bits of flesh exposed by the cut were already peeling into rose petals.

The thief's eyes met mine as he gave me an eerie smile. "Aw, little Red… how rude. Don't you have any kind of etiquette?" the man spoke. I gasped. There was something different about his face. Namely, how there was the edge of a knife sticking out from his temple. Right where I originally hit him. However, the edge looked like it was created from his own skin! It's like… like his body was made out of clay, and it molded itself into whatever shape it wanted. But for some strange reason, the rest of his body didn't look like it was affected by the change. Besides the hard edge on his face, he looked fine! The man sighed, shaking his head while letting out a tsking sound. "I'm sure civilized people like us don't greet others by punching them in the face."

With a grunt, he stuck a hand into his head. His body swallowed up the limb with little to no resistance. His face twisted and molded itself into disgusting figures of monstrosity as he dug around his skull. Shivers flew down my spine at the sight. "You don't look too good there, little Red," he continued. The corner of his lips pulled up into a malicious smile as he stopped. "You're looking a bit pale, although I'm not sure if it's due to your blood loss or to whatever I'm doing right now." His arm stopped. "Oh." With a firm tug, he jerked a knife out from his head. My eyes widened. The blade didn't cut him at all! His face was pristine like nothing ever happened! "Here it is." He tossed the weapon on the ground with a clang.

My heart started beating faster. Okay, what does this mean? Let's list out everything I know so far. Torchwick was a Stand user who has some kind of rubber skin that can absorb whatever enters it. That means he can put objects inside his body and pull it out at will. But rubber skin doesn't explain how he created that edge on his face. How would someone like him be able to solidify their body like that? Even rubber skin men had their skin retract when they're not pulling on it. How is Torchwick doing this?

Before I could continue thinking about the problem even further, he interrupted my thoughts. "So that behind you is your Stand, is that right?" I blinked. His cheeky smile grew even bigger. "Of course it is, little Red. What, did you think that I wouldn't see what you were trying to do? Decent plan, if you weren't going against me. What you did wasn't too smart, Red." He tsked as he tapped the side of his head. His Stand appeared behind him. "You got to be more careful before you rush into this kind of stuff. Otherwise, my Stand **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** will mess you up."

My mouth dropped upon seeing his Stand. What surprised me so much about this earth-colored figure floating behind him was how much it resembles Torchwick's past self. Unlike Rose, it had a more urban baggy look, making the figure look bigger than it actually was. That contrasted greatly with how polished and chrome it looked. The figure had shiny sweatpants adorning its lower body. A furred hoodie wrapped— no, that's not the right word. The hoodie was melded into the Stand's upper body. An olive-green metallic-esque bandana sat in front of the Stand's mouth. Together with the hoodie it effectively hid the Stand's face entirely. I can't even figure out where the eyes are. But I shouldn't be focusing on that right now.

"What are you doing, Torchwick?" I flung my hands out, ignoring the pain that shot through my left hand. Jaune made his way up to my side, readying his shield for another surprise attack. "Why are you trying to kill us? I thought all you did was steal Dust from the shops and equipment from Atlas! You don't seem like the guy to kill other people for the sake of it!"

He placed a fist under his chin. "Oh, I know. What I'm doing is way outside my usual M.O. However, you did manage to intrigue my employer. Either they're really interested in your Stand or they're pissed. I like to believe it's the latter. Somehow you pissed them off bad enough that I have to get my hands dirty in the blood of children. Better than having to deal with the faunus, if I say so myself. At least we don't have to pretend we like each other."

All of a sudden Torchwick snapped his hands, crossing his arms before leaning in an odd pose. **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** floated in front of Torchwick, mimicking his pose. "No hard feelings, little Red, but whatever who're trying to do, it's not going to fly. There are plenty of times when talking can work. This isn't one of those times. So let's put a lid on all of this talking." Roman straightened up, lifted his cane up again and flicked the sights up. "I have a job to do, and you have a grave to get into." The enemy Stand moved the second he finished his sentence, shooting forwards with his body poised to strike. Not a moment later, another explosive round howled towards me.

I gritted my teeth as my vision flickered between the two things soaring at me. He's trying to force me into a corner! A trap! Either I transform and dodge the bullet then take a blow from his Stand, or bring Rose out to defend me against the Stand and risk getting shot. Fortunately, my friend and partner dove in front of me with his shield raised. "Ruby!" He nodded his head towards the approaching humanoid. "Get your Stand up now!"

" **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " I yelled, and Rose flew back with her fist extended. The bullet flew through my fighting spirit without slowing her down, instead smashing into Jaune's shield to little effect. Green eyes widened in shock as the silver Stand bashed the earthen humanoid in the chest. Another gunshot sounded off in the room, followed by the sensation of friction ripping my skin apart. A shriek escaped my mouth as I dropped down and clutched the left arm yet again. Traveling down my length of my arm was a welt quickly filling up with blood. It looked like a spinning object grazed me.

"Ooh, just missed right there," Torchwick cooed as **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** slammed its arms together. A civilian grade semi-automatic pistol flew out from its chest before clattering to the ground. The man grasped his chest with a wince. "I was so close to taking you down, little Red. However, you are a persistent one." He sat up on the desk, regarding my kneeling body with parts respect and parts frustration. "Most people would go down after that, but only you have the stubbornness to get shot and still want to keep fighting."

"… What?" Okay, forget using my Stand ability to heal up. I pulled Rose back and let my Aura do its magic. I can feel my reserves starting to stress themselves as my fingers rose up and restitched themselves back onto my hand. How many wounds did I take from **「** **CORNERSTONE?** **」** There's not a lot of time left for me. "How did the bullet hit me? One moment ago my Stand—"

"— Dodged past it just fine?" My eyes flickered to the thief's as he raised his hands into the air. "That is a surprise, was it not? How could a normal object hurt a Stand user through their Stand? Did it ever cross your mind that whenever an object is affected by a Stand ability, it effectively becomes part of their Stand, even if it is just for a couple of minutes?" My eyes widened in shock. His grin grew wider at my action. "Exactly. It's interesting figuring out how these abilities work, don't you think?"

Before I could let out a retort, Jaune waved a hand in front of me, hushing me. "Hold back for a moment," he whispered. "We have to recollect ourselves first and figure out the obvious."

"What's that?"

"His Stand ability." He raised his shield up, eyeing the earthen Stand floating about. "If we don't know what it is and what the limits of it are, we're never going to touch him. He has all of the time in the world to take us down; we on the other hand, don't have that time. We're not going to wear him down in this place." Jaune let out a hum. "I don't have a good plan right now. My best plan is 'run away,' but that's not really helpful when we need to find the key out of here. But maybe we can take him on if we know his limits." He brought his sword up. "I'll distract him, you figure out what we can do."

With that he let out a yell as he pushed off, running towards the thief. Roman smirked as **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** drifted in front of him, ready to receive. That smile quickly flipped upside down when Jaune swung early, slicing at the Stand's neck instead of the user itself. The brown humanoid snatched the sword blade with its right hand, stopping it from striking its neck. An explosion of blood flew out of Roman's palm, forcing him to drop his cane and grunt in pain. Jaune tried pulling the sword back, but it remained stuck in the hands of **「** **CHAINING DAY.** **」**

"Huh… so you channel your Stand through objects as well… I underestimated you too, blondy," the redhead sneered as he nursed his sliced palm. Blood dripped onto the floor, staining the carpet crimson. "Going for my Stand was a pretty smart move. However!" Crocea Mors started sinking into the Stand's hand as its skin wrapped around the weapon. "You made a tiny mistake with that. One that benefits me, by the way, so I would like to thank you for offering your weapon up to my Stand."

Jaune's face warped in a panic seeing the heirloom slowly sucked in into the Stand with a disgusting slurp. "What?!" He started rising up in the air as **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** lifted him up. The boy was forced to let go of his weapon as it zipped into the Stand's arm, sending him collapsing to the ground with a grunt. Jaune threw his head towards the man in the bowler hat. "What did you do to my weapon?"

"Oh, little boy, I just borrowed it for a moment." Roman smiled. "My Stand did always have problems with strength. Let's see if your sword helps out with that." The humanoid roared as its arm shifted. The skin collapsed on itself with the sound of squishing putty, folding and molding itself into a flat rectangle. Its fingers molded together to create a dangerous point. Sharp edges formed around the sides in the shape of a blade. The blonde let out a gasp of horror as a replica of Crocea Mors replaced its right arm. Torchwick nodded as the Stand took a couple of test swings. "Hmm… Not bad. Decent balance, decent reach. Now for the real question… how good is it at cutting?"

His Stand dove towards the boy, forcing Jaune to raise his shield up. Flesh clashed against steel, sending out a loud clang to vibrate through the room. Almost immediately Jaune rolled himself to the side, putting a bit of distance between him and the Stand. The earthen figure shook its sword hand in fury before pressing its attack. My friend didn't bother trying to fight back, choosing to hide behind his shield sheath.

As for me, I watched this fight in fascination as my mind tried to comprehend everything. Torchwick's Stand ability has to do something with absorbing items and using them in battle. That part was quite obvious. He also has the ability to take on the properties of the item. That could be seen in his usage of the knife and how he was able to fire off a pistol. If that's so, then we are in a terrible place right now. He's surrounded by dangerous items! And he probably knows which memories are going to hurt him or not! We're out of our league!

But something still bothered me. Why would he choose to just sit here instead of actively going for us? If his Stand ability was to absorb objects, wouldn't he have just saved a ton of stuff within himself? That way he never had to worry about being attacked ever again. He wouldn't need to fear anything we could potentially throw at him. But he pulled **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** back to fight Jaune. So… there must be something holding him back. He only used each item once before tossing it away. One knife cut. One bullet fired. Once that's done, he didn't reach for another one immediately to keep protecting himself. It's almost like he has to wait for some sort of cooldown before he can do it again.

I tapped the base of my cheek. What if… what if he's only limited to two objects at a time? One for his own body, one for his Stand? It would make sense with what we've seen so far. After he uses an item once, he has to eject it to prevent harm to his body but has to wait out some kind of time limit before he can try again. The items are last resorts. I balled my non-bloody hand into a fist. That's gotta be it! His ability allows him to take two free blows if planned out right. But it means that he's defenseless for quite some time if he does pull it off! Torchwick needs to kill us with the surprise attack!

But what was Roman planning to do with the sword? Even he knows that he's not breaking through the shield, so what gives? My eyes flickered back to the pummeling Jaune's going through. So far not a single slice penetrated the boy's defense. However, there was something that I noticed: every blow he took from the Stand forced him to take a step back, bringing himself closer to the fallen objects. I resisted letting out the sound of realization. He's trying to do the same thing that we did to him! He's forcing us to touch the objects and then going for the kill as we're caught in the memory!

I squeezed my left hand. The wound's all gone now. I closed my eyes and tried to guess the amount of Aura left. Might only have a fifth of my Aura in reserve. Not the best place to be in right now, but I can't exactly back down now. My eyes flew around the room, trying to come up with a plan. How are we going to get this guy to back off from Jaune? I started stroking my cape. Come on, Ruby! There has to be some kind of way to get past the requirements of **「** **CORNERSTONE—** **」**

—Wait. I'm touching my cloak. Wouldn't cloth be considered an object in **「** **CORNERSTONE?** **」** Yeah, the umbrella was made out of cloth. My cape is an object that happens to be in this place. I should be experiencing some kind of flashback, yet I'm not going through any memories. Now that I think about it, Jaune's Crocea Mors didn't give him any memories as well. You can say that it's never left his side, but the sword itself hasn't been touching any part of Jaune, so he should have memories. But he doesn't. So what's the difference between our items and the items in the house—

My eyes widened. We're not affected by any items we ourselves brought into **「** **CORNERSTONE!** **」** I glanced up at Torchwick. His full attention was on attacking Jaune. He wasn't looking at me. If what I thought of was true… With that, I unclasped my cloak and loosely wrapped it around my hands. The abandoned pistol right beside the Stand caught my eye. Nine millimeter, seven bullets plus one in the chamber, one of which was fired earlier. If that's the case, then if I can cover my hands up, then I can do this!

With a scream, I threw myself towards the fighting combatants as my hands snatched the weapon. No memories appeared through my head. I let out a sigh of relief. Perfect! I just hope that there are still some bullets left in the gun. Hopefully all of them. The Stand user looked at me with surprise at my sudden re-entry into the battle. His eyes grew even wider when I pointed the gun in his direction. Geez, what a front heavy gun! Who the hell designed this thing? I can basically use this thing as a carbine if I slapped a stock on it— Ruby, not now! Just shoot the gun!

Seven bullets whistled through the air as I fanned the trigger as fast as I could. Each bullet introduced themselves with a bang, drowning out my hearing with the sounds of ringing. After the seventh, the slide stayed locked back in place. Before Torchwick could say a word, all seven bullets pierced through his torso. The look of horror crossed his face as the rounds sent him flying into a desk. Seven bullet holes sprayed blood across the room, staining the otherwise pristine white suit bloody.

The improvised wrapping slipped out of my hands as I landed next to **「** **CHAINING DAY.** **」** Nimble hands reached for one of the empty bullet casings on my belt before jabbing it into the Stand's foot. I mentally thanked whatever god was watching me this morning when I decided to strap these on me. It wouldn't be too useful considering that Crescent Rose was still missing in action. However, their inert nature was perfect for getting Jaune's sword back without putting ourselves in danger. The earthen Stand swallowed up the empty round in an instant. As it did so, its sword arm started shifting and forming.

Jaune jumped to the side in a panic as **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** peeled its skin back, dropping Crocea Mors to the ground. Seeing the sword reemerge from the Stand seemed to revitalize his fighting spirit as he snatched the weapon back up. The humanoid Stand in front of us started backing away as the peels of the arm flailed about, trying to recombine together. The boy lets out a soft laugh. "Thanks for getting my sword back, Ruby! Now what do you say we knock this guy out for good?"

Rose appeared behind me as I gave him a wide grin. "Yeah! Jaune, you go for the Stand! I'll go after Roman!" I rolled back onto my feet and jabbed a finger at the stunned man. " **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " At my cry, Rose zipped towards him, grabbed the lapel of his shirt, and threw him into a nearby wall. Several slash marks sliced through his clothing and skin while this was happening, the byproduct of Jaune's offensive. Before he could sink back down to the ground, Rose launched a hail of punches into his chest. Blood seemed to spray everywhere as Torchwick's body became dotted with hundreds of circular indentations, all from Rose's fists. Cracks formed behind his back.

One final punch broke through the plaster of the wall, launching him into another room. Roman groaned as he crashed into a shelf filled with CDs before slumping over. My Stand pumped her fists in the air before dissipating into the air. "Whew," I breathed as I brushed the sweat off of my forehead. I snatched my cloak, which had been abandoned during the battle. A little bit of fiddling snapped the cloak back where it belonged: on my shoulders. I let out a tired sigh. "Man, that was close. Torchwick's a scary opponent to go against. Hey Jaune, is his Stand gone?"

"Yup." I turned over to him as he sheathed his sword. "Disappeared the moment he flew through the wall. Hey, at least we don't have to worry about him coming after us again. Now we have all of the time we need to look for the keys out of this place. Who knows where that monster is right now? If we don't hurry up, we might lose it again, and who knows when we'll find another lead towards it?"

"Uh huh." I stuck my head into the hole that Rose made. This room in comparison to the one we were in was a lot more childish. For one, it's a lot more illuminated. Several wall lights made sure that there wasn't a single corner that was draped by shadows. The wallpaper was a bright blue, further creating contrast between the two rooms. There was a door on the left wall that we could leave from.

The wall to my right had a large TV mounted to it with a stereo system around it. Several old-fashioned game consoles sat within the TV shelf. I let out a soft whistle. Yang would kill to have a bunch of those systems. If this place was based on an actual home in Vale— I slapped myself. Escape is our number one priority! Plus, I wouldn't be any better if I stole consoles from a thief! Then there's the fact that these consoles might put us in a damaging memory. So as much as I want them… I know I shouldn't.

Bits of plaster crackled under my feet as I stepped into the room. The wall that Roman landed on had two sets of shelves. The shelf with a ton of disks had collapsed on the thief's body, which should keep him out of commission for now. The other one had a collection of figurines. I took a couple of steps closer and inspected them. Each of the clay statuettes were made with a ridiculous amount of care. Every fold and crevice was perfect, and the paint thing they use for color shined under the artificial lights. The army of tiny animals and various humans posed on the varnished wood. A surprising amount of them were chickens and roosters.

"Jaune, come in here!" I looked back to see the boy stick his head into the room. I waved a hand, beckoning him in. "You gotta see this!"

"What is it, Ruby?" he asked. I took a step to the side, revealing the figurines. A smile crawled up my face.

"Look at these little statues! Really bad time to mention this, but don't you think these look beautiful?"

The boy let out a hum as he leaned in. "Yeah, they do look nice. Did this Torchwick guy have these specially ordered or something? It would be pretty cool to have a couple of these sitting on my desk." He reached out for one of them.

"Wait!" His hand stopped before he could grab a piglet statue. "Let me do it." My hands went underneath my cloak before picking up his the pig. "Here we go. Normally the initial is on the bottom, right? So we'll flip this over and—" My mouth stopped as my eyebrow furrowed. Compared to the beautiful paint on the top, this statue had white clay on the little stand. On it were four letters and a date: _R.T.+N.P. 01-03._ My eyes widened. "Wait a moment, did Roman make this?"

Jaune jumped back. "What? Torchwick? You mean the guy that's lying next to us unconscious? The guy we beat up?" I nodded. We stood silent for awhile as we absorbed this new bit of information. The blonde let out a cough. "… Well, this is awkward. I don't think we're going to get good deals from him if he does decide on selling these things."

I shrugged as the little piglet went back on the shelf. "I guess not." Something caught the corner of my eye. "Wait a moment…" Way back in one of the shelve were two disk looking things. Initially, I thought that they were little ceramic stands like the rest of the statues on the shelf. But taking a look closer, I noticed that the shine's different. Instead of having a matte like finish, those little discs shined like a piece of metal. Why would they keep something like that here on a shelf dedicated for statuettes? Using another empty casing, I nudged the statues to the side and pulled the disks out to the edge.

My jaw dropped when I looked at them. They were similar to those commemorative coins that tourist shops sell. A gold border surrounded the shiny silver core. However, it's the symbols in those cores that caught my interest, for these coins had a stylized rose and crescent moons. My emblem and Jaune's respectively. I turned my head towards the older boy. "Jaune! I think we found them! The keys out!" I pointed to the coins on the shelf. "Don't you think it's weird for Torchwick to just have coins of our emblems just lying on the back of a shelf?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah… Yeah! Why would a random criminal have something like that laying around their memories? You might be onto something here!" He tapped one of his fingers against the flat side of the coin. "I'm not getting any memory flashbacks! Yeah, this must be it!" A smile crawled up his face as he snatched the coins up. With an expert flip, he tossed the rose coin to me while pocketing his own. "We're going to make it! Now if only we knew what to do with these coins."

One of the CD cases shifted next to us, causing us to tense our muscles. Please tell me that the case falling was just a coincidence. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as the wooden shelf started shaking. A familiar wave of dread hit me as we jumped away from the collapsed shelf. There's no way! Was Torchwick still conscious under all we did to him? I looked at my fellow Stand user. "Jaune, get your shield up. I think Torchwick is coming up for round two—" From the corner of my eye, I caught something round and shiny fly towards us before it beaned me in the head.

 _The girl's eyes were closed, leaving me in darkness. One of the first things I noticed is how there were earbuds stuffed into her ears. 'At night, I think of you; I want, to be your lady, maybe.' I felt her hips and arms gyrate to the song in perfect sync. The song continued: 'If your game is on, give me a call boo; If your lovin's strong, gonna give my all to you!'_

My eyes reopened to find myself in the air. A CD fell to the floor; it's probably the item that triggered that stupid memory. **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** grinned at me, its fist pressed into my gut as I flew away from it. I struggled to gasp for air as my saliva nearly went down the wrong pipe. Torchwick's Stand must've punched me in the gut while I was distracted. My Aura felt like it was pushed to its absolute limits as I smashed into the doors to the closet. I took a deep breath before spitting out the glob of spit out of my mouth. Oh thank the gods that I landed on the bamboo doors instead of all of the electronics stuffed behind it.

Jaune landed next to me, sending the splinters of the wood back up into the air. He let out a wheezing cough. "You okay, Ruby?" I nodded. He rubbed his eyes as he let out a hard groan. "Man, I don't want to talk about what I just saw. Trust me when I say this: you do not want to experience what I saw on that disk."

He stopped talking as the earthen Stand moved towards the fallen shelf and threw it off, revealing a bruised but very alive Roman. "Ow," he muttered as he stood up, causing several cases to slip off of his body. His bullet wounds were gone. The only thing indicating that he was even shot were the holes in his jacket and the blood that stained his front. "That hurt. A lot. You were lucky, little Red. Actually, it's more unlucky than anything. That little stunt would've killed me if it wasn't for one thing. I still had all of my Aura keeping me alive. You know, Aura is a wonderful thing to have in a life or death situation."

The boy leaned next to me as Torchwick started limping towards us. His voice shook in panic. "Forget about what I said earlier. We got out of here before Torchwick gets here! You have your coin?"

I started to nod before stopping. I tried tightening my grip on the hand that held to coin, except I didn't feel the cool metal. Wait a minute. I had my coin in my hand just a couple of seconds ago. Where is it? My heart started pounding as I frisked myself for my ticket out of the house. Come on, where is it? "Jaune," I hissed. "I think I dropped my coin." The look he gave me was laced with frustration. So much disbelief poured from his face that I curled into a ball.

Torchwick started laughing at the sight of me. "I think I know what's going on. You two managed to find your way out of Neo's Stand, didn't you? That's why you two look like you want to run away instead of fighting me. But I managed to knock the item away from one of you guys, am I right?" My throat became dry, and I swallowed. He let out a laugh. "Of course it is! I could see it in your faces! And from the looks of it, little Red's lost the thing she needs to get out of here!" Emerald eyes turned towards the ground. "Now, if only I can figure out what it is… Oh? What's this?"

Sweat started dripping down the sides of my cheek as he leaned over and picked up a small round object: the coin that I needed to escape. Panic shot through me as he held it up to the ceiling. "Now that's unusual. Why would I have a coin with a rose on it? Unless…" Torchwick gleamed at me. "Unless this is supposed to be yours?"

I gulped my saliva down, betraying my feelings. He grinned in victory. "Hah! I'm right! So close, little Red, yet so far at the same time." The thief held the coin between his thumb and index finger as he admired it. "This is a beautiful coin, don't you think? You know what? I think that I'll be keeping this for the time being." His skin started dripping over the coin, starting to absorb it into his body.

From the corner of my eye, Jaune had his eyes tightly closed. "Ruby," he finally whispered. "Hand me one of your bullet casings. When I give you the signal, run towards him and go after your coin."

"Huh?" Despite my confusion, I complied with his request. "What's all of this about?"

His eyes roamed over the thief. "It's a gamble, but I think I can knock the coin out of his hand. After that—" He nudged his head towards the hand opposite of me. I could make out the ceramic head of a baby pig sticking out from his fist. "I plan on pinning him to the ground with this. The thing is, I need to hit him with this head on. I can't shrink it down to a size where I can fire it off. The bullet should be enough to distract him." Wait, why would he— Of course! His Stand ability! Is he betting on the idea that the statue's weight after one usage of **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** can restrict Torchwick's movements?

Nothing sounds wrong with the idea. But we're betting everything on the idea that Torchwick will take on every property of an object. Jaune tensed his shoulder, ready to throw the casing. I turned to face the thief. We have to take the risk.

Torchwick leaned forwards a bit, giving Jaune a perfect target. Seconds before my coin disappeared under the thief's hand, Jaune fired the bullet casing. Metal clanged against metal as the casing knocked the coin right out of Torchwick's hand. Emerald eyes widened in surprise as he fumbled for the piece of metal. It was the exact distraction that my friend needed. Jaune was already up on his feet and rushing towards the distracted man. Torchwick could barely open his mouth when Jaune tackled him down to the ground.

"Go, Ruby!" Jaune slammed his forearm into Torchwick's neck, locking him to the ground. "Get the coin!" I nodded, using a bit of super speed to dash towards the coin. I cried in relief as the piece of metal came back to my possession. Yes! The coin slipped into one of my skirt pockets. I should really put this away before trying anything else.

"Jaune, do your thing! I got it!" At that Jaune brought the statuette up into the air. Roman's eyes widened as he seemed to recognize the item immediately.

"That's—!" The thief's eyebrows knitted in fury. "Don't touch that!" **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** swooped over in an instant, bashing in the side of Jaune's face. My friend coughed blood onto Torchwick as he flew off, landing on the ground with a thump. The pig statue slipped out of his hand and slid in my direction. Before Jaune could get up and run away, the earthen Stand molded its body around his wrists as improvised handcuffs. A yelp escaped the blonde as he found himself pulled into the air.

The redhead got up looking furious. I've never seen him lose his composure before. He rolled up his sleeves as he approached the airborne boy. "There's a lot of things I hate in this world, kiddo. Let me list them out for you." The thief let loose a haymaker, slamming it into Jaune's gut. "I hate being poor!" Another punch crushed Jaune's nose in, staining Torchwick's hand red. "I hate being looked down upon!" Several more fists beat against the boy. "I hate nosy kids like you! I hate that the world is cold! I hate myself and what I do!" One more fist slammed into Jaune's face, leaving him bruised and broken. At this point, the blonde's entire face was coated with the red liquid. "But do you know what I hate the most?" He leaned into the boy's face. "I hate those who desecrate the memories of the one person I love in this world."

Despite all the pain he's been going through, Jaune managed to look at me. His eyes flickered towards something and then back to me. What is he trying to say? What was he looking at? I glanced down to see the statuette. A little crater surrounded the piece. His Stand! **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** must've still worked even when the object is out of his grasp! And Roman's distracted! I can end this right now!

Torchwick's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "You know, I've never tried absorbing a person before. It could potentially kill a person." He gave the blonde a murderous glare as he wrung his hands. "Good thing I don't care about blood on my hands right now, isn't it?" Jaune let out an agonizing scream as the thief's Stand started swallowing him whole. My heart nearly stopped. His skin was sizzling underneath the Stand. I have to get to the statue now! I don't have time! Before I could think anything through, I grabbed the piglet and hoped for the best.

 _I found myself sitting in what seemed to be some kind of basement. The room itself was bare aside for a wall of tools, a workbench, some kind of mini-oven, and one of those spinning table pottery thingys. Roman was on the spinning table, whistling to himself as he worked on whatever project he's spinning. Neo's hand held a small carving tool. A nearly finished sculpt of the little pig figurine sat on the table. I watched through the girl's eyes as she scraped in the finishing touches onto the clay. Even though the figure was unpainted, the detail on the figurine is impressive!_

 _With that, she placed the tool on the table, wiped her brow, and turned towards her partner. "Roman." He looked at her. She, in turn, pointed to her work on the table. "Finishe—." Her voice stopped before she could make the 'duh' sound. A feeling of anxiety ran through me. Is she unable to say certain syllables? What could've happened to her? This… this must've happened after that car accident Jaune saw, right?_

 _That didn't seem to bother Torchwick though. He got out from his seat, brushing off the cardigan of any bits of clay. "Wow, that's pretty quick. I think that's a new record for you. May I see?"_

 _She nodded, gesturing to the table. The thief made it over to her side and inspected the work. He let out a hum. "It's really detailed. I could make out every single little body part on this figure. It should look even better with a bit of glaze. Great work." Torchwick turned his head to look into my, err, Neo's eyes. "I do have a question though. Nothing to do with your sculpting, I promise." He held up the figurine. "Why a pig? I thought you loved chickens and roosters."_

 _Neo said nothing, instead choosing to point at the man. His eyebrows up in confusion. "Me? But I don't like pigs."_

 _The girl shook her head. She pointed at him again before pressing her finger against her nose, elongating it. "Oin—… Oin—…"_

 _At that, the man gave her a small smirk. "Did you really just call me a pig, Neo?" She nodded, causing him to shake his head in a teasing manner. "I don't really follow you there. Last time I checked with myself, I'm not a raging pervert."_

 _Again the girl shook her head. Neo tapped the base of her chin as she tried to think of how to explain the situation. First, she wrapped her arms around herself and mimicked rolling around in the mud. Torchwick looked shocked at that. "What? I'm not that dirty of a person!" She gave him a look that disagreed with the sentiment. Then using her hands, she mimed out a person talking before letting out a squealing noise. The laugh that escaped the thief's mouth was boisterous, causing the girl to let out a laugh as well. "Come on, Neo. Are you trying to say how bad of a person I am?"_

 _Yet another shake of the head. The girl then threw her hands out before wrapping them around herself again. She twisted back and forth, mimicking the look of someone hugging another. Torchwick's expression softened at her expression. "You're giving me a lot of mixed messages with this, Neo. But thank you." He stuck his thumb towards the oven. "How about we give this thing a quick coat before sticking it in the kiln?" She nodded._

 _It didn't take long before the pig was sitting within the hot fires inside the kiln. Both of them sat in front of a window showing everything happening inside. Bit by bit the coating became more and more vibrant. As they sat there watching their piece cook up, Neo wrapped her hand around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Roman?" He looked down at her face as she looked up. "I—I… love… you…"_

 _He gave her a smile as he wrapped his hand around her shoulder and pulled her close. "I love you, too."_

I snapped back to reality. Jaune's just about to be swallowed up by the Stand, with only his arms still sticking outside of **「** **CHAINING DAY.** **」** They were growing increasingly limp. I glanced at the object in my hand. The pig's coating shined under the florescent lighting. My grip on it tightened. With a scream I charged Torchwick, my speed boosted by my Semblance. All he could do was turn around and look as I slammed the pig into his chest. His body absorbed it immediately, and his eyes glazed over as he fell to the ground. A human shaped crater blasted through the floor as he landed. I can't believe it… it worked? Holy— Not now, have to save Jaune!

Another bullet casing flew into my hand as I jabbed it within the Stand. In an instant, it launched Jaune out of itself. The boy took in a deep breath now that he was freed from his prison. His skin aside from his hands looked red, similar to first degree burns. "Oh gods!" he muttered between gasps of breaths. He spat out a glob of blood. "I'm free! If that's the case, then that means—" He looked at me. "Did you get him?" I nodded. The blonde pulled himself up. White Aura surrounded him, bringing his complexion back to normal. "Let's just run for the door now. No more exploring. He could get up anytime now."

I nodded. "No disagreements there." A twitch from **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** pushed both of us into moving. "Run!"

We both dashed through the hole through the wall before running out of the bedroom. I glanced behind me to see the earthen Stand floating towards us. "The Stand's chasing us!" I yelled as I chose to jump down the stairs. I tried aiming for the floor right after the last step, but I stumbled forwards instead of rolling, faceplanting against the wall in the hallway. A hand grabbed my arm as Jaune jerked me away towards the front door. An earthen fist landed where my head was just a couple of seconds ago, causing me to let out a squeak.

"Come on, Ruby! Last stretch! Let's go!" We both ran as hard as we possibly could, reaching for the handle. This time it turned easily. With a push, we opened the door and threw ourselves out.

"Ugh…" The ground feels so uncomfortable. I cracked open my eyes. The boring colors of gray flooded my eyes. Wait a minute. My silver eyes shot wide open. Did we—? My body jerked itself up. We're in the warehouse again. The wooden door hung from its hinges weakly, with the wind blowing against it. I slapped my face to make sure this isn't a dream. It wasn't. A laugh of relief escaped my mouth. Oh, whew! We're alive!

"Ooh, ow." My head turned towards the voice, revealing that to be Jaune. "Ruby, I think I had this weird dream that we were trapped in a house and we had to look for a way out. But every object had the memories of—"

"—Some girl who knew Torchwick?" His eyes widened before he nodded. A sigh escaped my mouth. "I don't think that was a dream."

"So we were under the attack of two Stand users." The boy sat up. "No wonder my skin still feels like it just enjoyed a bath in acid." He looked up. "Wait… if that's the case, then where are the Stand users?"

The sounds of snoring caught my attention. "… I think I know." We followed the snoring sound to find Roman and a girl sleeping side by side. The girl was tiny! She wore a brown corset below a white jacket with brown pants and tall, white boots. The right side of her hair was dyed pink, while the left remained their natural brown.

"I guess this Neo is the user of **「** **CORNERSTONE,** **」** " Jaune remarked as he looked at the sleeping partners. He looked at me. "What should we do with them?" I bit my lip at the question. What should we do with the two? I mean, they tried to kill us, and they're bad people. Plus, they're Stand users! We can't let them go! What if they cause something in the city? We have the means to get them arrested right now and hamper whatever his "employer" was.

But then again, they don't seem so bad. My hand pressed against my cheek. Their memories showed a pair of misfits just trying to survive. Life wasn't kind to them. If they didn't go through all of that, maybe they didn't need to turn to a life of crime. They could've just lived a quiet life as citizens of Vale, enjoying some semblance of a life. Do they really deserve this kind of future, living life behind bars? I looked up at the ceiling, hoping for some kind of sign to help me. Nothing responded.

Rose materialized in front of me and swung two fists at their temples. They went down quick, slumping from the sharp blow. "That should keep them down until we finish our search." I fumbled around Torchwick's jacket, eventually pulling out his scroll. I typed up a quick message on the device: _To Torchwick and Neo, we will not bother you guys ever if you go into hiding now. Fake your own deaths. Live a quiet life together._ I saved the message before stuffing it back into his jacket pocket.

Jaune went back to my side with a forlorn look on his face. "Ruby, I think we're too late." He showed me the time on his scroll. Twelve o'clock.

"No way…" I took a couple of steps back. Oh gods, no! How? "That's how long we were in **「** **CORNERSTONE?** **」** But that's impossible!"

"I'm sad as you are, but considering how long we've been in there… we've missed our window. There's no way that creature didn't escape by now. The monster's gone."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 7/21/17**

* * *

 _ **Stand Descriptions:**_

 **「** **CORNERSTONE** **」** **\- Can select a door to serve as an entrance into a mind palace. Said mind palace has all of the memories of the user in the form of items. Touching any item forces them to live through the memory from the perspective of the user, and will take damage for any wounds user takes in the memory. Can travel through the mind palace through a set of mirrors, but can't actively interact with the world.**

 **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」** **\- User and Stand are capable of absorbing one item each and taking on all of their respective properties. If the user was to absorb a knife, the user would then be able to become sharp, become light, and so forth. However, both user and Stand can have one item in them at a time. They will eject a previously absorbed item should they take a new one.**

* * *

 **So retrospective next week about writing Cornerstone and Chaining Day. Man, I can't wait to talk about my thought process writing this. It's a crazy story on how I managed to think of these Stands, I have to admit. But I'll save that for next time.**

* * *

 ** _Song Reference(s):_ Neo's ****「** **CORNERSTONE** **」is inspired by Benjamin Clementine's Cornerstone. I'll shorten it down to BC Cornerstone. BC Cornerstone is a baroque/rock opera song released in 2015. It has a lot of inspiration from slam poetry. I chose this song to be Neo's Stand name because of her implied background as a normal kid losing everything. The lyrics often talk about isolation, stating how after everything "a box of stone" is their only home. It's the desperation of living and isolation in the lyrics that made me choose this. Also, I wanted a Stand name that had some kind of relation to houses, and Cornerstone happened to fit the bill pretty well.**

 **Roman's** **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」was inspired by J. Cole's Chaining Day. It's a rap song released in 2013. The main reason why I chose this song was due to its message on materialism. J. Cole raps about spending money on gold chain necklaces and other material goods, which ironically chains him better than the chains of slavery. Roman in a sense holds materialism up on a pedestal and chases after it. And people say that what you own says a lot about who you are, which is reflective of Roman's ability to absorb and take on properties of a certain item.**

* * *

 **Time for the reviews!**

 **doa570047: Thank you for the compliments, doa570047! Yeah, I feel like this was a perfect act of storytelling that I managed to pull off here. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime idea that just managed to line up just right.**

 **As for the one Stand user team limit, yeah it comes off as predictable. But at the same time, there's a huge named cast list from both Huntsmen teams and outside sources I can draw from. It's a limit that I wouldn't worry about too much. But I got a surprise for the next Stand user, so don't worry about that!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you greenscoop1! Yeah, I'm pretty proud of how I managed to pull off Cornerstone and Chaining Day. Although I'll save that commentary for the retrospective next chapter, so stayed tuned for that!**

 **darkmist111: I can see where it might be weird to see Roman and Neo in a sibling-esque relationship compared to father and daughter. It's a really common headcanon that Roman serves as a surrogate father to Neo. At the same time, I did draw a bit on my interactions with my sister and me when I wrote these scenes. Not the ones with aphasia and that messed up can of worms, but the light-hearted ones. Also, I don't really see Neo and Roman in this kind of father/daughter relationship. I'd rather make it a lot simpler as partners-in-crime, and you don't really be partners for that long without having some kind of sibling-esque relationship.**

 **To answer your other question: the best way to describe Neo's Stand is that it's automatic. She's not quite controlling the Stand, but it's not acting independently of her.**

 **rabidhndsquirrl: Thanks, rabidhndsquirrl! Glad you like the story!**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading everyone! I'll see you next time for the next chapter!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: July 21, 2017**_


	15. Warning Signs

**Happy Friday everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure! So, turns out I have a surprise this time around! I have omakes again! Well, sorta. These are more like side stories based on other Stand users. While they are more focused on characterization and less on the Stand fights, I do interweave these mini-adventures into the main story, which in a sense makes them canon. That's the biggest reason why these are "omakes" instead of another story.**

 **The surprise was more on my end because I thought this was going to start next chapter instead of now. It will bulk up the chapter, especially since I have a retrospective today as well. Oh well. I guess you guys just have a long chapter this time around. So without further adieu, let's get into the next chapter!**

* * *

"—To all passengers to Beacon, we will be landing soon." I looked up from my issue of Vale Hunters Monthly and sighed. Even looking at cool guns didn't help with the mood within the airship. Beside me Jaune let out a relieved sigh at the announcement. His head was nuzzled on one of the armrests as he took deep breaths. The captain continued: "Please remain seated until the airship has properly docked into the landing pads. Thank you for flying with Pegasus Airlines, and enjoy the rest of your day."

We both sat in silence as the airbus twisted in the air to dock. What happened after our fight with Neo and Torchwick was unremarkable. We decided not to stay long after we realized that we lost the Grimm baby, making a beeline back towards one of the airbus stations and flying back.

A pang of sorrow washed over me. The thought that we failed to catch the monster felt crushing. Here we thought we might be able to end the threat of the Stands early. Turns out that's not going to be the case. We failed to get the monster. But what now? We're back at square one. Now this… this thing could be anywhere in Vale or Beacon! How are we going to find this thing again before it turns a random person into a Stand user?

I shook my head. Think about something else, Ruby. I can talk with Jaune about what to do later. My eyes turned towards a big group sitting in the center of the airbus. There are about twenty or so students chatting amongst each other. Hmm… most of those guys seem familiar. Like, I don't know them, but I felt like I've seen them somewhere before. But why? I glanced at one of their bags. A familiar emblem caught my eye. Wait a minute… huh? I glanced at all of the bags. Their backpacks all had the Signal patch sewed on them. Wait a minute… are these guys prospective students for Beacon?

I raised my eyebrows. Whoa. I didn't know that Signal decided to have a weekend field trip to Beacon. Wouldn't the Headmaster tell us about this so that we were ready? Then again, I don't think I've been paying attention to the school news recently. All I can think about these days are about Stands and the Arrow and that creature thing. It's taken over my weekend! Maybe he did say something about this school visit and I just didn't get the memo.

"Okay, class," a young woman stated as she tried to calm down the jabbering group of Signal students. From the looks of it, they might be in their last year before applying for Beacon. I shuttered as I held the magazine up higher. There's something embarrassing watching people older than me going on a field trip to Beacon when I'm a student there. And are they really that immature? Did I act like that in the past? I didn't think I was that bad.

The teacher continued: "We're going to be arriving soon. Please act in an orderly fashion, and try not to wander off. After all, this visit will give the administrators a good first impression on you all. What you do today may or may not affect your chances of your application being accepted here."

The ship shook for just a moment before remaining now. The PA spoke up again. "We have now arrived at Beacon Academy. Please wait until the ramp—"

"Oh gods, finally!" Jaune threw himself up to a standing position, hand over his forehead. His cheeks were slightly green, but it didn't look like he was going to throw up. "The trip's finally over!" He held a finger over my face as I tried to speak. "Sorry, give me a moment, I gotta get off of this thing as soon as possible." With that, he ran out of the airship. Or maybe he was.

I couldn't help but crack a smile. Everything's been so serious ever since that Forever Falls mission. It's nice to see that sometimes, things don't really change. A chuckle escaped my mouth as I followed him out. The exit doors were already open, revealing the spiraling academy of Beacon. The castle-like structure looked like it pierced the clouds. A small light on the highest tower glowed bright, drawing my eyes in that direction no matter how much I try to look away. In a strange way, Beacon truly lived up to its name. It's a beacon for all kinds of Huntsmen, huh?

A long sigh escaped my throat as I stared at my school and home from the opening. Despite knowing that the monster got away, it's nice to be back at home. A true one, not the mind palace kind of home that Jaune and I were trapped in for the past few hours. A bit of movement caught my attention. Jaune stood on the bottom of the ramp, giving me a small wave. He looked better now that he was back on solid ground. I grinned as I made my way down to him.

"I'm better now. Hey, I think I'm finally getting used to flying! Oh man, that's awesome!" A grin grew on his face as he turned towards me. "Oh hey Ruby. So, what are you planning to do with the rest of your day?" Jaune asked as I made it to his side. He rubbed the base of his neck as the green in his cheeks died down. "I'm thinking about going to straight to my room and sleeping it off— oh wait! I have to pick up the ammunition from yesterday!" The blonde boy slapped his cheek. "That's right! … Well, I guess I'll do that first before going to bed."

I gave him a shrug. "I guess I'll just hang out with my team. It's a Sunday, after all. Maybe we'll have a game night or something. Or maybe I should quickly forge some kind of weapon. Don't we have classes again on Monday?" He nodded his head. My hand went to my chin as I thought about it. "Combat class is going to suck if I don't have a weapon, and I'm not going to try and fight with my Stand. No way. But what weapon should I make? I could try to make another scythe, but Crescent Rose took forever to make! Maybe I should create a basic sword? Uncle Qrow did give me some basic training in sword-fighting."

Jaune tried to interrupt. "Well that sounds—"

"What design should I use, though? Definitely a slashing weapon, since that's my combat style. Maybe a single sided saber? Or maybe I should have a knife that can become a kuma? I think my mom used two of those before. At the same time, it feels wrong." I scratched my head. "It's like I'm giving up on Crescent Rose with another weapon! I love my old weapon so much, but I can't wait any longer for someone to retrieve it!" A small whine escaped my mouth. "Aw man, I miss my old scythe."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Ruby," Jaune stated. I looked up at him. "It's only been three days since the mission, right?" I nodded. He threw his hands up in a shrug. "I'm pretty sure that somebody has retrieved Crescent Rose by now. Plus, it's only going to be a couple of days without your weapon. Professor Goodwitch wouldn't be that harsh to force you into sparring without your scythe."

"That's true." At that moment, Jaune's scroll rang. We stopped.

"Sorry about that. Let me take this call." He pulled his scroll out, taking a couple of steps to the side. "Hello? Who's this? Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know that—"

"Hey, little girl." A gruff voice appeared behind me, sending shivers down my spine. I turned around to see a gruff boy looking down at me. A green faded academy jacket with the Beacon logo draped over his body. He gave me an ugly grin while leaning forwards. I resisted biting my lip in a panic. The guy was like twice my size! I looked over his shoulder to see several other Signal students looking in our direction. And there's a sizable group behind him! What is he doing—!

I took a deep breath. Don't worry about this, Ruby. He's probably going to go away soon. Plus, he's still a student at Signal. The boy's not going to try to do anything at would get him into trouble. Just believe that you belong here. That should be easy. I do belong here. He placed his hands on his hips, swaying them back in forth like a peacock. "What do think you're doing here? This isn't a place for little girls like you!"

"I'm a student here," I responded. "I'm a leader of a team." The arrogant boy scoffed at my answer.

"You? A student? You look younger than me!" He held his hand up to where my head is. "You're a liar! There's no way that you could be a student here!"

I puffed my cheeks in annoyance. "Well, I am!"

The boy stuck his chest out. "Well, prove it!"

"I have my ID—" My hand reached for my pocket only to realize that my scroll was still in my dorm. Well, that's a whoopsie. "Okay, so I don't have my ID on me, but I can name all of the teachers on this campus!"

"So? That means nothing to me." He gave me another glare. "I don't know any of them. How would I know if you weren't lying?"

"Well, how else am I going to prove that I'm a student here?"

He smiled at that, rubbing his hands together. "Maybe having a sparring match would be fine with you? I've always wanted to see how I stack up against a Beacon student, if you are one in the first place. I'm pretty sure I can wipe the floor with you!"

"I'm not going to have a fight with—"

"—Hey Ruby?" Jaune popped next to my side waving his scroll. "You might want to finish this quick. The Headmaster sent us a message stating that we need to meet him in his office."

"Yeah, okay." I turned back to the Signal student. "Look, I'm not going to fight a Signal student. I've got important stuff to do, so just go back on your tour and be on your way." I started for the Headmaster's building.

"No, wait a moment!" A hand clasped over my shoulder, causing me to tense up. I might just need to put this guy in his place, huh? I don't want to do this… please just go away. "You still haven't proven to anyone that you're an actual Beacon—"

"Beryl Art!" The boy froze as the teacher from earlier went up to him. "What are you doing to that poor girl?"

"Muh— Ms. Tuli!" He backed off at the approaching authority figure. "I was trying to figure out if this girl actually goes to Beacon! I mean, she looks pretty young for a—"

"Well, I can assure you that she is, in fact, a student at Beacon." She placed her hands on her hips. "However, I'm not too happy that you decided that it was a good idea to pick on this girl, who got into Beacon on a personal invitation from the Headmaster himself and could slice ribbons out of you using a scythe?" He paled at that. "That's what I thought. Go back to the group. I'm keeping an eye on you, mister." The boy nodded, letting go of my shoulder and leaving me alone. I turned to the woman.

"Thank you for that," I started. "But how do you know about me?"

She gave me a small smile. "Your family are pretty boastful people. Qrow was preening the day he heard about the invitation. Wouldn't stop showing a picture of you and bragging about it for an entire week! There's no way I could ignore the cawing of your old crow. But if you excuse me." She pointed at her class. "I have a class to take care of."

"Oh! Sorry about that! Thank you very much! Say hi to my Uncle for me!" Ms. Tuli smiled before leaving me to chaperone her students. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew! That was close! I was pretty tempted to use Rose to shut him up." Jaune let out a grunt in agreement.

"Yeah, me too. Good thing we didn't have to. Well, the Headmaster's calling us." The blonde waved his scroll. "We shouldn't keep him waiting."

* * *

My fingers ran across the remaining two casings on my belt as we waited for the elevator to take us to the top. It felt like my heart wanted to burst out of my chest with all of the tension in the air. It's strange. Usually, he only calls up students to his office when something serious has happened. It sorta made sense with me considering what happened yesterday, but Jaune? Aside from this morning, he more or less stayed out of any trouble. What did he do that managed to catch the Headmaster's attention?

I turned over to the blonde next to me, who was fiddling around with Crocea Mors. "Hey Jaune." He looked over at me. "Did the Headmaster tell you why he asked us to come up here?" The boy shrugged.

"All he said that it was 'of most importance that we come here as soon as possible.'" The blonde shuttered. "But it's the way he said it that worried me. You know how normally he has an easy going yet firm voice?" I nodded. "When he said those words, there was a sense of urgency and seriousness. I don't know, but I think he knows something about what's going on."

"What? But there's no way!" I stuck my hand out. "There's only five Stand users that we know of: you, me, Nolan, Torchwick, and Neo! How could he possibly know about the Stands?"

At that Jaune hummed. "I'm not too sure… but I do have a theory." Before he could actually get into his thoughts, the elevator ringed before opening, revealing a spacious chamber. We let out a small sound of amazement as we walked. The whole room had a green tint, giving this room an unusual sense of energy. The ceiling was made up of a bunch of clock gears interconnected together. They made a strong clicking noise every time the gears moved. Close to the end of the room was a desk made of glass. Sitting behind that was our Headmaster.

"Good afternoon, students." He gave us a soft smile. "I have to apologize for calling you on a short mention, but as you two must've gathered from the call, I have good reason to do so." He waved a hand in front of his desk, where two seats rested. "Please, take a seat. I expect this meeting to take some time."

We both nodded, taking his offer. Beacon's Headmaster straightened himself up. "So, Ms. Rose," he started. "How's progress on Red Like Roses?" I tensed up almost immediately. How did he— Oh wait. He must be talking about the song from Wednesday. My muscles relaxed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Not much." I shrugged. "I didn't get much of a chance to work on it, considering what happened during the mission and all of that—"

He held his hand up, stopping me. "I think you misunderstand. While it's nice to hear about your work on that song, I'm not talking about your little project from last week. I meant your progress on your new abilities." My blood ran cold as he said that. A million thoughts ran through my mind at those new words, but only one stuck out: 'The Headmaster knows about the Stands.' Beside me was Jaune, whose face showed that he also came to that conclusion. But how? There's no way! My feet were pressed against the front of the Headmaster's desk. What could've tipped him off about—

I jerked back into the seat due to a leg spasm, sending me and the chair flying back. I let out a yelp, gravity wrapping her hands around my falling body. My arms flew forwards in an attempt to stop my fall, only for me to miss the desk by a centimeter. Oh gods I'm gonna slam against the ground! I scrunched up my body so that the impact would hurt less. My eyes closed shut as I bit my lip, repressing another yelp.

But then… nothing. Why haven't I hit the ground? I opened my eyes to find myself sitting right up again. It's like I've never fell. What the— But that's not right! I knew that I was falling! Did somebody catch me? I looked over to Jaune. My friend's mouth was wide open in shock. His face showed nothing but confusion. He didn't catch me? Looking over to Headmaster Ozpin didn't help. All he did was raise his eyebrows as he took another sip from his coffee mug. My brain felt like it was shutting down. What in the world happened?

At last, Jaune managed to get a couple of words out. "Wha— What? Bu— But how? There's no way! I saw you falling a couple of seconds ago, and now you're sitting upright!" He turned over to our Headmaster. "What did you just do?"

Headmaster Ozpin let out a slow breath, savoring the taste in his mouth. "I'm afraid I can't exactly say. But your reactions prove to me that we all have an idea of what's going on." He set the mug to the side. "So let's skip all of the formalities and the beating around the bush and focus on the current situation. Most importantly the fact that several people are developing Stands." With those words, he confirmed it. He's aware of their existence. My mind raced. But how does he know? Jaune said he had an idea, but non-Stand users can't see Stands! He's gotta be a Stand user himself. No other person we know can see it. But how?

"Now I'm sure that the two of you have a lot of questions." The man leaned onto his desk, staring at the both of us. "And I'll try my best to answer them to the best of my ability. How much do you two know about what Stands are?"

My eyebrows scrunched up. "… My Stand told me about how they were the core of the soul."

The Headmaster nodded. "That's a decent explanation. Have you two ever heard of the nature vs. nurture argument?" We shook our heads. "It's the idea that all Remnans are born with a default personality. Those basic personalities and traits are the core of the soul. That's is the nature of a person. Over time, as a person grows up, their experiences build upon that core, molding and forming the person to who they are to this day. That's nurture. The argument then is whether we as people are more influenced by nature or nurture. And the accepted belief so far is that nurture matters more. Scholars generally believe that it's the nurture aspect which influences how a Semblance is formed."

Jaune spoke up. "So the Stand is our nature?"

"It could be taken that way. The problem is that Stands are purposely hidden from the world. As such, there's no research that can properly explain the Stands. This is my best understanding of it." He waved it off. "But let's move on. Isn't there supposed to be a creature that carries an Arrow?" We both nodded. "I've been meaning to take to you two about this. It's a rare type of Grimm, the creature that is. In fact, it's one of a kind. Its name: Cupid." For a moment, his voice cracked. He paused for a moment, trying to collect himself. "It's unique in how it has the intelligence of a Remnan genius, no several Remnan geniuses, yet it benefits from its Grimm traits. And it's dangerous because of the Arrow it carries."

I sat up at right. "Yeah, there could be a lot of chaos if the Arrow chooses the wrong kind of people."

Headmaster Ozpin pushed his shades up. "That might be true, but that's not the only thing I'm talking about. Have you ever asked why it's choosing to use the Arrow?" I couldn't make a single point. "You may think that it's trying to just cause chaos in general, but that's not its primary goal."

"Then what is it?" Jaune asked.

"First I need you to take an oath." The Headmaster took on a serious look, a look that unnerved me a bit. "Promise me that what you hear in this room never leaves. This is of utmost importance that this remains secret to everyone until the threat has passed. Very few other people know about what I know, and I prefer is it stayed that way. For the safety and mental well-being of Vale."

"We promise." I nodded my head. "We'll guard this secret with our lives."

The man nearly frowned at that statement before he sighed. "Alright then. The Cupid's looking for someone with a certain ability." My skin crawled at that. He continued: "There's a lot of history behind my explanation, one that I'm sure that you two don't want to hear and I don't want to recount. The simplified version is that a ghost from Remnant's past needs a certain Stand user to bring them back to this world."

The blonde beside me hummed in confusion. "For what?"

Headmaster Ozpin looked at the blonde dead set in the eyes. "To destroy civilization." A shutter escaped my mouth. Is it just me, or did it get a lot colder in here? My fellow Stand user rubbed the back of his neck before pulling his collar and swallowing. He let out a sigh as we both absorbed his statement. "She wants to turn back the hands of time, taking away the technological advancements we made and the cities we built and return us back to our origins. We would then fight the Grimm to the point where we will exterminate each other. The woman claims this would ascend Remnans to a higher plane of existence." He rubbed his forehead. "It's foolish."

I swallowed at those words. Losing civilization and the cities would be a bad thing indeed. But one question still stuck in my mind. I raised my hand, catching the Headmaster's attention. "But if you know about it Professor, why don't you handle it? It's likely that you are a Stand user like us. Plus, we're only aware of these powers for three days at most. Why us?"

He sighed. "I wish it could just be me. The last thing I want to do is tell you two about the scope of the situation. I'd rather quietly have you two live the rest of your days as regular Beacon students. You, Mr. Arc can pass off his Stand as a Semblance, and you, Ms. Rose can pass your Stand off as an evolution of your Semblance. However, life caught up to me. I used to have more free time to work on this mystery, but with the Vytal Festival coming up and the responsibilities of being Headmaster, I'm pressed to find an opportunity to hunt the Cupid down. My hands are tied when it comes to this."

The Headmaster looked up to us. "You two, on the other hand, are perfect candidates. Team RWBY has a big history of creating… spectacles which end with criminals being apprehended. It wouldn't be that far off to see you two getting into unusual situations. If anyone asks, Beacon can cover up any supernatural occurrences. Let any speculation of the supernatural live and die in the hands of conspiracy theorists on the CCT." He held his hand out. "I come to you not as your Headmaster, but as a fellow Stand user, who wants nothing but to keep this city and the world safe. Could you take on this burden?"

Jaune and I both looked at each other. This is a lot to take in. After all, this did go from preventing chaos in the city to the death of civilization. Should we take this? On one hand, we're just Beacon students training to fight against the Grimm! I didn't ask to get these powers, and while I don't know how Jaune got his, I'm sure he doesn't either. It would be as easy as a simple no, and then we can just live out the rest of our short lives as normal people. Or as normal as Huntsmen could be. Team RWBY wouldn't have to worry about me, Jaune doesn't have to worry about his team, we don't have to go through these brutal battles against other Stand users.

But the fate of the world is in our hands. If we walk away, we might have a couple of months to be regular kids. But then civilization would collapse, and we have to deal with that aftermath. No matter what we do, we're never going to live a normal life ever again. And what we inflict on innocent people by doing nothing… they don't deserve losing their way of life because of us. The offer the Headmaster was making isn't going to be forgiving, but it's also the one where less people have to suffer. My hand squeezed into a fist. If that's what we have to do, then we'll do it.

"I'll accept." I leaned forwards and took his hand. "I don't like this plan, but I won't let other people suffer when I can stop it from happening."

Headmaster Ozpin lowered his head. "Thank you, Ms. Rose." He turned over to Jaune. "And you, Mr. Arc? You don't have to agree to this plan."

The boy let out a long hum. "I know. At the same time, I feel like we have to do this. We're the only Stand users aware of this, and there's bound to be more coming soon." He stepped up and took the Headmaster's hand.

Our Headmaster raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you scared of the possibility of dying?"

"More than anything in the world." Jaune stared at the Headmaster with firm eyes. "But if I'm this scared, then what about the other students? What about the civilians who don't know about this? I'm going to face my fears here so that nobody else has to. You have my word as an Arc"

For a moment, I swore a teardrop slipped from Headmaster Ozpin's eyes and down his cheek. One blink later and it was gone, replaced with a face of gratitude. "I am proud to have students like you." He let go of our hands. "For now, go back and enjoy the rest of the day. I'll keep in touch by scroll, and I'll update you if I find anything." We nodded and left.

It was a silent trip down the elevator. At least it wasn't like the one we experienced this morning. Only when we left the building did Jaune start talking. "Well, I guess this is our lives now. Going after a Cupid creature in order to save the world." He looked over at me. "How do you feel about that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not too sure. I've always wanted to just be a normal person. As great as it was to be invited to Beacon, I don't like being seen as special. Team RWBY made me feel like a normal girl until the Arrow came along. But you just have to keep going, I guess. The world needs special people to keep moving forwards. We just happen to be stepping up this time around."

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can see what you're getting at." The boy jerked up. "Oh yeah, gotta get the ammunition for my team! That's right!" He pointed in the direction of the post office. "I'm going to go get that, so see you later?"

A smile crawled up my face. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess!" Jaune gave me a wave as we split ways. Now that I'm alone, I let out a simple hum as I started for the dormitory. I wonder if any of my teammates are still there? Maybe we can find something to do for the rest of the day so I can distract myself from the Cupid stuff.

Movement from the corner of my eye locked my muscles in place. Who was that? I looked around, spotting a figure standing on the roof of the building. Wait a minute. I held my hand over my eyes as I looked closer. Oh hey, that's Blake! What is she doing on the roof? I let out a hmph. She can probably explain it later. But what are the odds that I would just run into one of my teammates in the open?

I cupped my hands around my mouth, about to shout before pausing. The faunus was brandishing Gambol Shroud at something or someone. What could it be? Before I could step closer, Blake started running off towards some unknown object. My eyes widened. Why is she doing this? With that question in mind, I started tailing my sister's partner.

* * *

My fingers flicked through my scroll as I sat around the reception section of the mail room. Okay, so I'm number sixty-one. How long do I have left until I can get the ammunition? I glanced up. There were several screens displaying a queue number. All of them said the same thing: _Currently Serving Number 32._ I bit my lip in annoyance. I thought queue systems were supposed to make waiting easier. Plus, how are there twenty-nine people in front of me? We're just picking up mail! It shouldn't take this long!

Now that I think about it, we've been on number thirty-two for some time now. Who in the world is taking so much time picking up their mail? It's just envelopes and boxes! Oh, come on! Isn't living a normal life supposed to be easier than fighting to save the world? I leaned back on the plastic seat. I guess I'm just going to be waiting here for awhile. My eyes gazed up at the ceiling. A series of industrial fans looked down at me. Maybe I could catch up on my sleep here. I'm pretty sure that my scroll will vibrate when it's my turn anyways. Before I could even close my eyes, I caught a vibrant blonde mane from the corner of my eye.

Yang's face popped right in front of me with the biggest grin ever. "Oh, hey Jaune!" A yelp escaped my mouth as I tried leaning back. The chair wouldn't move any further though, forcing me to bounce back towards Ruby's sister. She sidestepped, avoiding my face before raising her hands up in protest. "Whoa! Calm down! It's just me!"

"Oh, sorry. You just startled me for a moment." We stared at each other. "Hey Yang. How has your day been?"

"It's been fine. Sleeping in late, chill day, all that good jazz. Hey, you don't mind if I sit next to you, right?" I nodded. The other blonde of our friend group cheered as she plopped down right next to me, letting out a long sigh. She hooked one of her arms around my neck and jerked me close to her. "Man, I didn't expect to see you here!"

A choking sound escaped my mouth. "Me neither. What are you doing here?"

"It's kinda a boring story," Yang sighed. "So I woke up roughly thirty minutes ago to Ruby's scroll ringing. Wherever she went, she forgot it in the dorm. I guess somebody was trying to call her or something. So I get out of bed, but I couldn't get the call in time. That's when I noticed that she got a message from the mailing room that a special package for her had just arrived. So I thought: 'Hey. I'm already out of bed. I guess I'll just go clean myself up and pick up whatever she brought. To be honest, it's probably just more modifications for Crescent Rose." The brawler went silent for a moment. Her hand stroked through her hair, deep in thought. "So why are you here?"

I gave her a shrug. "My team bought Dust ammunition yesterday, and we asked the shopkeep to deliver it here. I got the notice that it came in today. There's nothing much else to say about it."

"Okay." We had another moment of silence. Yang coughed into her hand. "Yeah, I should've done this a long time ago, but…" She turned towards me and grabbed my shoulder. "Jaune, I'm sorry about punching you during the mission on Thursday. That was pretty extreme on my part, and I wasn't thinking clearly. I shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Yang. We all thought we lost Ruby. Seeing what happened was hard. I can't blame you for acting that way." I looked up. Current queue number was thirty-three. I raised my arms. "Finally! Number thirty-two took forever to get their stuff! But in all seriousness Yang, there's no need to apologize. I rather not have my face be smashed in, but I understand why you punched me. In a way, I guess I deserved it. The plan went awry, that's all I could say. Nobody could've predicted that we would have to go up against an Ancient Grimm and a King Taijitu at the same time. It was an unavoidable accident. It's nobody's fault for that."

Yang gave off a nervous chuckle. "Yeah. Right. Accident." Yet another lull in the conversation. The queue was moving a lot faster now, breaking past forty now. I turned over to Ruby's sister.

"By the way, what's your number?" She raised her eyebrows at the question. I pointed at the screen in my hands. "Mine's sixty-one."

"Oh, right! That!" She pulled out her scroll and glanced at the display. "Says here I'm right behind you with sixty-two. What are the odds we have numbers right next to each other?" A grin appeared on her face for just a moment before falling. "You know, in the back of my mind, I always wonder what's going on with Ruby. I'm supposed to be her sister, but I feel like after what happened recently, I'm not too sure about what's going on. Especially with what happened yesterday. Everything feels so… confusing! In fact, I don't think you'll believe a single word I say."

I hummed. "Go ahead and say it. It can't be that bad."

She leaned back into her seat. "You were there when everyone was getting patched up at the rec center, right?" I nodded. "Well, the thing is before that, I had an argument with Ruby. She's been pushing everyone away recently. Ever since she had to go to the nurse's office for that cut if I remember correctly. But it got really bad right after the mission. I mean she was almost actively avoiding us at that point. Then we had a confrontation when Ruby fell off some stairs, and she was yelling at me about being overprotective. I mean, it was true, but it hurt real bad to hear her say that."

"I got mad at her and stomped away. Went on a long walk to try and cool down. Didn't really work, considering I was thinking about what she said. I just couldn't get it out of my mind, no matter what I do. Then Blake goes and invites me to some movie stream, where I meet up with Ruby again." She exhaled the rest of her air and took in a new breath.

"From there we argued then… I don't know how to describe it. It was like my anger just exploded and ripped into my shoulder, biting a chunk out of me. Then I became paralyzed by some unknown force. And then, you won't believe this, Ruby fights off against some invisible lizard thingy, according to her at least. I've never seen something so weird before. Walls break for no reason, a projector flew off of the ceiling, Ruby pulls her own arm off!" She threw her hands out. "And after all of that, she wouldn't even tell us what's going on other than the fact that there's something big going on!"

She shook her head as she sighed. "Sorry about the rant. What was I trying to say with that? … I guess I wish more than anything that I could help her. And she's been hanging out with you at the infirmary and during Friday. Is there anything else you can tell me about? Something that she told you, but not me?"

Oh, so it's about that? I sighed. She's not going to get a straight answer in a long time, isn't she? I glanced down at the tiled floors. "No, not really." My eyes turned towards Yang. "But I'm sure that whatever she's doing, she's doing it for the right reasons. We both know Ruby well. Everything she does is well intentioned. Your sister isn't going to do anything unless she believes that it's the right thing to do."

She rubbed the base of her neck. "Thanks, Jaune. That doesn't help much in comforting me, but thanks anyway."

A voice appeared behind us, coughing to catch our attention. "Hey, um, Jaune is it?" We both looked behind us to see Nolan and his team standing in a rough line.

"Nolan?" I asked. "I thought you were recovering from yesterday." He shrugged.

"The nurses decided that I can go early after they pumped me with Aura boosters. My body's more or less back to normal." He stuck a thumb at his teammates. "Now I'm stuck on a leash with these guys as they drag me around for stupid chore stuff."

"Wait a minute." The boy with the purple scarf stepped forwards. I think his name was Branz or something? "How do you two know each other?"

I paled. How do I explain this? I rubbed the base of my neck. "Oh, that's a funny story…"

"We talked at that cool awesome party yesterday!" He snatched my neck. "We had a nice chat, exchanged contact info before we parted ways."

"Wait, what are you doing, Nolan?" I whispered. "That's an absolute lie!"

"Just go with it," he hissed back. "It's a small fib." He then spoke aloud to his teammates: "He came back right as I was being wheeled off."

The girl in the beanie shrugged her shoulders. "Well, alright." She held up a set of envelopes. "Can we go now? I think that's all for today."

Branz sighed. "Alright. But you, Nolan." He jabbed a finger at the teen in the jean jacket. "You're staying in front of us."

"Alright, alright." The boy raised his arms up. "I get it. You don't have to remind me about everything. I'm not that irresponsible. Oh!" He turned over to Yang. "Sorry about what happened yesterday. It was my bad."

"Huh?" Yang cocked her head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"Nolan!" His leader pointed at the ground in front of him. "We're leaving! Now get in front of me before I decide to drag you out!"

"Okay! Okay!" The boy in blue turned towards us. "Well, that's my cue. Catch you again, Jaune!"

Yang blinked once, then twice as we watched team BRNZ leave. "… I'm confused. Why did he apologize to me?"

My shoulders flew up in a shrug. "I don't know," I lied. My eyes looked at the queue. Sixty-one. My scroll rumbled soon afterward in my pocket. "Well, my number's on the screen. I'm going to have to take this to the lockers and store them, so I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"See ya later, Jaune!" Yang waved. "It's great talking to you!" My eyes glanced towards the floor as my smile dropped. Yeah, it was a good talk.

* * *

My arms burned in fury as I pulled myself up yet another rooftop. Man, I'm so tired! I glanced up at the faunus girl. She's still making her way around the rooftops a couple of buildings away from me. I groaned as I let my head hit the top of the roof. How does Blake manage to do this on a regular basis? I wish I had that kind of stamina. But then again, didn't she say that she used to be a part of the White Fang? I guess that does explain how she manages to hop buildings like nothing and still be stealthy in the process. She must've done this all the time!

I slapped myself a couple of times. No thinking, Ruby! Gotta focus on figuring out this mystery. I pulled myself up to a crouching position. From the looks of it, we're getting pretty close to the dormitories. It's going to be a lot harder for anyone to sneak around that area, especially considering how all of the students are probably hanging out there at this time of day. No matter what happens, Blake is going to have to break off that weird chase of hers.

Wait a minute… I squinted as Blake made a sharp right for the dorm rooms. Hmm… what's going on? I should get closer to my teammate. With the help of my Semblance, I zipped across the rooftops, cutting down the distance between me and Blake. It was there where I noticed that she's chasing after something dark. The dark figure turned around and blew a raspberry at the girl. My eyes widened. It can't be… is it? The Cupid made a motion to chuckle before diving into one of the open windows of the dorm building.

It is! I can't believe my luck! I just happened to run into the Cupid without even trying! The heavens have given me another chance to catch the thing! But if it's here, then— oh no! It's going to try and use the Arrow again! And the building's filled with potential students! Blake scaled a tree and threw herself into the same window, going after the creature. With that, I pushed myself to run even faster. I can't let that happen! Don't have time to think about why Blake's after the Cupid! Just have to take it down here! And I have to do it alone this time. Jaune's off on his errand. I hoped that I'm enough to bring it down.

My feet planted on the ground right next to the dormitories. I could hear a lot of noises from the window. That's good; that means that the Cupid hasn't left yet. Despite that reassurance, I frowned as I stared up at the second story window. For some reason, this feels familiar… why is this bothering me? The curtain blew around in the wind, revealing a giant cut mark down it. I gasped. It just jumped into my room! So that means that—

Blake's scream escaped the window, followed by Weiss'. My heart dropped at their cries. A ton of steam started to escape out of the opening. I have to get up there quick! My feet moved before my mind did, running up the tree before bouncing off of it. I snatched the ledge of the window right before I slipped off. "Blake! Weiss!"

The heiress answered: "Ruby!" With that I pulled myself up into the room. The first thing I noticed was the sheer amount of heat coming from the building. I broke into a sweat. Wow, it's so humid in here! I looked around the room. Most of the room remained unchanged, although it looked like the feet of the furniture were charring up. Various burn marks lined the walls, by what I'm not too sure.

Everybody inside the room was on Yang's bed. Zwei let out a small whine as he backed away from the edge of the bed, trying to put himself behind Weiss. For some reason, he looked like he was dunked into a tank of water. My partner had Myrtenaster in her left hand, pointed at the Cupid on the opposite side of the room. It giggled as it spun itself around the wall, pointing the Arrow out all the way. It acted like a demented roulette pointer in a way. Sweat rained down her face and skin, leaving stains on her soaked expensive clothing.

The one that shocked me the most was Blake. She had a shocked look on her face as she clambered at a hole drilled right into her throat. For some strange reason, instead of blood, a dark substance dripped out. I gasped in horror. Blake's been hit. As soon as Blake placed her hands on the wound, Weiss held them down as best as possible. She also looked drenched in water.

"Weiss!" I threw myself onto the bookshelf, sending the books sprawling to the ground. "What just happened—"

"Don't get any closer!" She threw her sword arm out, stopping me right there. "No matter what you do, don't step on the floor." The heiress brushed a bead of sweat out of her eyes. "As silly as this might sound, if you value your life, do not step on the carpet. The floor is literally lava."

My eyebrows flew up in confusion. Literally? I looked at the red carpet. Wait, wasn't it supposed to be black? And didn't we have a round rug lying on top of that? What happened to it? I leaned a bit closer to inspect it. Huh, it seems like it's glowing red hot—

A scream escaped my mouth as a giant snake-like creature exploded out from the carpet, launching glowing hot liquid towards my face. I dove over to Weiss' bed in an instant, avoiding the fizzling droplets that flew over me. The curtain hissed and sizzled as the molten carpet liquid hit it, leaving a burn mark on the fabric. Oh my gods! She was right! The floor is lava!

All I could do was gape at the creature that swam through the carpet. It looked like an overgrown tapeworm. The round head had four sucker looking thing on the side. I could make out trace amounts of lava within those suckers. On the top of its head was a ring of hooks aimed outwards. I shuttered. Those things look like they'll hurt. On its ivory body I could make out letters on each of its segment spelling out "Down Under." That creature was half a meter across! Who knows how long it is lengthwise! How am I supposed to go against this thing?

 **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** let out an ear-piercing screech, sending ripples through the lava. Rose appeared behind me. "Are you ready for another fight, Rose?"

" _If that is what you desire,"_ she responded, curving her back around the back of my head. My fists clamped shut as I stared down the tapeworm Stand swimming through the lava. I've might've lost you before, but you've made a big mistake this time around, Cupid. You gave me another chance. And this time, I'll make sure that I'll take that Arrow out of your hands.

⇐ _ **TO BE CONTINUED= 8/4/2017**_

* * *

 **Nolan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 1**

I rolled my eyes as the rest of team BRNZ walked towards the dormitories. Despite the fact that I'm in trouble with them at the moment, I have to admit that I kinda like having them here with me. Branz might be uptight, but he means well. Guess that's the responsibility of being the team leader. Roy is chill all around. I never had a moment where he couldn't keep a cool head for the rest of the team. May is also a great person to be around. She doesn't talk much, she keeps to herself, and she's a good shot. She's like the little sis I always wanted to have.

Oh, wait. I fiddled with my shades for a moment. Branz is the uptight one, Roy's the chill one, May's the quiet one… Does that make me the crazy irresponsible person on the team? … It's pretty obvious what that answer is.

Before we knew it, we all plopped down onto all of our beds and let out a collective sigh. I looked up. "So is there anything interesting in the mail, Branz?"

The boy in purple shifted through the letters. "There's no swooning girls who want a piece of you, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, ha ha. That's funny." I threw myself flat on the bed, looking directly at the ceiling. "No, I was asking if the Shade Headmaster decided to kick you off the team and instate me as the new glorious leader of team BRNZ."

"Your sarcasm is biting." Branz monotoned. "Really hurt me right here, right in the heart. But you would be a terrible leader. You know the first thing you'll do as leader will be to pimp out Roy and hope he'll bring you some sloppy seconds."

Roy chuckled from the other side of the room. "Yeah, he's probably right." The boy in dreadlocks looked up from his scroll. "You know now that I think about it, it's pretty funny that you harp about being one hell of a lady killer. But as much as you talk about women, you're the only boy virgin here."

"What the—" I gave my teammate a mock glare. "Roy, you're supposed to be taking the neutral side! I thought you were supposed to be the cool one!"

"Hey, for you the neutral side is your side."

"It's also the best side, thank you very much. I'm sorry that you savages don't care about the thrill of the hunt." I pulled myself up to a seated position. "Plus, why are you picking on me? Isn't May a virgin too?" I gestured to the girl in our team, who was zoning everyone out with the help of earphones.

Branz gave a small smile as he kept sorting through the letters. "Well for one thing, Roy and I have someone waiting back home. We don't care about the hunt because we have people we care about and we call regularly."

I coughed into my hand. "I heard those calls get a little intense sometimes. I bet your partners like to get a little heated late at night—"

"Shut up. Two, May doesn't care about having sex. She's not opening up for any man or woman, so it's easy to pick on the virgin loser who can't score rather than the virgin who wants to stay one." His eyebrows flew up as he picked out a letter. "Speaking of which. What do we have here?" The boy sniffed it. "Hmm… Zesty lemon and lavender combined with cedar. Interesting…"

"What?" I asked. "Why the hell are you sniffing that?"

"It's a love letter." Branz flipped it over and showed it to me. "Even has the nice heart stickers and all that."

"Wait, what? A love letter?" I leaned forward as my hand reached out for it. "Is it for me?"

My team leader jerked it away from my grasp. "Of course not. Don't get your hopes up. No, this is a surprise for sure. Hey May?" The girl didn't respond, still scrolling through her device while bobbing her head to her own little world. "May!" With that she pulled out one of her earbuds and looked at Branz, adjusting the lock of hair in front of her face.

"Yes?"

"Letter for you." Our sniper snatched it out of the air, a perfect toss from Branz. "You should read it out loud, let us all know."

"Okay…" May started peeling at the heart sticker. "Is this supposed to be a love letter? I don't know why they couldn't just find my number and texted me, but…" She yanked the letter out. The parchment looked old-fashioned, being slight yellow instead of the usual white. The girl in the beanie coughed into her hand before starting.

"To May, the love of my life. What can I say to describe the feelings in my bosom? Before you came along I lived life day by day, focusing only on the present. But the moment I saw you, I was whisked away by your charm. You're like a candlelight in the darkness, for only when you entered into my life can I see the truth."

She took a quick breath before continuing: "I love you very, very much, May. You showed me the meaning of love not with your words but with your care. I love the way you walk. It sends chills down my spine every time you smile, no matter how small it may be. I know your shy nature doesn't let you open up to everyone, but let me open up to you. I love you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Signed, your secret admirer."

Everyone stayed silent the moment we finished reading the note. I blinked once, twice before bursting out into laughter. "Oh my gods, that's so cheesy! I can't believe somebody thought about writing this and sending it by mail! What the— even I'm not that pathetic!"

Branz snorted. "Says the guy who actually went to a phone book, randomly circled the names of ten women and called them to ask them out on a date."

"And I got twenty lien for that! It was a fair bet, although I did get beaten up by the girls that actually showed up. And the ones that didn't. And their mothers— Yeah, that just sucked overall." I pulled myself back up. "But a love letter? Dude doesn't even realize he's going after an asexual girl! Man, I can't wait to see his face once May drops the truth on him!"

"Actually, I think it's cute how they put the effort into writing this down." May sighed as she placed the letter back into the envelope. "In fact, I feel a little sad having to turn this person down. Just a little. Is this supposed to be someone back in Shade?" She flipped the envelope over. "Huh. Beacon postage."

At this Roy joined the conversation. "Wait, so you're saying that the supposed admirer is here in Beacon? Right now?" All of us looked at each other.

A smile crawled up my face as I rubbed my hands. "You know what this calls for? It's betting season again. So, how much is everybody going to put in for 'the boy who has a crush on May Zedong?'"

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 _ **Retrospective:**_ **Neo's Cornerstone was one of the easiest Stands I've come up with. Back when I was drafting out a general outline of all of the Stand users that I wanted to have in the story, I learned about the concept of mind palaces and how people can associate objects with whatever they need to remember. Something like that blew my mind, and I knew that I wanted this ability in my story. With a couple of minor twists to up the stakes (memories replacing ideas to remember), Cornerstone was an extremely easy Stand to come up with.**

 **Now the hard part was thinking about who would have it. I considered it a situational Stand since the main mechanic of Cornerstone relied on trapping individuals. So it has always meant to be a villain Stand more than anything else. When I originally conceived it, I had the Stand user be able to walk through the house without any drawbacks. However, I felt that would one: rehash the Superfly battle in JoJo Part 4 with a minor change in conditions and two: be kinda boring since it would just be a curb stomp. I felt like there wasn't enough to work with narratively, so I shelved it for a moment.**

 **Skip maybe a day later and I'm working on Roman's Stand Chaining Day. I had the opposite problem with Roman, in which I knew I wanted him to be a Stand user and I wanted his Stand to reflect his career as a thief, but I didn't know what I wanted his Stand ability to be. So I found Chaining Day the song, listened to it and thought: I really like this song's point on materialism, about buying chains that enslave you in another way. How can I apply this into creating Roman's Stand? Then I thought about how materialism can change a person, and that's when I came up with Roman being able to absorb items and take on their properties. It would make sense that someone so focused on having would compromise themselves for the sake of having an object.**

 **From there I realized: Didn't I have a Stand ability about recalling memories through items? From there my mind went to Neo. Why not create a partner Stand battle? So I paired the two together, assigned Cornerstone to Neo, and everything more or less fell into place. I realized that I can balance Neo's Cornerstone while still giving Ruby and Jaune an enemy that can keep them away from freedom, and after writing this arc, I feel accomplished knowing this was a battle I was proud of.**

 **Fun fact about the scene where Neo ate moldy, soggy bread. It was actually inspired by a fever dream I had as a kid. Back as a child, I had a lot of weird and crazy dreams, which I guess contributes to why I like JoJo, but I digress. So I dreamed about walking down an alleyway when my stomach growled. Then for some weird reason, I thought it was a good idea to go to a trash can, open the lid, take out moldy bread, then eat it. It tasted bland and fuzzy. Later I woke up realizing I was gnawing on my fuzzy blanket. Somehow while I was writing the flashback scenes, the dream popped up in my head and my brain convinced me that it was a great idea. I have no idea if it is to this day.**

* * *

 **So... tapeworm Stand user. Another battle next chapter, so be prepared for that. I don't think there's anything else to say.**

 **On to the reviews!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you greenscoop!**

 **doa570047: Yeah, Cornerstone's ability kinda comes off as OP. Once Roman came into the situation, I decided to have Neo travel through mirrors instead of having a physical form in Cornerstone. To answer your question about what happened to Neo: she is the house. Only the mirrors show an image of Neo watching the others. That was my way of balancing out Cornerstone.**

 **Well, at least Team RWBY is going to be real suspicious now, considering how Blake just got stabbed in the neck and the floor has turned into lava. And as for Jaune not passing his Stand for his Semblance, it's more of a case that Jaune never really had the need to explain his abilities to non-Stand users yet. But I think with Ozpin's suggestion that Jaune will make that mention fairly quickly soon enough...**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **Guest: There are going to be individuals that already have a Stand. Jaune and Ozpin are already examples of that. The origins of these guys owning Stands will be explained later on in the story, but you can rest easy. There will be enemies that already have Stands. Don't worry about that.**

 **Well, that's all for today! I'll see you guys next time!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: August 4, 2017**_


	16. Down Under

**Hello everyone! One quick announcement before we get into the story proper. I've finally hit 10,000 views! I'll talk a little more about that in the bottom A/N. But anyways, enough of me. Enjoy!**

* * *

My eyes squinted as they stared at the monstrosity that was **「** **DOWN UNDER.** **」** The humongous tapeworm swam across the lava ground, sending little ripples that washed over the legs of our beds. Occasionally it would stop and tilt its head around as if it was looking for something. A fountain of sweat dripped down my face. It didn't help me stay cool at all. The glow of the ground let off a dim glow that lit up the room with an eerie orange light. With the shake of its head, the tapeworm dove into the carpet and disappeared from sight.

I glanced at the other enemy in the room. The Cupid giggled at me, crossing its legs in the air before spinning the Arrow around. This is going to be difficult trying to deal with a Stand user and that thing at the same time. I'm going to need to choose between the two. Which one is more important to deal with right now… I looked at my Stand.

"Go after the Cupid behind me. Don't give it a chance to escape." **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** nodded, shooting after the Grimm. It screeched, diving out of the way just as she made a new crater on the wall. Rose said nothing to this, twisting in the air towards the fleeing monster. A look of displeasure washed over the Grimm baby's face as it started fleeing from my Stand. Hopefully, that should buy me time.

While that's being taken care of, gotta check on the rest of the girls. My legs tensed up under me before I launched myself off of Weiss' bed. The tapeworm erupted from the surface, hitting me with tiny droplets of lava. A scream escaped my mouth as I flew through the air. Oh hot! Hot! Tears ran down my face feeling my skin sizzle and char from the droplets. Instead of a perfect landing like I wanted, I crashed into Yang's bed back first and rolled before crashing into the wall.

Zwei and Weiss yipped, jerking away at my arrival. The moment I stopped, I smacked away the already hardening pieces of molten rock. "Ow! Ow! Agh…" I moaned, rubbing my sore back. I think I could make out the smell of my burning flesh. "That hurt… Oh right!" I turned towards my partner. "Weiss! You have to tell me everything! What happened here?"

"Wha— I don't understand any of this!" The heiress grimaced as she glanced at the state of the room. "What is going on? This doesn't make any sense! It's all so… so bizarre!"

I snatched her shoulder. "Weiss, I just need you to say it as it happened. Don't worry, I'll understand it."

She pressed her lips together in a line. "... Okay." The tip of Myrtenaster followed the Cupid bouncing around. "Nobody was in the room when I woke up, so I decided to do a bit of studying. Then a couple of minutes ago, that— that thing jumped through our window, nearly poking my eye out with that arrow! Zwei went berserk at the monster right afterward, barking at it nonstop. Blake flew through the window a couple of seconds later, swinging Gambol Shroud at it! Then the figure pulled out this arrow and threw it at Zwei, and it hit him in—" She winced, covering her mouth with her free hand. It looked like she was turning green. "It hit him in the—!"

"What?" Zwei doesn't look hurt! He's up and running! Plus, if he's the Stand user, then he wouldn't be attacking us right now! Zwei is a good boy! He wouldn't do this to people who love him! ... Would he? I grabbed the girl again. "Where did it hit him? You have to tell me!"

Weiss' face glowed red as she looked away. "The— the butt." Silence overtook the room at the statement. She continued: "There was a little something sticking out, and I thought it was just a tiny piece of dried poop or something. But then that… that tapeworm shot right out and dove into the carpet. Right after that, the carpet turned into lava and… you know the rest."

My mind tried to process this as fast as possible. This means that Zwei isn't a Stand user. The tapeworm must be the Stand and the Stand user, kinda similar to Jaune now that I think about it. I mentally let out a sigh of relief. I don't have to beat up my dog so that we don't die. It doesn't make fighting **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** any easier, though.

I let my mind wander for a bit. Besides the obvious life-threatening situation we were in right now, that also means that my corgi has a ton of adult tapeworms trying to escape his body. I should ask Yang to order that medicine again before the tapeworms make him malnourished.

And at the same time, I wanted to laugh at my partner and friend for her prudishness. Really? She gets flustered saying 'butt'? And she made it sound a lot worse than it actually is! Oh man, if it wasn't for the fact that we're going to die, this is pretty funny. This is going to be something we're going to hold over her head!

But now's not the time for friendly blackmail. That can wait until we put down **「** **DOWN UNDER.** **」** I took a quick peek at the red-hot carpet below us. So far no sight of the worm aside from that eruption from earlier. That's good. It means that we can do a bit of planning first. I started by taking a look at the downed faunus. Her ragged breathing started to become more rhythmic. The hole in her throat started to pull itself back together. "Whew," I let out, wiping my forehead. "Blake's going to be fine."

My partner let out a sputter, looking at me. "Fine? How? She has a hole in her throat!"

"It's closing up! Look!" A look of disbelief formed on her face as she saw the wound repair itself. The heiress raised one of her eyebrows. I waved a hand at her in dismissal. "Don't think about it too much, it's just going to get more confusing. That being said, you should stay away from the edge whenever possible. There's a lava monster within the floor, and it's trying to throw lava at us."

"A lava monster?" she repeated. Weiss wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. "So you're saying that random lava spurt wasn't due to chance?" I mentally slapped myself. Right, Weiss isn't a Stand user. Of course she wouldn't see **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** erupting from the ground. To her, it probably looked like sudden geysers.

"Yes, that was due to a lava monster. No, I'm not making this up!" I whined as she opened her mouth in protest. "Only a few people can see it! But we can focus on that later." I looked at her relatively non-sweaty face. "How are you not sweating? It's so hot in here."

"Huh? Oh! I should give you this." Weiss dug through her skirt pockets and tossed a vial of ice Dust at me. "Ruby, rub a thin layer of this on your skin. The ice Dust has a high boiling point, meaning it'll keep us relatively cool in here. That'll buy us time until we figure out what we need to do to stop this 'lava monster.' If that's a real thing." I nodded, doing as she asked. Almost immediately I felt relief from the overbearing heat of the room. "You might want to ration that," Weiss warned. "I have a lot of ice Dust, but I didn't get a chance to get the vials from under my bed. It's deep under there, and well..." She gestured to the bubbling floor. "That happened. So all we have is the vial you're holding and the one chambered in Myrtenaster."

"Got it." I pocketed the gift. My mind raced to figure out what we can do. I glanced at my Stand. Rose was still going after the Cupid. However, the Grimm was a lot faster than I expected, dodging every single blow that Rose threw at it with ease. It let out a smug giggle as more and more craters formed against our wall. "Weiss, do you think you can get any closer to that creature?"

She gave me a frown. "I'm not too sure. You're capable of jumping around the room without a problem. I don't have that kind of dexterity. It's going to be hard for me to get to my bed, let alone get close enough to the baby to do anything. It's too dangerous using my glyphs. It's too crowded, and I might fall into the lava if I mess up. And I've thought about just cooling the ground and creating rock, but the one platform I made lasted maybe ten seconds before it was swallowed up by the lava. How would I be able to get to that thing?"

A series of books fell into the lava, catching my attention. I watched as they slowly floated towards the door. Despite the heat of the lava it was sitting on, there seems to be no effect on the reading material. That's weird… paper is easily flammable. Wouldn't this thing burst into flames?

Wait. Weren't the beds floating on the lava as well? They're not burning as well, and they're made of wood! My mind started cranking at the realization. Weiss was going at this wrong. She doesn't need to create rocky platforms; everything around us can serve as platforms!

I turned towards my partner. "Okay, hear me out Weiss," I started. "I don't think you need to turn the lava into rock." I pointed at the mass of books. "Look at those. They're not burning. I bet we can use them as stepping stones to get where we need to! Watch!" Before she could say anything, I threw myself onto a pair of Blake's novels. They rocked and bobbed in the fiery liquid, forcing me to throw my hands out to balance myself. I smiled and pointed at the books. "See! You can totally do it! No lava burns whatsoever! We won't be hurt unless we actually touch the ground!" With a grunt, I leaped onto my partner's bed and signaled over to her. "Now you try it!"

My partner blinked once, then twice before sighing and taking the leap. A yelp escaped her mouth as she landed on the books. Her hands flew out immediately as the novel stepping stones rocked within the fiery liquid. I held my breath. Every second felt like it dragged on for an eternity as Weiss righted her balance. "Okay… okay. I can do this. This isn't so bad. If I take my time going through this, I should be on the other side in no time—

The both of us paled when the liquid Weiss stood on started rumbling. "Whoa!" Weiss yelped as she threw out her hands. The edge of her skirt nearly dipped into the lava. "What's—" Before she could finish her sentence, the massive tapeworm broke out from the carpet lava, showering the girl with the red hot liquid. My partner's face twisted in a panic.

"Weiss!" I started for the edge of the bed. The calm, focused look reformed on my partner's face. With the click of Myrtenaster's striking hammer, a cloud of frost shot out from Weiss' rapier, forming an ice fog in front of her. The lava droplets upon touching the icy cloud cooled into tiny, crystalline fragments that my partner knocked away with a couple of swings from her sword. She brought herself to a ready stance, bending her knees and holding the hilt of Myrtenaster close to her face. It's like she was never fazed in the first place.

"Ruby, is the monster still in front of me?" The piercing point of Myrtenaster drifted slightly off course from the monster's body as she glanced in its general direction. "If this is the thing that caused the carpet to burn, then it might be easier for us to take it down right now. It's going to be easier to move if the carpet went back to normal. We might be able to get to the baby monster if we hurry—"

"Don't!" Blue eyes glanced at me with confusion and worry. "I promise you, you're not going to hurt it with Myrtenaster. Normal weapons don't work on these kinds of monsters!"

"What?" She threw her glance towards the last place **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** emerged from the floor. "Then what does?"

"It's nothing that you have!" I thrust my index finger towards the Cupid. It growled in frustration as Rose kept slamming fists into the wall, keeping it stuck in the corner. "Trust me when I say that you're better off focusing on the baby! The baby's creating all of these creatures you can't see!" **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** dove back into the lava. The only indication of where it is in the lava is the occasional ripple. Weiss tensed up as she kept Myrtenaster pointed at a moving ripple. I tried signalling over to her. "Just get over here and—"

The tapeworm roared as it broke through the water, opening its hook mouth to clamp over Weiss' chest. I stepped forwards in a panic. "Weiss, get out of the way! Rose!" In a split second, my Stand zipped over to her and shoved the girl back onto the bed where Blake and Zwei were. Seconds later **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** slammed into Rose, driving its hooks into her torso and smashing her into the front door. A circle of puncture wounds pierced my own torso, followed quickly by geysers of blood bursting out and painting the bed red. As for me, I slammed right into the tail end of Weiss' bed, causing me to spit out a glob of the red liquid.

"Oh my gods!" Weiss got up and crawled to the edge of Yang's bed. Her face paled in shock. "Ruby!"

I let out a roar of pain alongside Rose, who sent out a barrage of punches into the head of the tapeworm Stand. Several dents formed right above the suckers of **「** **DOWN UNDER.** **」** I was hoping it would cause the tapeworm to let go. The Stand didn't release me. I can't tell if it was even hurt by my punches. Instead, it started swinging its head side to side, swinging my Stand around. I yelped as my body moved along with it, bringing me dangerously close to the edge of the bed. I can feel the heat radiating off of the ground, just waiting to scorch me.

No! I'm not going to fall in! I burst my arms and legs into rose petals and forced them to reform through the footboard, stopping my body from moving with the tapeworm. Only my head hung off from the bed mattress. The hooks sank deeper into my stomach, forcing a cry out of my mouth. I have to power through it. It's not an ideal situation, but it'll work for now.

My eyes looked towards the trapped **「** **RED LIKE ROSES.** **」** Okay, how am I going to escape the hooks of the tapeworm? Let's see… I glanced at the wound marks on me. The points move outwards from a circle, kinda like a barb on an arrow. It allows for easy penetration while at the same time keeping the tapeworm hooked in. Following the arrow train-of-thought, this is why most hunters choose to either push the arrow past through the flesh or cut a bigger hole to pull an arrow out of their prey. Just yanking the arrow out would cause the hooks to rip out a piece of flesh.

Rose already tried forcing the tapeworm to let go, but its clear that that's not going to happen anytime soon. And pushing the worm through my body would most likely kill me. I bit my lip. What can I try that would— Wait! Arrows aren't retractable; the arrowheads are firmly in place. But tapeworms are organic, which means that they must have a way to let go— My Stand wrapped her hands around the muzzle of **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** and squeezed. I cried in victory as I felt the hook retract from Rose and the pressure relieved off my stomach. I can just free myself!

With a firm kick from Rose, the worm flew back into the lava. It landed with a splash, forcing me to pull my head away from the splashback. I freed my limbs from the footboard, got back up, and pulled my Stand back to heal my wounds. My face crinkled as pain washed over me. Okay, now that I'm out of the grasp of **「** **DOWN UNDER,** **」** I can go back to focusing on the— My eyes widened. Where did the Cupid go?

Weiss let out a cry, prompting me to turn towards her. Several jabs flew towards the giggling baby Grimm as it dove towards the girl, aiming its Arrow for her chest. A quick riposte knocked the Cupid to the side, yet it dove away before my partner would retaliate. Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Zwei let out a whine as he backed himself into the headboard of Yang's bed.

"It's so hard to move!" the heiress declared as she waved her sword at the Grimm standing opposite from her on the bed. "Ruby, give me some help! This thing's trying to stab me!"

"I'm trying!" At this point most of the pierced muscle was back to normal. There was still a welt in the shape of a circle on my torso. I think that's enough for now. "Don't worry Weiss, I'm coming! **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " At my cry the white cloaked Stand reappeared behind me just as the Cupid lunged for her yet again. She held up Myrtenaster, ready for another stab; however, the creature chose to twist in the air, place its feet on the bottom of Blake's bed, and push off. A gasp escaped my partner's mouth as the Arrow made a small cut on the back of her right hand. It let out a titter before jumping out of the window.

"Ow!" Myrtenaster fell onto the bed as Weiss nursed her hand. My gut wrenched. No! The Cupid got away again! There's no way we can lose it twice in a day! I have to go after it! I bit my lip. At the same time, both Blake and Weiss are now hit with the Arrow. My partner's going to lose consciousness any time now, and who knows how long it's going to take until Blake wakes up! I grinded my teeth against each other. You win this time, Cupid. We'll get you next time. I turned back towards my partner who had her left hand on her forehead, rubbing it gently.

"Oh gods," she whispered. "What's going on?" Dust crystals started forming on her back of her hand, slowly crawling up her arm. Is she going to be crystallized? Weiss looked at me with a dazed stare. "It's so cold all of a sudden. Am I dying?" My partner stuck her hand out to me. "Ruby—" Her eyes rolled into her head before she fell forward. Zwei, the good dog he is, barked before biting the back of Weiss' shirt, preventing her from falling into the lava. With a growl he pulled the girl back and set her on the bed. The corgi let out a sorrowful whine as he licked the girl's face, which is quickly being overcome with Dust crystals.

A tear ran down my eye as I made my jump, landing on Yang's bed yet again. My dominant hand snatched Myrtenaster as I turned around. Weiss isn't going to need the weapon now that she's out of it, but this might be the difference between me surviving **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** and dying a fiery death.I fumbled with the weapon a couple of times, making sure that everything's working as intended. The cylinder spun around a couple of times before stopping on the ice Dust. Alright, now to figure out how to stop this tapeworm from causing any more havoc.

I glanced at the glowing red carpet. It's not revealing any of its movements, which means… I'm going to have to try and bait it to reveal itself. Using the books as stepping stones worked the first time, but that's not going to give me enough room to work with. I need something bigger so I can do a bit of dodging. I looked at the red fabric that I sat on. Maybe… But I shouldn't disturb everybody else. My hand reached over to Blake's bed and snatched her blanket. With a grunt I tossed it at a random empty spot.

The warm fabric floated through the air before landing on the ground. It made a couple of ripples in the lava; otherwise it didn't burn in any way. Perfect! I flung myself out, landing on the makeshift raft. The blanket sunk a bit into the lava due to my weight, but no lava poured into it. I wonder why is that. Maybe it's because molten rock is way denser than most things. My legs shook under the ripples of the body of water as I pulled myself up to a standing position. Okay, this isn't as stable as I thought it would be, but it'll do for now.

 **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** reemerged from the lava bed, curling around my little raft as its body entered and exited the carpet. It reminded me of those mythical stories of water dragons along the coast of Mistral; how these dragons are long snake-like creatures and swam through the waters in that exact manner. I held Myrtenaster out at the Stand surrounding me as Rose followed the movements of its head. Dad said that there's only one place that matters to a tapeworm: the head. That's where all of the important nervous system stuff are. If the neck or head gets damaged, then the worm can't live.

Its tail slapped against the surface, sending a splash of burning lava towards me. An ice fog formed in front of me, flash freezing the droplets into harmless rocks. Rose in turn flew at the head and slammed it against Weiss' bedpost. It shrieked at the impact, writhing in a fury. There we go! I can finally get enough force behind every punch now! My Stand pulled a snow-white fist back, ready to start a beatdown.

A sudden impact to the blanket offset my balance, sending me falling down onto the red fabric. I looked down. The tail! It's slamming against the makeshift raft. Lava started pouring into Blake's blanket. Another use of ice Dust froze the hot liquid in place. Whew, that was close. I felt something wrapping around my torso. The tapeworm was wrapping its midsection around Rose! It tightened its grip, forcing the air out of my lungs. Every gasp of air became harder as the worm strangled me through Rose. My Stand in turn let go of the tapeworm's head. The maw of **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** let out another screech as it jerked itself down into the lava, bringing Rose alongside with it.

I threw Myrtenaster out and fired a stream of ice below Rose's feet. The lava crackled as it froze into stone. My Stand smacked into it a second later. I gritted my teeth as I felt the impact on my legs. "Rose! Get out of there!" She complied, karate-chopping the area between two of the segments. They separated easily, freeing the head of **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** and sending it falling into the drink. The Stand then held its body up to block the splashback. I tsked. Didn't get its head; it's still alive and swimming. At least more than half of its body is chopped off at least, so I don't need to worry about being strangled.

A glance at the chamber revealed that most of the ice Dust's already gone; there's maybe enough in it for one more blast. There's still the vial that Weiss gave me earlier. I'll use this last shot and then reload the—

At this time, **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** burst out of the lava and screeched, sending a wave of lava towards me. My hand moved on instinct, hardening the lava in place using Myrtenaster. I flicked the cylinder out as I heard the weapon click, launching the empty vial out. I pulled my other vial from my pocket as Rose flew through the ice fog for a surprise attack. Yet I don't feel her hitting anything. Huh? Where did it go? It was right in front of me a moment ago, where could it have— A shadow cast over me. Oh—

I scrambled to the side as the worm landed onto the blanket, flooding the raft with the carpet lava. The Dust vial flew out of my hand and rolled across the carpet until it hit one of our desks. Way out of my reach. I let out a scream as some of the lava washed over my left leg, searing the flesh to my clothing. Oh gods! I separated the affected limb and flopped onto the unaffected part of the blanket. Despite my efforts, the burning sensation wouldn't stop. I tried to pull back Rose only to find out that she can't return. Does that mean I have to be whole in order to regain my Aura? But I can't let the fire consume me!

The ice vial lay out of reach of my hands. My eyes widened. Wait! I have Rose! She can grab it and cool down the lava hitting my leg! My Stand zipped over to the life-saving Dust, only to get grabbed in the air again my the tapeworm Stand. A familiar wound formed on my back this time, shooting out a gush of blood as it pinned me down. Rose smashed into the wall close to my bed, snatching one of the ropes holding the bed up before **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** jerked her into the hot drink. In the other hand she held up the ice Dust. My eyes widened. Yes! Now if only—

 **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** raised its midsection over me, preventing Rose from pouring the ice Dust onto my burning leg. Oh come on! You can't do this to me! As if it was rubbing salt in the wound, the tapeworm Stand slapped the side of my blanket raft. My burning leg was flung into me, setting my torso on fire as well. A cry escaped my mouth as I felt my everything burn, from my skin to my lungs.

My head flopped onto the blanket as a small stream of tears ran down my face. At this point most of my body was engulfed by the flames. Is this over for me? Am I going to die like this: burning in a pool of lava, pierced in the back by a massive tapeworm? Oh gods, I failed you guys. I let the Cupid escape, it's going to get everybody killed! To think that this is how the world ends: with me burning up to a crisp while some tapeworm pins me down—

A groan caught my attention. I glanced over at the bed where everybody was laying and let out a gasp. It was more of a rasp than anything, but it was a rasp of hope. I might make it through this.

After all, Blake was stirring.

* * *

I found myself laying on the ground of an empty street. There was the smell of something… something awful. Like the smell of cement was combined with something more metallic. There's something metallic in my mouth as well. I think there's something in my hands, like one of those protest signs I used to carry as a kid. A groan escaped my mouth as I pushed myself up to a seated position. Ugh, where am I? All I can make out are some buildings and some kind of street. My hand moved to wipe something wet out of my eyes. What's on my face?

With my vision cleared, I blinked a couple of times. A gasp escaped as I stared at the gruesome scene in perfect clarity. Several bodies lay on the road; both faunus and human. There was a big variety of them, all from different backgrounds whether rich or poor. All of them with the same dead look in their eyes paired with the same look of horror. Blood flowed on the ground, almost like a river. Thankfully it wasn't traveling in my direction, but the current of the red waters looked swift. I could make out distant sounds of crying from somewhere. Cries of sorrow, of anger, all of the negative emotions every Remnan tries to hold back. Even from a distance, they threatened to burrow in my mind. I gasped as I took in every single thing in front of me. What is this? Is this… the riot that happened when I was twelve? Why am I here?

"Blake, look at the sight in front of us." I looked up at the sound of the voice. My father looked at me with sorrow as he kneeled next to me. He surveyed the field of broken bodies. What in the world? Why is my father here? "So many lives taken in the name of supremacy. Both from the humans and from our own. All of this fighting, all of this callous violence; it does nothing to drive humans and faunus apart. Is this the world you wanted? One where good, innocent people die for the sins of the past?"

"Dad." A tear ran down my face. "What are you talking about? I gave that life up. I'm no longer with the White Fang. This isn't me anymore." A mountain of books started piling around us, filled with various stories from my giant library at home. Didn't I get rid of those several years ago? Why are they piling up here out of all places? Why is it raining books? Is this a dream? My hands covered up my ears. My cat ears, just exposed to the world. "I just… I just want everybody to find some kind of happiness. For our people."

"Hmm… Everyone deserves happiness. Who would say that they didn't want it for someone else?" My breath hitched as he combed through my hair. It's been so long since he did that, but I feel like I need to pull away from him. He continued:"But running from the responsibilities of our people to play hero won't help us in the long term. Is it not our job to keep holding the burden of our people, no matter what? As the de-facto leaders of all faunus? Look at us, Blake. We're not supposed to be warriors to fight and win our happiness. We're people, and we need everyone to see it. People should want us to be part of their lives, to share that joy with us."

"Those humans don't want us." Another voice appeared on the other side of me. I glanced over to see Adam walk through the blood river with a cocky strut. His pants were already stained red. Red liquid ran down his equally crimson blade. "They choose to push us away, belittle us, treat us like the dregs of society. And they're surprised that we fight back? This is where they cross the line. They won't give us the respect and acknowledgment we asked for so long. The humans will only get it when they experience the cruelty we face." Adam scoffed as he looked at my father, wiping the blood on his sleeves before sheathing the weapon. "We're done trying to step up to their level. They don't care. We're going to bring them down to our level. Only then will we be happy."

"Blake." I looked forwards to see my mother sitting on one of the piles, reading a book. Okay, what's going on? This is... huh? She looked at me with amber eyes. "How do you find your happiness?" Before I could answer, she closed the book in front of her. "For me, happiness is found. You can find happiness in the fantasy of a book or in living life. People find them in doing something bigger than themselves or they can find it by doing the littlest deeds. But I look into my daughter's eyes, and I don't see a trace of happiness. You're unsatisfied." She looked into my eyes as she slipped down onto the floor. "You don't know what makes you happy in the end. But every journey starts somewhere. So I ask, how do you find happiness?"

My mouth opened as all three figures stood around me. The three biggest people in my life before Beacon. "I— I don't know anymore." I started crawling away from them. Why are they all talking philosophy to me? I don't need them. "It's— I can't see it. Please don't talk about this anymore." They stepped forwards. "Stay back!" I yelled, throwing a hand towards them.

My other hand slipped on a loose stack of books, and I fell into the stack of novels behind me. The open pages clamped around me, turning my flesh and bones into ink. What the— How do I get out? I writhed around as I was consumed by the tomes. Oh gods! I tried to pull myself away without any effect. It's like I've lost my hands! Am I gonna die? One last book opened wide, placing my head within its pages. One last thought popped in my mind. What makes me happy? My team appeared in my mind before the book slammed down on my head, flattening it and bringing me into darkness.

Moments later I found myself in pitch darkness. I felt the fluffiness of a blanket press against my face. The sounds of roaring and fearful whining registered in my ears. A charred smell entered my nose. Huh? Am I in my room? It's like something's going on, and bad too. I groaned as I opened my eyes. What happened?

My eyes widened as the events of the day repeated in my head. That's right! Ruby woke up early today, awakening me in the process. After that talk yesterday, I was suspicious, so I tailed her and Jaune. They were talking about some weird stuff about these… Stands. I lost them when they went into that manhole, so I waited for an airbus to the city. And then there was the baby thing that they ran into at the docks! I followed it all the way back into our room when— Oh gods! I threw my head up in a panic.

The entire room was in chaos. Several books were strewn all over the floor. Their hardback covers were charred for some reason. A whine to my side revealed the dog rubbing at Weiss. I let out a gasp. Dust crystals covered both the skin and the fabric on her right hand. She looked deathly pale. "Weiss…" I muttered, leaning myself over her. "What happened to you?"

"Blake!" Was that Ruby? I turned over to see my leader lying upon a blanket. Her left leg had been chopped off and is now burning in what seems to be a pool of lava. The girl herself had a giant circular wound on her back which is bleeding out fast. And she was completely engulfed by the fire. She gritted her teeth through a lot of pain as her pale skin started turning ash black. "You gotta help me. I'm not going to make it at this rate."

"Ruby, what's going on?" A gasp escaped my mouth as I saw a white-cloaked figure struggle to maintain their hold on Ruby's bed while holding a Dust vial. A massive tapeworm-like creature sunk its hooks into them, struggling and tearing at their back. Another spurt of blood escaped my friend and leader.

"Get the ice Dust in Rose's hand and use a bit to extinguish the lava on my leg." Ruby pointed at the vial within the cloaked figure's hand. "And don't step on the carpet; it's going to burn you to a crisp because it's lava."

"Wha—" I started backing away. "No… this can't be happening!"

"You have to, Blake! That's the only remaining ice Dust that we have easy access to!" She looked over to the figure. "Rose! Toss the Dust to Blake!" The hooded figure nodded, throwing the vial towards me. My eyes widened at the move. It's going to fall short! I lunged forwards to catch it, and just barely managed to snatch it out of the air. However, I found myself tilting towards the burning red lava below me.

A yelp escaped my mouth as I felt something tug at my emotions. With that, I felt something pull away from my back, grabbing my bed and stopping me from falling forwards. A gasp appeared from my throat. That doesn't feel like the bite of that corgi. What in the world? I glanced behind myself to see a shadowy hand gripping the ledge of my bed. What is this— It yanked me back onto the mattress before disappearing into nothing.

What just happened back there? How did a hand appear from my back? I don't think this is part of my Semblance. But what could it be? A yell brought my attention back to the fight at hand. The cloaked figure flipped herself over, hooking her legs over the rope before wrapping her arms around the maw of the tapeworm beast. My leader waved her hands in my direction, catching my eye.

"Blake!" Ruby had her hands cupped. Her eyes shined with relief. "Toss the bottle over to me!" I did just that, flicking the bottle in her direction. The girl caught the glass container with little trouble and she started pouring the contents of it over her body to extinguish it. As the Dust put out the burning leg, I saw bits of it split away and transform into rose petals before floating in her direction. At the same time, the white figure let out a loud grunt as she yanked the beast off of her torso and threw it back into the lava.

"Okay, we might be able to stand a chance," the reaper noted as she watched the petals touch the stub where her left leg should be. Just like in Forever Fall, the limb reformed bit by bit until the leg was fully formed. The process reminded me of building blocks that children would play with. Once the leg was back together, the cloaked woman faded away into nothing. Almost immediately Ruby's wounds started knitting themselves back together. " **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** is going to reemerge from the lava anytime now; that's going to be the perfect time to strike at its head. Blake, you're going to need to focus. Remember the hand that escaped from your back?"

I nodded. Could she see that as well? "Do you remember what you did to make it appear?" I nodded again. "Focus this time. Yank hard on that feeling." My eyebrows flew up in suspicion. This was all just bizarre as it goes. I tried to do it again. My eyes widened in surprise when some kind of spiritual thing appeared in front of me.

The figure had a humanoid figure like a woman, but the skin was matte black. It looked like the woman was wearing a skintight uniform. On her shoulder guards were my emblem. Her head was feline in nature. The general structure was like a jaguar, but it also had a mane like a lion. Human hands had a fold at the ends of the fingertips, where claws could pop out. Solid golden eyes gazed back at me. A bit of light passed through the robot, giving her a creepy, ethereal look.

" **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS,** **」** " I whispered in awe. I don't know where the name came from, but something felt right about the name. It felt like it fit the ghostly woman standing in front of me. The cat-headed ghost gave me a nod before taking on a fighting stance similar to the tiger pose used in Mistralian martial arts. For some reason, seeing the woman in that pose brought a sense of calm in me. Like I can do anything.

"Blake, get down!" The tapeworm burst through the lava, shooting a geyser of molten rocks in my direction. I threw myself to the right side of the bed, dodging the lava as well as getting a yelp out of the corgi as I ran into him. Yang's blanket sizzled as the hot fluid washed over the bed. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** followed my body closely, staying an arm's length away from me at all times. The giant monster Ruby referred to as **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** splashed into the lava floor, sending another splash my way.

Zwei yelped when he saw that, jumping onto the bookshelf and crossing over to the other bed. I, however, had my back pressed against the wall. I can't move anywhere! I'm going to get hit by the lava! Before that could happen, the catwoman leaped behind me, merging into the wall. A gasp escaped my throat as I felt myself sink into the wall. It was like the plaster was a surface of water, and I dove into it.

The lava washed over the bed and hit parts of the wall, yet I didn't burn. What? How was that possible? I tried to stare at myself. Most of me looked fine, but at the same time, I looked like I lost a lot of… depth. My body's two-dimensional! Somehow I managed to merge with the wall. How did that happen? **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** appeared behind me. Was it due to the woman that appeared out of nowhere? She didn't say anything, instead pointing a finger towards the front door. Maybe she's trying to say something. I think I should be safe from the tapeworm in this form.

With that, I made my way towards the front door, where Ruby happened to be. She gasped when she looked at me. "Blake! You look like a cartoon character! Just like those Mistralian animes!" My leader waved off her comment. "But forget about that. Here's the plan. We're going to need to get the tapeworm out of the lava so that we can target the head. So I'm going to get its attention. When I do, you come in with **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** and hold its head in place. I'll cut off its body so that it can't move, then you attack the head!"

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Ruby." With that, Ruby loaded what's left of the ice Dust into Weiss' sword and fired off an ice bolt at the ground. The lava cooled down right away, forming a rocky platform that Ruby then leaped on.

Moments later, **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** screeched as it exposed itself, jumping towards the reaper. "Blake, now!" I pulled myself out of the wall and grabbed the tapeworm's head using **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS,** **」** slamming it into the front door. The mysterious cloaked figure re-appeared from thin air, letting out a feminine roar before swinging a karate chop right at the monster's torso. The body separated with ease, leaving me with only the head to deal with.

The feline woman pulled one of her hands back and released her claws as I landed on the blanket. With triumph I yelled, " **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS!** **」** " The figure sunk the claws right into one of the round suckers, causing the creature to screech in pain. Instead of blood, a murky clear liquid flew out of the puncture wounds the woman made. She let out a snarl as the claws swung to and fro, creating hundreds, no thousands of scratch marks, all releasing the pale liquid.

"WAAAAOOUUUU!" She let out one final wail as she sank her claws straight through the worm, causing it to slump in her arms. The ground turned back to its normal black the moment it died. The heat from within the room faded just as quickly and the smell of burning more or less stopped. There was still scorch marks all over the room, the remnants of the battle at hand. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** pulled the claw back, allowing the body of the worm to drop. It shrunk while it was in the air, returning back to its normal size. Both Ruby and I looked at the tiny head that remained.

"Wow, that was a mess," the girl noted as she wiped her forehead. "Yeah, something tells me Zwei is going to go back on the tapeworm medicine." She turned to face me. "I guess you want to know what's going on, right?"

"I think I deserve it." My eyes remained upon the ghostly figures standing around. " What did I just do, Ruby? What are these spirit people in front of us?" I glanced at the girl. "Can you see them as well?"

She nodded. "Yeah." A hint of sadness crept into her words. "But before I can explain everything, we have to wait for Weiss to wake back up."

I raised my eyebrows in interest. "Why?"

At my question, Ruby glanced over to her resting partner. The Dust crystals on her were receding back into her skin. "Because she's going to want an explanation for this as well."

* * *

My eyes opened to see snow falling down the pitch black night. I'm back in my family mansion, more specifically, the balcony pointing towards the wild forests of Atlas. How did I get back here? Wasn't I in my team's room a little while ago? I stared into the mass of old oak as my mind raced. Did my father take me back here when I wasn't paying attention? No, that's not possible. Despite the calls I've been ignoring, I know that he's not desperate enough to just take me back. Besides, wouldn't I be waking up in a bed instead of standing up?

It looks like tonight has a heavy snowstorm. I can feel every single snowflake that landed on my hair, my shoulders, skin, and everything. But despite the sub-zero temperatures, I didn't feel like I was freezing. I wasn't even wearing a jacket or anything, yet I don't feel anything. Am I dead? Is that why I can't feel? But the arrow that monster had didn't even nick me. Maybe it's covered by a hallucinogen?

A hint of a glimmer caught my attention. I looked up to see an aurora start to form across the sky. A tear fell down the side of my face. I remember the first time I saw an aurora. It was with Grandpa. It was during his birthday. Father was dragging Winter around with him, showing her off to prospective business partners and suitors, while I was stuck with taking care of Grandpa. I wheeled him outside on this balcony to take a break from the party going inside when the aurora first appeared.

"So, you do remember that time." My head jerked back to see him sitting in his wheelchair. A gasp escaped my mouth as my eyes widened. No, that can't be possible! He died a couple of months after that day! He hasn't been alive for years! Grandpa let out a chortle, his beard bouncing in time with his jolly laugh. He still had that energy that he never seemed to have lost, even while he was dying from Dust poisoning. Is this what Ruby saw when she was talking about her mother? Am I going crazy now?

"Don't be surprised, my little schneeflocke," he continued, giving me a small smile. "I might've passed away a long time ago, but death can't stop me from viewing the light show." He stared at the shining lights. "Watching the lights from above was nice for a couple of years, but it doesn't hold a candle to seeing them from the ground." The old man wheeled himself to my side, locking the chair into place. "It reminds me not to look down on the world. Looking down distances yourself from the world. It makes a person callous and bitter, unaware of life around him. Looking up, now that fills a man's heart with dreams, dreams for a world they want to fight for."

"... Why are you here, Grandpa?" I asked as I stiffened up. This can't be happening… I'm talking with the dead. "I don't understand… what are you still doing here?"

"Straight to the point, I see? Just like your father." I bit the side of my cheek in both anger and surprise as he rose up to his feet. Grandpa massaged his thighs, most likely to get the blood flowing. "There's something bothering you. You're torn between duty to your family and the yearning of freedom." He held a hand up before I could say a word. "I can see it within your heart the conflict, how you're tearing yourself up over this. It makes me wonder if that's the reason why I'm talking to you again, like those ancient stories of the dead helping the living."

The elderly man stood next to the railing of the balcony, pressing his bare hands against the ice-cold metal. "The answer isn't something for me to say. After all, this is your life, not mine. But these lights… they've always served as sort of a beacon to me, something to look up to whenever I'm lost in life. Like I said, looking up inspires dreams. So tell me, little schneeflocke. When you look up at the aurora, what do you see?"

My head turned back to the flowing lights. I squinted as the flashes became visible images. "I see… redemption. My father… he did a lot of bad things: he soiled the company name, he made our society apathetic towards everyone, he spat on what it meant to be a Schnee. I want to fix that. But I don't want to be a puppet for my father, continuing his policies mindlessly. I want to be like you: following my own path in order to change the world."

"Well then." My Grandpa gestured towards the lights. "Why don't you go after that? Do what is right for you. Don't throw yourself into doing something you don't want to do just because it's necessary to take up the company. Repeatedly making concessions will make you an unhappy woman. Do something for yourself. Desire something for yourself. I can't promise that it'll be the right way for your goals, or if it'll even be worth it. But I will promise you that it will make you a more happy woman."

"But we're really high up," I argued. "Wouldn't I fall?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, my little schneeflocke." He had a mischievous smile on his face. "Go on, reach for your dream. What's a little drop in the face of your desires?"

With that I took a step on the railing. Almost immediately a set of Dust crystals grew under my feet, serving as platforms for my feet. I looked back at my Grandpa in disbelief. "Well?" He shooed me away. "Go ahead. This is what you want, right?" I nodded and continued onwards. It felt… unusual, seeing my feet sprout out Dust platforms as I walked into the sky. Every step I made brought me ever so closer to my dream. With one hand I reached towards the lights—

A gasp escaped my mouth as the ground around me started shaking. The Dust platforms started cracking. "What the— Grandpa!" I turned around and looked at him. "What do I do? It's going to break!"

"Stay sturdy. Never doubt yourself. Believe in your mind and your heart that you will reach the lights above, and you will." He gave me a small smile. "It's nice to have supports. They help carry the weight. But at the end of the day, this is your path. You're a determined girl, Weiss. Trust in your power, and your power will carry you." It felt like everything was about to shatter. "You'll know when it'll carry you. You'll know when it's time." The platform shattered, sending me tumbling down.

And then I fell off of the bed as I tipped over, collapsing to the ground with a thud. I blinked for a moment before gasping. The lava! A yell escaped me as I pushed myself off the ground to minimize the— wait a minute. The carpet was black again. I touched it gingerly. It stopped burning.

"Weiss! You're awake!" A blur of red and black slammed into me before I could react. I let out a yell of surprise as she squeezed me and swung me around.

"Come on, Ruby! Let me go, you dolt!" The girl did so immediately, sending me careening to the floor.

A cough caught both of our attention. Blake gave my partner a dirty look. "Now that Weiss is up, I feel like you owe us an explanation." She crossed her arms. "What was that creature with the arrow? Why did the carpet turn into lava? Who are the ghost people?"

She sighed as she walked over to my bed, plopping down on the side. "I wished I could be more honest with you guys yesterday and the days before that. You two weren't supposed to be part of this, but since the Cupid decided to hit you two with the Arrow, I guess I have no choice. Let's start with the 'ghost figures.'"

I jerked back in surprise as a woman in white appeared behind Ruby. "This is **「** **RED LIKE ROSES,** **」** or Rose for short. She's what we call a Stand, created by the Arrow. Stands in general are the core parts of our soul given form. They allow the user to do things that we can only dream of doing." Ruby held up her hand. Blake and I both gasped as her fingers broke away from her hand, transforming into rose petals. "This is my Stand ability: to break any part of my body into rose petals. I lied about it yesterday in order to throw you guys off."

Blake brought her hand to her chin. "S— So when I merged my body with the wall—"

"That was a Stand ability as well." Her fingers reformed themselves as she looked back up. "Stand users are created whenever they are hit with the Arrow. It's the same arrow that the Cupid used on you two and the tapeworm. I was trying to get the Arrow away from the Cupid so that it wouldn't create any other Stand users, but that didn't go too well."

"Wait," I started, stepping towards the girl. "Does that mean I have a Stand as well?"

Ruby nodded. "Think of how you feel when you're doing something big. Like life or death big. Once you find that emotion, you want to pull that up to the surface. That's how you summon your Stand."

I did as Ruby asked me. Okay, so something big, something important. The pressure of the Schnee inheritance popped into my mind. As I focused on it, I felt the stress swelling up in my chest. So I just pull that out, right? I mentally grasped that feeling and yanked hard. Nothing happened. What? I tried it again, focusing on pulling that stress. But despite all of my efforts, nothing appeared in front of me. Frustration started building in my chest. Once more I tried pulling against the feelings, but at the end of the day, it just wouldn't do whatever I wanted it to. "I can't," I gasped as I grabbed my chest. "Why isn't it working?"

Ruby rubbed her head in confusion. "That's strange. It worked when I did it. Blake, you did something like that as well, right?" The faunus girl nodded. My partner hummed, her silver eyes glancing up to the ceiling. "I don't really know what to say about that. That's the best way I can describe summoning your Stand. Are you absolutely sure that this is the feeling you feel that is important to you?"

"It's my feelings about taking over the SDC! How is that not the most important thing to me?"

"Hmm…" Ruby tapped the side of her cheek. "But you can see our Stands, so you have to be a user. Maybe— no, that's not right." She let out a sigh before shrugging. "I don't know what to say. I guess we're calming down from the fight we just had, so that's why nothing's happening." My face wrinkled in disappointment. This is just like summoning practice with Winter.

The girl looked at me before gasping. "Oh no, I didn't mean to offend you or anything! Seriously Weiss, we can figure out a way to bring your Stand out and everything! Don't worry about everything—"

Blake let out a hum, bringing our attention back to the conversation at hand. "... Who else?"

"What?" My partner raised her eyebrows up.

"Who else has a Stand like us?"

"... As far as I know, Jaune is a Stand user. There's this guy named Nolan who's also a Stand user. He's the one who got sent to the infirmary…" The girl scrunched her face and glanced at both of us before shaking her head. "Besides us, that's everyone."

"So what now?" I asked. "Do we go after this 'Cupid' figure?"

"I can't leave you out of this now," Ruby sighed. "You two are going to help me find the Cupid. We can't let the monster get out of hand and bring the world to an end. So are you guys with me?"

A smile crawled up my face. "Someone's going to have to watch you."

Blake glanced at the ceiling in thought before nodding. "I'll be with you."

We all froze into place as we heard the door unlock. The door flew wide open, revealing the elder sister. Yang had her eyes closed and hummed a song as she walked in. A parcel sat underneath her armpit. "Hey everyone! Did Ruby come back? I managed to get her—" She opened her eyes before recoiling in shock of the state of the room. The brown package fell to the ground.

"Hehe…" Ruby nervously laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Umm… surprise?"

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 8/18/17**

* * *

 **Nolan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 2**

I tossed a lien chip into the growing pile in front of the rest of my team. "Ten lien on that guy in CRDL, the one with the fancy hair and the giant halberd. I think he looks sappy enough to write a love letter."

Branz rubbed his face. "Dude, you're a moron. If anything, I'm sure it's one of the guys in team ABRN. They're from Mistral, you know, the capital of culture and love and all of that BS? They look like the kind of guys who would try something like writing a love letter." He placed two lien chips in. "I'm putting five lien on each of those two boys."

"I'm not sure about that," Roy chuckled, running his hand through his hair as he looked through the profile of all of the students attending Beacon right now. "I've talked to Scarlet from team SSSN, and I heard how he likes his girls shy and wearing red like him. Plus, he's done some crazy stuff back at Haven with the girls." He pulled out a lien chip from his wallet. "Five lien on my pirate boy right here."

"So May," I started, looking up at the girl. She's sitting on the bed, watching us make wild bets and accusations. "Are you going to buy in?"

"Wait, isn't me betting going to affect the odds?" She tugged on her beanie, further covering her left eye. "This is a bet about me."

"Eh, don't worry about it." I waved her concern aside. "It's not like you betting would change the feelings of another person. I'm sure you're safe this time."

She sighed. "You said that last time when we were betting on whether you were going to eat a pie after practice. You didn't eat one specifically to spite all of us."

"That was a one-time thing! And we made a rule against it, so it should be cool now!"

The girl tapped the side of her cheek before reaching into her pockets. "Okay. Twenty lien on a girl."

At that we turned our heads towards the girl. "Wait, what? Seriously?" I asked. "Why?"

"Because I have an advantage, you know: I'm the only one who read the letter. And if any of you guys asked for it, you would know that it's in cursive. And not just any cursive; it's the cursive with flowy, bubbly letters. Combine that with the size of the letters and we get a girl's handwriting."

"... I don't think that that's how it works," Branz noted. "Not all bubbly handwriting is a girl's. Men can have flowy handwriting as well! I have flowy handwriting!"

"Well, it's partly that, and also the fact that this is written in turquoise ink." She flipped the paper over. Sure enough, the person's words were in bright blue.

All three of us groaned as the realization hit us. "Oh…" I slapped my forehead. "Oh boy. Wow, yeah. That's embarrassing. Hey, do you think that we can change our bets now?"

"Wha— Of course we can!" Branz exclaimed. "You hid information from us, May!"

She shrugged. "No one asked for it. Why would I tell? I wasn't going to bet anything anyways."

"It still would've been useful knowing that! We were all going to lose the bet without that knowledge!" My team leader groaned as he pulled his hair. "Dude, is there anything else you're hiding from us?"

"I've been hiding a flask within the stock of my gun that's filled with cola."

"That has to deal with the bet at hand!"

I let out a sigh as my team leader kept ribbing May for more information about the letter. You know what? I think this is something I can win for once. There's no need for guess who it is, I can just track her using **「** **BELFRY FALLS!** **」** Within moments my Stand materialized on the ceiling. The creature craned its head at me, almost asking for its orders.

It's surprising how much my abilities expanded ever since I gained control over the reptile. From what I heard from Ruby, apparently **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** attacked anyone with the strongest negative emotion. I stared back into the komodo dragon's blue eyes. Now that I'm in control, my Stand has calmed down considerably. The creature can still track people based on emotion, but now I can be selective on what emotion I'm looking for. It's no longer going to be indiscriminate with whom it bites.

 **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** flickered its tongue as it crawled down onto the wall. The rest of my team didn't react as the lizard stuck its nostrils into the paper, flicking its tongue. A rush of smells hit me. Hmm… There's that tangy smell of squeezed lemon… the cedar and lavender are less prominent, but I can still make it out. There's also a sweeter smell, one that doesn't remind me of anything but is really familiar. It brings out a feeling of fondness. Maybe that's what it is. It's not an actual smell, but its the emotions behind it.

I blinked. Wait, I can smell emotions? Okay… I learned something new today. But back on track. Whoever wrote the letter is at least genuine with their affection, so we can rule out a joke or a prank. The komodo dragon took another whiff. Yeah, the person's a girl. Definitely a girl. While she uses an androgynous kind of cologne, her shampoo is unmistakably feminine. But from there I can't figure out anything else. She doesn't wear any kind of makeup or anything else that can narrow down my options. Maybe I should go out and ask someone else about this. But I'm going to need an excuse to show a picture of the—

"Branz, I have nothing else," May declared, tossing the letter in the center of the room. "You can have a look at this if you want. Now, if you excuse me." She shoved her earbuds back into her ears and continued on with her business.

The rest of us guys glanced at each other, wondering what to do with the writing in front of us. I spoke up first: "... So, let's take a picture of it?" The rest of them nodded.

"Yeah."

"Sure, why not?"

And just like that, I had what I needed to figure out who our mystery writer is. Now if only I can figure out who it is. Maybe a certain reaper can point me in the right direction…

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 _ **Stand Description:**_

 **「DOWN UNDER」-** **User is able to transform the floor of a room into lava. Any non-living material on top of the lava will not burn, and will in fact float.**

 **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」- User has the ability to pull herself and other non-living objects into the second dimension by using any flat object roughly the size of the user. Only objects that used to exist in 3D can be dragged back out. Her Stand is also capable of traveling between the spatial dimensions.**

* * *

 _ **Song Reference(s):**_ **The tapeworm's 「DOWN UNDER」is based on the band Man at Work's Down Under. It's a new wave/pop rock song released in 1981. I chose this song mainly because its lyrics have this sense of curiosity and catharsis. While being a song about Australian pride, it does empathize doing whatever you want, almost like a wild animal. Then there's how Australia is known to be scorching hot on the majority of the continent, which reflected back on the lava ability the tapeworm had. And then there was the butt joke where the tapeworm came from Zwei, "down under" in a sense.**

 **Blake's** **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」is based on Emeli Sandé's Mountains. It's a pop song released in 2012, and this is one of the three Stand names where I decided to combine both the singer's name and the song name. Why did I do that? Well, I liked the song's message about building a better life/better world, which is an ideology that I'm sure every activist holds dear. As extreme the White Fang's ideology is, it's still centered around giving the faunus a better life. But just Mountains was kinda lame. However, I lucked out in how the singer's last name is similar to sand, which brings me to the other reason I chose Sande Mountains.**

 **Basically, it's a paradox. Not a lot of people think of sand mountains as an actual thing. Sand dunes, sure, but a sand mountain? That should not exist in a desert. And how likely would it be that a sand mountain would exist out of a desert? Despite that, they actually do exist. Sand Mountain in Nevada is an actual mountain of sand that sticks out in the mild desert of Nevada. It shouldn't exist. But it does. It's similar to Blake's struggle with coming to terms with the White Fang. She's paradoxical in her mindset, in her actions, but they all define her and she still stands above all odds.**

* * *

 **Well, this was a hefty chapter to edit. But again, 10,000 views. I never expected to hit that number in my life. When I first posted this story back in January, I've never expected this to get so big! But seven months later, and we've hit this milestone. So thank you all for that! It's great knowing that everyone here is still enjoying this story even now!**

 **Time for the reviews!**

 **Guest1: And tapeworm fight is done, just like that! But it was a pretty fun write up. Something just asinine compared to the mind blowing stuff from before.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **doa570047: Yeah, the horrors of actually playing the floor of lava. Good times.**

 **As for your comment about Nolan and the side-arcs, they're not going to be Stand battle fights. I'd like to think of it more as Kira Lives a Quiet Life without the psychopathic murders and all that. It's more of Stand users trying to stay low and out of the way from the serious Stand stuff, and just wacky abuses of Stand powers for laughs. Of course, story details in these do matter later on, which is why I included them. Although I might have a proper spinoff story focusing on each Stand user fighting against different Stand users. Maybe...**

 **Guest2: Maybe. Maybe not. All I can really say is that Ozpin's words should be taken with a grain of salt. Being vague and verbose is just his thing. Plus, he is talking about someone he has a bad relationship with. It wouldn't surprise me if his words were worded in a way that could change the perception of the villain's ideology. Or maybe I like having Ozpin with a lot of motifs surrounding time. That's part of the mystery!**

 **darkmist111: I'm glad you asked! All of the tournament teams are on campus as of the events of this story, so I don't think it would be a surprise if some of them revealed themselves to be Stand users. And thank you for the support, darkmist111!**

 **Guest3: Thank you for all of the praise, Guest3! And yeah, I looked up the RWBY Wikia and her hair is in fact black. I want to say it was the Berenstain Effect because I remember her having dark brown hair, everyone I've talked to remembers her as a brunette. But you're right. She does have black hair. At this point, I'm kinda on the fence on whether or not I want to fix all of that up, considering just how much I've worked on so far. But thank you for making that point clear, Guest3. I appreciate the correction.**

 **Guest4: Hey, thanks for the Stand suggestion. I like hearing these ideas from you guys, and I like the idea of you suggested here. It's like a can of compressed gas if it was deadly. I hate to say this, but it's very unlikely that I will implement this Stand in the main story since I have already decided on all of the Stand abilities for awhile now. But then again, I have been bouncing the idea of a spinoff story for awhile now, so who knows? I might use it some day. Still, I do appreciate the suggestion.**

 **KuletXCore: I mean, in a sense it does reference the V4 character short. However, I originally based it on Marluxia combined with Jolyne's Stone Free before the character short came out. When the character short did come out, I was amazed how close it was to my RLR Stand. Also I sorta panicked because now I had to make it clear the difference between her Semblance and her Stand. I like to think that Rose is a coincidental reference. So, I'll take it.**

 **Anyways, that's all for today! See you guys next time!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: August 8, 2017**_


	17. Eclipse

**Hey everybody! Happy Friday! There's really not much to say up here, so enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

I tugged at my cape, biting my lip as Yang examined the room. This is going to be hard to explain. My sister looked at the three of us. "Hey guys… what happened to the room? I mean look at it! Everything's all burnt! It's like somebody took a flamethrower and torched the entire place, Ruby." Her eyes flew towards me.

A nervous grin appeared on my face as I remembered that day. In my defense, the trigger mechanism was busted on that flamethrower. I didn't know that it would activate the moment I put fuel into it. And besides, who would've known that there were still working modifications sitting in the weapons bone yard? It's a bone yard for a reason. It's junk that's not supposed to work! I kept my silence, though.

She continued on with her inspection, poking her toe at the blanket that sat on the floor. "Why is there a blanket on the floor Wait… is this Blake's blanket?" The faunus girl's bow twitched at the question. Amber eyes glared at me, silently asking me the same question. I raised my hands up in defense. It's not like I could say what really happened in this room to Yang. There's gotta be some excuse that Yang would buy. My sister placed her hands on her hips as she gave me a stare. "Ruby, what did you do?"

"Whaa, me?" I pointed to myself. A nervous chuckle escaped my mouth. "Why would you ever think that your poor innocent little sister did something wrong?" I pulled my lips in and gave her the best sad puppy eyes I can manage. "How could you do something like that?"

Yang didn't even flinch. "Don't try those puppy eyes on me again. It might've worked the first couple of times, but now I'm wise to your pleading ways, sister. You're not going to get away that easily." I dropped the act. Darn, and I thought it was going to work just fine. The blonde crossed her arms as she looked at me with disappointment. "In all seriousness, what happened here?"

With that question, all eyes were on me: Yang's for answers, Weiss and Blake's for excuses. Another nervous laugh escaped my mouth. I bit my lip again. Come on, what can I say? "Umm… oh! I happened to come back to the dorm and found Blake and Weiss, so we decided to have a um… a team bonding exercise!" Yang raised her eyebrow at the answer. "No, really! We envisioned this unusual scenario in where the floor was lava, and we worked together to defeat the hot lava monster!"

Now a look of confusion crossed over the brawler's face. She tapped the base of her cheek as she let out a hum. "So you played a game of 'the floor is lava?'"

My head nodded at the answer at nearly supersonic speeds. "Yup! It was exciting, I tell you! We were doing all that we can to survive, but despite all of the challenges, we managed to defeat the monster!" A sweatdrop slipped down my face. Please don't call me out. Please don't call me out. My cheeks turned red as I broke eye contact with Yang. "Although we kinda got a little too into it… we shouldn't have brought in the fire Dust for realism."

"Oh really?" She glanced at the rest of the team, giving them a questioning look. "Did you guys really do that?" Yang asked. The monochrome girls glanced at each other, silently communicating with each other. My heart flew into a panic. I don't think I've ever told them to keep the existence of the Stands quiet. What if they decide to tell her? Oh gods, how's Yang going to react if she hears from the other two girls that these things exist? Is she going to panic? Will she get herself into danger in an attempt to protect us all?

"That's right." My eyes zipped towards Weiss as she picked up her rapier from the ground. "Ruby took some of the Dust within Myrtenaster without me asking. I tried to dissuade her, but she spilled the vial and burnt our room." She let out a long sigh as she turned towards me, putting on a familiar scowl. "Ruby, I expected better from you! Didn't the first day of school teach you anything about Dust safety?" Now that her face was turned away from Yang, she gave me a wink. Huh? Why did she— Oh! I get it!

"I'm sorry, Weiss!" I raised my hands up in defense before pressing them together and bowing as fast as possible. "It was an accident! I was trying to be more careful with the Dust, I swear!"

Blake gave me a small smile, looking at the dog trotting up to her before entering the conversation. "Well, if it wasn't for Zwei—"

A gasp escaped my mouth. "It's not his fault!" I zipped over and snatched the corgi, who let out a bark and a lick. "He really likes to sleep on the rug! It's not his fault that he happened to be in the way!"

"It's not—"

"Enough!" We all looked at the blonde, whose eyes were getting dangerously close to red. "..." The brawler's eyebrows flew up even higher in suspicion. Everybody gulped at the same time. Oh gods, please don't yet Yang find out, please don't yet Yang find out, please—

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

My eyes turned towards my sister, whose eyes had reverted back to lilac. "Huh?"

"Why didn't you message me about that? I would totally be down for playing 'the floor is lava.' You know, if we got rid of the fire Dust and just played it like normal." She gave all of us a grin as she picked the package back up from the ground. "I mean it's been forever since we got the chance to mess around together. Last time we did that was… the dance, maybe? And that was over a month ago! We could afford to have some quality time together as a team!"

"I guess that's true." Blake let out a hum. "But where will we go?"

"Don't worry about that!" I beamed. "We can go into Vale and enjoy our time there! I'll go look up some stuff and see what we can do. But what do you say, tomorrow after school we go into town?" Blake and Weiss quickly nodded, each with a small smile on their faces.

Yang gave a smile of her own. "That would be great! Man, it would be a nice change of pace, that's for sure!" She tilted her head to the side in a moment of confusion before letting out a hum. "Wait a minute, there was something I wanted to say to you. What was it?" Her eyes glanced at the package in her hands. "Oh yeah! Ruby, I have something for you." She held out the dark package. "While you were gone, I went and picked up a package addressed to you. I don't know what's inside. Do you?"

I shook my head as I lifted it out of my sister's hands. "No, not really." My hands started tearing through the wrapping. "I don't really order anything online, considering how Crescent Rose is still gone. So I'm not—" My voice stopped working as I saw a glint of metal underneath the paper wrapping. The chrome surface had a red sheen on it. It can't be… Did they finally— I ripped through the rest of the packaging, revealing the body of my baby. It is!

Everybody smiled as I let out a shriek of glee. "Oh, Crescent Rose! You're back with me!" I squeezed my baby close to my chest. "I missed you so much! It's only been two days, but it felt like an eternity waiting for you to come back!" Another squeal overcame me as I danced around in joy. The rest of team RWBY were probably laughing at my overreaction, but that didn't matter too much to me because my weapon is back in my hands after so long!

I pulled the sniper scythe away from me and inspected the chassis. My weapon has definitely seen better days. There was a big dent on the right-hand side of the body. That's probably where the rocks hit Crescent Rose after her fall. I tried pulling back on the bolt, only to find it stuck in place. I'm gonna need to check the loading mechanism in the forge later. Several smaller dents lined the rest of the weapon. Need to hammer those out and make sure the balance is fine. There were also several scratches in the paint job, revealing the pale silver-colored metal underneath. After repairs, I'm going to need to give Crescent Rose another round of powder coating.

One flick of my thumb activated the mechashift mechanisms. The normally smooth running weapon creaked and groaned as she strained to take on her scythe form. Blake shied away at the sound, with her bow bending downwards in displeasure. The others weren't too pleased either, covering their ears. Even I had to wince at the ugly cry of my child.

Finally, the tip of the scythe locked into place, allowing me to continue assessing the damage. The blade itself looked intact. I ran a finger down the edge of the barb of Crescent Rose. The rocks must've dulled the blade, meaning I'm going to need to sharpen it later.

A whistle left my mouth as I laid the weapon on the ground. Most of the parts are probably going to be replaced. After all, I didn't design Crescent Rose to be thrown off a cliff into a sea of water. The mechashift mechanisms are damaged by the seawater, which means I'm going to need to get a weapons shop to print out a new set of parts. The firing mechanism is probably busted, so that needs to be changed out. I also need to give the weapon another round of finish to clean up the scratches. The scythe blade thankfully can just be sharpened, but with the rest of the weapon broken, Crescent Rose isn't going to be seeing any action anytime soon.

I glanced up to my team. "Hey, you guys don't mind if I take this to the forge and start repairs? There's a lot of work to be done before I can get Crescent Rose back to her prime."

Yang nodded. "Go ahead and give your precious child the care it needs. I don't think any of us mind that you would go off to fix your weapon." She took a step forwards followed by a loud, wet squishing noise. Her face scrunched up in disgust. "Uh… guys? Did Zwei do his thing on the floor? I swear, if I lift my foot and see even a speck of poop on my boots—"

"Oh, that's what I've been forgetting!" I turned towards my sister. "One more thing. While we're on our visit to Vale, could we get one of those chewable de-wormers for Zwei? And also we're going to need to get this whole entire room disinfected. Turns out Zwei has a case of tapeworm, and it kinda… uh… plopped down over there." I pointed to where she was stepping right now.

The blonde paled at my statement. "So that means the thing I just stepped on is—?" She lifted her foot up to see the squished head of our recently vanquished enemy. A shriek escaped her mouth. "Eww! Ugh, get it off, get it off!" The rest of the team laughed as we watched her rub her foot across the rug, trying to get the dead parasite off of her boots. Zwei let out a happy bark as he rushed the girl and stood on his hind legs. He propped himself against her leg, giving her his usual lovable look. "No! Zwei, not now! Get off!" Yang let out a long whine. "Down, Zwei! Down!"

* * *

I slapped the dust out of my hands after slamming Ren's locker shut. A sigh escaped my mouth. Finally! It took way too much time to put all of the ammunition away. Instead of storing it in one convenient place for our team, I had to place all of my team's Dust rounds in each of their individual lockers. It took awhile for the rest of my team to text me their locker number and combination. Didn't help that our individual lockers were placed as far as possible from each other. It must've taken an hour or so exploring the maze that was the locker room!

But now that my job's done, I can do whatever I want. I yawned as I rubbed the corners of my eyes. I think I'll go catch up on sleep. Waking up so early on a Sunday should be a crime. Images of a soft bed and warm blankets filled my mind as I made my way towards the exit. A growl escaped my stomach. Or maybe I should eat lunch first before going to sleep. That sounds good as well. I wonder if I can get away with ordering takeout and then having lunch in bed.

With a flourish, I pulled the door open, revealing my partner in a training outfit. Sweat ran down Pyrrha's skin, as if she just finished a workout or something. She was doing something with her towel, pulling it down on the area between her neck and her shoulder. I guess it was some kind of stretching exercise. The girl was lost in thought for a moment, not paying any attention to what's in front of her and walking into me. "Oof! I'm sorry!" She flinched back for a moment before her emerald eyes widened in surprise. "Jaune? What are you doing here?"

A yawn escaped my mouth. "Oh hey Pyrrha. You don't remember? I sent you a text so I could put away the Dust ammunition."

Her eyes glanced at my exhausted state. "Right, but I thought you finished that a long time ago!"

I put up a tired smile. "The locker room's pretty big. Took me awhile to travel to where I needed to go. Plus Nora took a long time to send her locker combination. Something about forgetting it and how she lost the paper she wrote it down on. But hey, I'm done with that now." I held my hand out. "Did you have lunch yet by any chance?" She shook her head. "After you're done changing, you don't mind if we get a bite together? Ren and Nora said over the CCT that they already ate, and I haven't eaten anything ever since I got up."

My partner smiled. "Of course, Jaune. That would be delightful." The girl stepped around me, heading towards her stuff. I followed close behind her.

Luckily enough, her locker happened to be fairly close to the door. I turned around as she popped her locker open, facing away from her to give her a bit of privacy. A hum escaped her mouth as I heard the rustling of clothes behind me. "So where were you this morning, Jaune? It seems weird that you would be up so early, on a Sunday no less."

I started rocking my foot back and forth. What can I say to convince her? "I guess I wanted to get caught up with the stuff I missed Friday. I spent most of my morning talking to Oobleck and Port about the lesson. Then Port went into one of his long stories, you know him. Then I went to the Headmaster for a proper debriefing. You know, mainly house cleaning stuff."

Pyrrha let out a giggle. "That's… really responsible of you, Jaune." I heard the sounds of a rough towel rubbing against skin. Her voice became a lot more muffled. "I didn't really think that you would try to take care of that so early in the morning, though."

A sigh left my mouth as I laced my fingers. "Yeah, I didn't think so, either. But as much as I want to sleep in, something tells me future me wouldn't like it if Monday I had a lot of stuff to catch up on. So why not take care of everything early, right?" I let out a nervous laugh and she quickly joined in.

"It does feel good to finish up things before they become big problems." This time I think I heard a cap pop. Maybe it's some kind of deodorant or something? "I like how afterward I feel free to do whatever I want, although back during my Mistrali champion days that meant more training. Still, I liked training better than filming for an advertisement or being in a photo shoot. I just feel like I don't have to pretend to be someone else."

"Mmm," I responded, pulling out my scroll and checking the news feed. From the looks of it, there isn't any news on Torchwick or Neo. Nothing on Nolan and his **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** either. Ozpin was serious when he mentioned how nothing involving the Stands will appear in the news. "By the way, did anything notable happen while I was gone? Any Nora situations I have to deal with?"

"Not really." Pyrrha recapped whatever she pulled out. A small hum reached my ears. "We went out to get breakfast, then Ren decided to go to the library to study. Nora decided to follow him there, and I decided to get in a workout. I don't think we did anything interesting or worth talking about."

I jumped when I heard the sound of something clanging against the aluminum of the lockers. "Pyrrha, are you okay?" I started turning around.

"Yes!" Her voice was sharp. I managed to catch a glimpse of her hand held out towards me as she turned so that her back faced me. "Please don't turn around! I'm still not decent!" My face grew hot as I turned back faster than Ruby using her Semblance.

"Sorry!" My hands flew up to my face. "I'm sorry, I thought you bumped your head or something—"

"No no, it's fine, Jaune! It's okay! You didn't mean it!" Something tells me she was just as mortified as I am. "It's not like you were doing it to get a look! The— My Semblance! I think I accidentally magnetized the locker door." She swung the metallic locker, causing it to make squeaking noises. "Oh… okay. That— that surprised me as well as you. If anything, it was my mistake."

"Oh, okay." I leaned towards the front door. Another long silence filled the room with none of us moving or even making a single sound. My foot started tapping on the ground, the sound cutting through the awkward tension inside. "You know, if you're planning on getting in a quick shower, I can just go ahead and get some food and a spot. I'll wait for you."

A hum escaped my partner. "... I think I'll just save the shower until we get back home. I haven't had anything to eat either this morning, and I should have something soon." I heard the sounds of rustling and a zipper being pulled up. "Plus, I don't want to waste any more of your time."

"I don't see it that way." My thumbs fought each other, twirling around each other as seconds passed by. "After all, I'm free today. I don't see the problem in spending a bit of time with my partner. Even if it is while you're changing."

"I guess." She let out a sigh. "You know, I've… wanted to talk to you about the dance for quite some time. But it's been almost a month since it happened, and I didn't really know how to ask you about it, especially after how—"

"No, it's fine!" My eyes stared straight towards the gray metal of one of the lockers. "Go ahead and talk about it. I didn't bring it up because I thought it would be sort of a sore spot with you."

Now it's her turn to sputter. "Jaune, there was nothing wrong about that day! I had the most fun than I had in the longest time! It felt relaxing to just enjoy the night with the rest of JNPR, with you!" Another sigh. "I've been thinking about that night and the day in the arcade, and how should I say this…" An awkward silence enveloped us as she struggled to say her next words. "I'm— I'm glad that we have those kinds of chances, where we can just be people. And what I want to say is— Oh, I'm still not dressed!" I heard the sounds of fabric stretching and covering up my partner. "Sorry about that, you can turn around!"

I did so to see Pyrrha in her usual outfit. Her face was almost as red as her hair. The girl placed a hand on her cheek as she glanced away from me. "And what I want to say this… oh... "

"What did you want to say to me?" I asked.

"... I forgot." A sheepish grin crawled over her face as she glanced at me. There was something… weird about her tone, like it was stilted. She slapped her cheek, glancing up to the ceiling. "What was I going to say?" Pyrrha said in a sing-song voice. "Oh well, I guess we can talk about it later when I do remember." Her green eyes flickered to mine for just a moment before looking away: a move I found all too familiar recently. She's lying about something. But what is she lying about? Should I even press her for answers? It seems really personal to her, something intimate. Something concerning me…

"Don't worry about it." I waved the thought off. It wouldn't be right to probe her for answers, especially if it's something that she would get embarrassed about. It might be nothing. It might be something serious. But maybe it's best to leave it alone for now and let her speak when she's ready. "You'll remember it eventually."

"I guess." Pyrrha glanced at the tiled floors for a moment before glancing back up. "So should we go get lunch?"

"Okay." A smile grew on my face as we made our way out. "So should we go get the usual? I'm thinking something bigger since we both skipped breakfast." We stepped out of the locker room, basking in the warm afternoon sunlight. "You know how you always have a salad and that pork rice casserole you like? Do you think that's good enough for someone like me?"

Pyrrha let out a hum. "You know, I was thinking we can indulge ourselves for a day. I think we'll be okay having some pizza."

"Alright," I laughed. "I don't mind splitting a pizza. But the pizzas here are huge. Aren't they sixteen inches? It's going to take awhile for the two of us to finish it."

Now it was her turn to give me a smile of her own. "Weren't you the one who said that you had plenty of time to spare? I don't mind that, as long as I get to spend time with my partner."

A voice interrupted us. "Hey, excuse me." We both looked to our side to see an older student with dark skin. Everything about him followed a red and black color palette, his red vest and black pants matching well with his copper hair. Pupil-less eyes stared straight at us. "Sorry about disturbing you two. If you guys don't mind, have you seen any of my teammates?" He held his hand out. "One of them's around this height, wears sunglasses and a wool-like turtleneck. At least, that's what she says she wears. There's also a giant of a Mistrali, eastern origin I guess. Giant bronze sword on his back."

I shook my head for a moment, then stopped. Wait, could he even see me shake my head? His head drifted off of us for a moment. Maybe he's blind. "Sorry, I haven't. What about your last teammate?"

"Right, how about a rabbit faunus? Fairly short, has a camera on her side at all times. Big, soft ears." Both of our eyes widened at the description.

"Wait, do you mean Velvet?" His chin tilted up at the name. His previously neutral face turned to a frown.

"Do you know her?"

Pyrrha stepped forwards. "She was in our history classes during first semester. Velvet transferred out after that, though. We were all a bit sad that she left."

"Well, she just rejoined CFVY in order to participate in the live mission training," he explained before waving the thought away. "But that's not the point. Did you see her around recently?"

"We haven't seen any of them," I stated. The dark-skinned boy groaned as he brushed a lock of his hair.

"Great. I think I got the wrong location for our meetup." He let out a sigh as he pulled out his scroll. " **ONE NEW NOTIFICATION,** " the machine spoke out loud.

"Open up message, Plexi."

" **PLAYING MESSAGE FROM COCO ADEL. MESSAGE SENT TODAY, 1:02 P.M.** " That's half an hour ago, I think. "Hello? Fox?" A female voice escaped the scroll's speaker. "Sorry about being late in calling you. None of us are at the lockers at the moment. We all kinda got hungry, so we decided to go over to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I don't think you mind walking over to the cafeteria, right? Anyways, see ya over there my little foxy." The call ended.

"Oh joy," he deadpanned as he snapped the scroll closed. "I really should be checking my scroll more often. I swear, they're probably laughing at me right now." The boy named Fox turned his head in the general direction of us. "Well, sorry about bothering you two about that. I guess I'll be on my way now."

"Wait." Pyrrha had her hand held out. "We happen to be going in that direction as well. If you want, you can walk with us. At least until we get to the cafeteria."

The boy let out a hum. "You know what? That sounds fine with me." He took my partner's hand and shook it. "My name's Fox Alistair, member of team CFVY."

"I'm Pyrrha Nikos." She held her hand out towards me. "The boy over to my left is Jaune Arc. We're both members of team JNPR, first years." Fox squinted as he turned his head in my direction, staring at me with those pupilless eyes. They seemed to stare through me instead of at me. Emerald eyes glanced at Fox's eyes before widening. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't consider the fact that—"

"No, it's fine," he stated, waving her concern away. "It took me awhile to find his Aura." The man stuck his hand out towards me. "For a moment I wasn't able to sense it, but there's no need to worry about that now. Jaune, was it?"

I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Yeah. Nice to meet you, Fox."

We started towards the cafeteria. The air around us felt heavy and agitated. It was like ripples in the water. After a couple of minutes of silence, I turned towards the scarred boy. "So, being able to sense Auras. That's a cool ability. How did you get that?"

Fox hummed. "The story's a bit complicated. I'd been… unable to see ever since I was born, so I was resigned to not being able to see the world. My parents didn't want to leave me alone, so they used to bring me with them all the time. So one day when I was visiting the city with my parents for some kind of shopping trip to a supermarket. One thing that stuck out in my mind was the chill. When you can't see, you tend to rely on your senses a lot more, and I definitely remembered how cold it was in the freezer section. The sounds of a cleaver smacking against meat sounded in my ears. My hands were pressed on some kind of glass wall." He shook his head.

"Sorry, going off topic. The most important sensation I remembered was this sharp edge biting into my skin. I think I somehow managed to cut myself on the edge of the display. Soon afterward I got this high fever. You know, dumb kid stuff." That caught my attention. A high fever after getting cut? He continued: "No medicine helped lower it down. In a panic, my parents had my Aura unlocked by one of the doctors to see if it would go down. Sure enough, when I woke up that morning, two things came to mind: one, my fever was gone; two, a purple flame surrounding a humanoid form leaned over my face."

The boy laughed at the memory. "I thought for a moment that I died or something. It took the doctor forever to calm me down. But after that, I learned that I could see Auras and therefore people." He shrugged. "That's my story."

"Wow, that's interesting." I stuffed my hands in my pocket as my mind raced.

"Yeah." The upperclassman stuffed his hands into his pockets. "What I found interesting is what I learned later on. Anybody can actually develop the ability to see Aura if they have it unlocked. The problem comes with distinguishing the energy from the color in the environment. Aura itself is faded compared to the sharpness of the world. At least that's how it was explained to me. That's why most experts will close their eyes as they track Aura: it allows them to see it without any distractions. Fun fact for you two."

"One question," Pyrrha noted. The boy turned towards the girl. "You might be able to see Aura, but most objects don't have Aura." She gestured to the ground. "Or at least create it. I mean, there's residue from a person touching something, but that tends to fade away quickly. Remnans generate Aura, but that doesn't explain how you can move around like anyone else without bumping into anything."

A small grin climbed up his face. "You're observant. Yes, I look at other people's Aura to move. But remember what I said about the other senses?" He pointed at his ears. "I can also hear the area around me."

"... Okay?" My eyebrows flew up. "I'm not following."

"Echolocation." He pointed at the buildings around us. "Every sound is made up of a sound wave. Every time we make a sound, it flies off everywhere, bouncing off various objects around me. Those sound waves come back to my ear, and they sound different depending on how far they traveled. It's really subtle, especially for people who would use their eyes to tell where everything is. But for blind people like me, we learn to tell the difference. In fact, our senses can get sharp enough to get details that normally would be ignored.

He turned towards us. "For example. Pyrrha and Jaune, you two are six feet and six foot one respectively. Jaune, you're one-hundred and eighty-one pounds, give or take a pound. Pyrrha, you take more conservative steps than Jaune, who steps with more ease. You two both take deep, easy breaths like how Huntsmen should breathe. No wait, Pyrrha's is slightly better. Jaune's breaths actually is a bit more ragged." My breath hitched at his comment. He leaned in a bit closer. "Barely noticeable, but it's still there. Did you go outside and do some exercise today?"

"... Does running around the school to catch up on school assignments count?" I laughed nervously as sweat started dripping down my face. Oh crud! He has the ability to call me out on my excuses! What do I do? I stared at the boy. Wait a minute… me running around was hours ago! Most people would recover within an hour at most! How can he tell that I exerted myself? I narrowed my eyes. There's no way that he could be able to tell that! Unless… Could this guy be…?

Fox shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it does. First-year teachers are a pain to deal with. Learning history and Grimm studies were kind of a waste of time. Good thing you start getting more missions later on. Classes become more practical, too. More hands-on stuff. But I'm getting off-topic again. You two get the point?" We nodded. "... I'm going to assume that you two nodded, judging from how the Aura moved."

We continued on our way to the cafeteria in silence. My eyes flickered to the unsuspecting Fox. I wish it wasn't so soon, but I'm most likely going to get into a fight with him if he happened to be a Stand user. But this isn't good. If he wasn't lying in his story, he must've had his ability for more than half of his life! If I'm not careful, he can take me apart! Plus, something tells me he has a suspicion as well. I gotta figure out his Stand ability before he can figure out I'm a Stand user.

Think, Jaune! What did he say earlier that's important to note? I bit my lip. First things first: he's blind. I don't know how that's useful, but it might lead me somewhere. Fox can see individuals and their Aura around them. Maybe it's—? No, that's not right. He said himself anybody with an unlocked Aura can eventually do it. His Stand ability can't possibly have to do anything with Aura. What else… I scratched my head as I let out a groan.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha glanced at me. "Are you okay?" The dark-skinned boy followed suit.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… feeling really hungry!" I rubbed my stomach with a bit of emphasis. "I could really use something to eat right now!"

The boy beside me smiled. "I wouldn't worry about that. I think we're—" He clicked his heel against the tiled road. The rumbling in the air increased for just a moment. "—a building away from the cafeteria." My eyes widened as I glanced at the street. It's just as he said; we're one building away! "You'll get your food, don't worry about that."

I blinked as a thought hit me. The air! He just gave us a talk about echolocation a couple of minutes ago! While it's true that the blind relies on their other senses, there's no way that anyone can use sound that well; at least not to the extent that Fox can. He has to have some kind of help. Maybe Fox has the ability to create sound waves… no, that's not right. Soundwaves aren't that accurate. They're too reliant on a direct path. Plus, they drown out over other sounds. He should be occasionally misjudging the distance, but he's not!

But what if waves are involved? They don't have to be sound waves. … What if he can cause vibrations? Air molecules bump into objects and themselves all the time. If he was able to vibrate the air molecules around him, they can bounce around and make a rough outline for him to "see." It could explain the weird feeling in the air I've been having ever since I joined Fox. And based on those vibrations, he can make accurate guesses. But how can I prove that?

"We're here." I looked up in surprise to see the glass door of the cafeteria entrance. Fox rubbed his forearms before holding his right hand out. "Well, I guess this is where we part ways. It's nice talking with you two. Pyrrha." He shook the girl's hand. "Jaune." I took it in my hand and shivered. It was slight, barely noticeable, but I noticed a tiny amount of rumbling. It was uniform, not like how a normal handshake should feel. I guess that proves it. Now the question is whether he's trying to kill us or not.

"Oh wait!" the upperclassman raised an eyebrow. "I had a great time with you, Fox. I wouldn't mind if we traded contact info. Pyrrha, could you go ahead and order for us?"

"Okay," the girl nodded. "Is there anything you want as a topping?"

"For what— oh, the pizza! Uh, I'm not that picky." I waved her away as I chuckled. "Go ahead and order whatever you feel like ordering." Pyrrha nodded as she disappeared behind the door. The second the door closed, I felt the vibrations in the air thicken. The small smile that was on Fox's face dropped faster than an airship with a malfunctioning gravity core.

"So, Jaune," the boy stated, taking on a more hostile tone. "I don't think you kept me out here to just exchange numbers and then move on." One of my eyes twitched. Was I really being that obvious? "Let's cut to the chase. Why are you keeping me here?" Yep, I gotta do something quick before this bites back at me!

In an instant, I lunged over at him with my arm outstretched. His neutral face turned into shock and then anger. With that, a wiry humanoid figure appeared out of thin air. It reminded me of the wire figures one of my sisters liked to make, where she would take a wire and twist and coil it to make it resemble a human. What's noticeable is that its head and arms are metal prongs, most likely tuning forks. The copper and steel figure had an eye on each prong of its head.

The wire Stand roared as it smashed its hands into its head. A moment later, my entire body started pulsating. Little waves rippled through my skin, forcing me to stop in my tracks. "What?" I yelled out. It's like my legs are jelly! No matter how much I pull on it, it just won't move the way I want it to! "What's going on?"

"This is the ability of **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ.** **」** And now that you're immobilized, let me have a talk of my own." Fox started making his way over to me. "I noticed the signs the moment I tried to sense your Aura. People like us have their Auras slightly out of place. It's what happens when we have to summon our Aura spirit out over and over. Yours, while really close to your body, is maybe a centimeter off compared to your body." His face turned to sorrow. "Jaune, I thought you were a good person. The way you spent time with your partner, seeing how close you two are, I thought that there wasn't a need to take you down. Guess I was wrong."

I gritted my teeth as I brought **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** out. "I'm sorry as well. I don't want to do this, either." The waves on my skin mellowed out as I made myself as light as possible. The boy's mouth opened in surprise, but before he could say anything, I rushed towards him and tackled him. In an instant, I made myself dense, sending us plummeting and pinning the upperclassman down to the ground. I snatched a pebble, increased its density, and held it up. "Don't try anything!"

He scoffed. "Kinda too late for that." A cry escaped my mouth as a tuning fork smacked me in the head, causing my body to vibrate again. With a grunt, he pushed me off of him and stood back up. This isn't good. I'm lying on the floor and he can just kill me at any time! His Stand floated in front of him, ready to knock me out. Maybe I can make myself less dense again? Before I could do that, he had his Stand slam their metal prongs into the ground, locking my body in place. Fox frowned. "Look, I don't want to hurt you, Jaune. I'm going to give you one last chance. What are you trying to do here?"

I widened my eyes. "Wait, so you're not trying to kill me with your Stand?" My words caught Fox by surprise.

"What? Why would I kill you? I thought you were trying to kill me!"

"No, I wasn't! But if we're both not trying to kill each other, then—" The realization hit the both of us. He was trying to stay out of the way the whole entire time. And I decided to attack him before we had the chance to explain anything. "... I messed up, didn't I?"

"Make that we. We messed up." **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** disappeared, releasing me from the vibrations and its grip on me. He held his hand out towards me, grabbed one of my hands, and pulled me back up to my feet. "Sorry about that. I was kinda expecting an attack the second I realized that you had a similar ability, a Stand you called it? It was an overreaction." He placed his hands within his pockets. "The thing is, sometime after I got the ability, people who had the same gifts started coming towards me. A lot of them weren't good people, wanting to kill me or kidnap me or something like that. I got these scars in one particular fight." He held up his cut up limbs.

"Luckily, they stopped only half a year after the attacks started. Since then, I haven't met another person who can see the Aura spirits. But it did teach me an important lesson, something that will never leave my mind even now." He lifted his face up. "Those who can see these ghosts will find others with the same talent. And if they ever come together, a fight is almost certain to happen. You saw it for yourself, Jaune. We attacked each other in self-defense. Somehow, we are going to have a confrontation. It's a good thing ours ended before we could really hurt each other."

My mind ran as I thought of the implications. Stand users will find other Stand users. Everything makes so much sense now. How Nolan managed to run into Ruby the day he became a Stand user, why Torchwick and Neo happened to be at the docks this morning. If that's true, then that means we're beacons that can draw other Stand users! Even if we decide to stay out of the Arrow business, it was only going to be a matter of time before another Stand user just stumbles into us. That's frightening. To think that we're going to be fighting for our lives no matter what. I tightened my fist. That makes our mission even more important.

"But that's enough talking for a long time." I looked into Fox's face. "We've wasted enough time. My team's waiting for me, and your friend's waiting for you. So let's part ways for now, alright?" He opened the door. "We'll communicate by scroll."

"Wait! I still don't have your—" He disappeared behind the door. Great. How are we supposed to exchange our numbers now— My scroll chirped. I took a glance at it. **ONE NEW CONTACT: FOX ALISTAIR.** Wait a minute, how did he unlock my scroll and plug in his info without taking my device out? Did he use his Stand while— I sighed as I shook my head. This is way too much for me. Let's just have a pizza with Pyrrha.

* * *

I let out a two note hum as I walked through the hallway. My headphones blared the calming sounds of rock straight into my ears. Crescent Rose sat between my arms, thankfully not making too much sound. Yang finally managed to calm down after stepping on the tapeworm, which finally meant that I could start working on repairing my baby! It's mainly going to be sharpening and checking the blade integrity of the scythe, but there's bound to be parts that I could reuse or even recycle once I get new ones.

Plus, this can be the perfect excuse to upgrade it! Maybe I should get stronger material so that I can still use it after such a high fall. Considering how we're probably going to drop from higher distances, the fact that Crescent Rose became unusable at that height meant there are still some adjustments to be done.

Before I could continue on with my daydream, I realized that there were three individuals standing in the way. They were wearing more formal uniforms from Haven, by the looks of it. The group comprised of a green-haired girl, a gray-headed boy, and a brunette with amber eyes. Huh, that's interesting… the brunette is wearing only one white glove. I guess it's just a fashion statement, although I don't think it works well with the Haven uniforms.

All three of them created sort of a barrier that stopped me from passing by. Their eyes were focused on each other rather than me, just chatting along about… something. I can't really hear them with all of the music blaring in my ears.

"Um, excuse me?" All three individuals looked at me as I flicked my headphones down. "Hi, sorry. Can one of you guys scoot over? I'm trying to get to the forge, and well…" I pointed at the brunette.

"Of course. My apologies." She stepped to the side, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead. "I wasn't paying attention. Carry on."

"Alright, thanks." I started forwards before a realization hit me. "Wait a minute…" I hummed as I tapped my feet. "Didn't I meet you guys before? I remember running into you guys— Oh!" I pointed at them. "We bumped into each other in the beginning of the second semester in this very hallway! You guys were looking for your dorm rooms!"

"Oh? Did we?" The brunette lifted an eyebrow, glancing at me for a moment before coming to a realization. "That's right. You were the girl who bumped into Emerald a couple of months ago. Remember that?"

The girl with the mint colored hair nodded. "Yeah." Her red eyes glanced at me. "I believe it was… Ruby, right?" She held out a hand. "We should've introduced ourselves back then. I'm Emerald, the gray haired brat to my left is Mercury—"

"Hey!"

"And the woman to my left is Cinder." The brunette nodded, eyeing me with a bit of interest.

I nodded. "Nice to meet you guys. I'm sorry that I can't shake your hand. I mean, mine are already pretty occupied." I lifted Crescent Rose up for emphasis. "Well, I'm going to go do my thing now, so…" I slipped past the group. "Bye, guys! I'll see ya in class tomorrow!"

A shiver went down my spine as I hurried through the hallway. They seemed like okay people the last time I met them. The three of them were pretty friendly now. But at the same time, there's something that I can't put my finger on. It's the slightest feeling of a shiver. I feel like I'll meet them again in some way…

⇐ _ **TO BE CONTINUED= 9/1/17**_

* * *

 **Nolan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 3**

My Stand stood on the ceiling, staring at my pacing form. My eyes flickered at the empty hallway I'm standing in. If I'm right, this should be where most of the first-year Beacon students live. I just hope that Ruby was around and available to talk to me.

You know, now that I think about it, it's kinda sad that my only lead to finding the mystery person sending notes would be an awkward weapons nerd who beat my face in with a punch ghost. And to think that yesterday I wouldn't ever consider becoming acquaintances with such a person. I sighed as I slammed my back against a nearby wall, crossing my arms. And now there's a lizard monster hanging from the ceiling that I personally control. What a weird road my life has turned to.

"So," I said to no one in particular, staring into the Stand's eyes. "I guess you're just going to stay on the ceiling until I say otherwise, right?" It flickered its tongue. "Alright. That's cool." I glanced at the sides of the corridor. Still no Ruby. I wonder how cool it would be to monologue to no one in particular. "You know what, **「** **BELFRY FALLS?** **」** It's actually kinda cool having you. Horrifying powers aside, I always wanted a pet lizard."

I chuckled to myself. "It's kinda stupid, I know. I live in the deserts of Vacuo, and I see lizards all the time. Why in the world would I want a pet reptile?" My shoulders moved up in a shrug. "I guess before I went to Shade, I wanted a friend to keep me company. Being the only kid in a big trade caravan sucks. You never get the chance to make friends your age, and I never clicked with the other adults. It's just a lot of time in your head. Well, either that or talking to cacti and the local wildlife. Until Shade, I wanted someone who would truly be my companion."

My hands pulled my shades out. I started fiddling with it. "Well, the friend aspect's been taken care of with Branz, Roy, and May at my side. Still wanted a lizard though. And I guess I got one in the form of you, **「** **BELFRY FALLS.** **」** Although I was expecting more of a gecko or some other small lizard, not the burly komodo dragon you are. But hey. Bigger is better, right?" I let out a sigh as I tucked the sunglasses back into my shirt. Yeah… that felt pretty stupid. Let's not do that again out loud.

Back to the task at hand. "Maybe it's just not my day and Ruby's not doing anything. Maybe I can go around and start knocking on doors. Wait… I wonder if they have maps telling where each team lives?"

Only a second passed after I pulled my scroll out when I caught the sound of humming to my left. Walking through the hallway was Ruby, lugging around a broken up piece of metal. Was she doing weapon repairs, because wow. That looked messed up. The young Stand user had red headphones on, and she hummed along to some kind of fast-paced song. Rock, maybe?

"Hey. Hey!" I waved my hand in front of her as she passed by. Ruby blinked, shaking her head before looking at me. "Can I ask you for a favor?" The girl tilted her head in confusion. I said it again, a little louder this time.

She shook her head before pulling her headphones off. "Hi Nolan. Did you need something from me?"

I nodded my head. "It's really important that you can't tell this to anybody, okay? What I'm about to tell you has to stay secret to everyone."

"Everyone?" The girl glanced around the area before leaning close to my ear. "Does it have to do with the Arrow?"

"No! Nothing like that! It's not that kind of secret!" I backed off and scratched my head. "It's more of a curiosity that I wanted to figure out. Girl stuff."

"Oh… Okay." Ruby nodded her head, the weapon bobbing with her. "I thought that you were talking about important information about our mission, considering your Stand's hanging from the ceiling and all that—"

"I was passing time, that's all." I waved the matter aside.

"Well, whatever you say." The young girl cocked her head to the side. "What kind of girl stuff are you talking about? I mean, I can answer a lot about what we need to do whenever it's our time of month, but don't you know other—"

"Not what I meant!" I had to slam my hand against my increasingly warming face. "I was talking more along the lines of gossip and all that!"

She let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's great. Because it would be really weird to talk about that kind of stuff. But I'm not really into the gossiping thing. I might bring it up with my sister. She's more into this kind of stuff than me. What do you want to talk about?"

"Right." I pulled up the image of the letter from my scroll before showing it to Ruby. "So my teammate this afternoon received this love note. And like the great supportive team we are, we started betting on who it could be. So far we figured out that a girl must've written it due to the handwriting and the ink color, but the trail's gone cold after that. Do you have any idea where I can go to figure this out?"

"Yeah, I can go to my sister Yang and ask if she's heard anything about that. She's more than willing to share gossip. But… hmm…" She rested her chin against the butt stock of her weapon. "We did have finals recently… I'm not sure if all of the stuff is graded yet, but I'm pretty sure there's a writing section that everybody had to do. I think. It's hard to remember finals." Ruby shook her head. "I would say just look for some graded stuff and compare."

"Alright, thanks Ruby. I'll send you a copy of the image to show to your sister. I'm going off now."

"Bye!" And with that, we parted ways. You know what? Looking for graded stuff is a good idea. I should do that. Let's see… I should go to the office of the History professor. We did a lot of writing there, so there has to be something that isn't graded. A smile crawled up my face as I pulled up a site on pick locks. Man, it's been some time since I had to break into a place to get what I want.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 _ **Stand Description:**_

 **「TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」- User is able to cause molecules to vibrate, creating a sort of resonance. Though this he can make sound as well as echolocation should he decide to vibrate the air. He can also vibrate solids, which can create long lasting damage depending on the intensity of the vibration.**

* * *

 _ **Song Reference:**_ **Fox** **'s** **「TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」is a reference to not a song, but the band Teriyaki Boyz _._ Yes, there's a band by that name. These guys aren't really that famous. If anything, they fell into obscurity since the 2000s. But I remember being introduced to them through the movie _Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift._ A memorable song they made was _Tokyo Drift,_ which is very original song title I know. But I chose Teriyaki Boyz mainly because Fox's backstory does take a couple of pages from the movie in terms of being lost and learning a new skill while enemies are all around you trying to get you. Also, I just like the name. Teriyaki Boyz sounds so JoJo.**

* * *

 **Well, that was the shortest Stand fight in the story so far. When I think about it, this is probably going to be one of the shortest ones out there. It's more of an introduction to Fox more than an actual fight, so sorry if anybody feels disappointed about this.**

 **Time for the reviews!**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you for your continued support, greenscoop! Glad to see you back here! And don't worry, Weiss' Stand is going to be awesome to show off.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: A surprise sniper scythe was in the box! And thanks rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **Guest1: Revolver Ocelot. That literal cat-call always gets me. And thanks, guest1!**

 **doa570047: Thank you doa570047! I appreciate that you are still reading after all this time. It warms my heart knowing you're still enjoying this after all this time.**

 **Oh man, but the tapeworm Stand. If it makes you feel any better, the tapeworm was already slipping out when the Arrow came down, so no sharp object up Zwei's butt thankfully. Although it'll probably still be stressful knowing something that sharp came so close to someone's butthole. But yeah, it will be interesting if Yang ever manages to piece together what's going on/the rest of team RWBY decides to confess to Yang about the Stands. It will be complicated for sure.**

 **And as for Blake's Stand, I can see how it can get OP really quickly. I mean assuming you say is true, she basically becomes a one-man army. This did not come to mind when I first thought up the ability. It reminds me of a Youtube video called _Chalk Warfare,_ where they draw the rough shapes of weapons and they can pull them out and use them. If she was able to do that, she can probably arm everyone. I'll talk about the proper limitations later on in the story, but thanks for the imagery. I got a good laugh out of that. **

**Guest2: Thanks, guest2! Yeah, I remember how I was very wary of character voice after an earlier reviewer noted it at my request. On one hand, I knew I wanted a more serious/intelligent Ruby right from the start. But hearing that made me worry about her character taking too dry and serious of a turn. But thanks for the compliment! And the backstory on Roman and Neo: I always liked characters with very human motivations. I personally liked Roman because his motivation is relatable. And after the events of V3, something like this just feels right for two thieves trying to survive and prosper. In my opinion, I should've up played the sadistic nature of Neo, but oh well.**

 **And for your question about Ruby's Stand, her ability does make her physical body almost impossible to take down. But there are some exceptions to this: fire can kill her. Down Under was supposed to demonstrate that with how she needed Blake to get her out of being burnt alive. Any ability that fundamentally changes her molecular structure can also kill her. Basically, if an ability can change the properties of her body, Ruby can no longer break herself down. She has to be aware to break herself down, so any kind of surprise attack has a chance of killing her. Then there's always attacking the Stand itself to inflict wounds like how DIO lost to Jotaro in the end of Part 3. Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.**

 **darkmist111: Being Yang is suffering. Poor Yang. To answer your question, the Arrow the Cupid has on it is a regular Stand Arrow. I prefer not using Requiem if at all possible. It works in Part 5 because both sides are chasing after it, and each side has more or less an equal opportunity to get it. It also helps that the main antagonist in Part 5 has a Stand that can't be beaten without a Requiem. But here, the main antagonist in this story has a weakness that doesn't require Requiem, so ideally no Requiem stuff here.**

 **KuletXCore: I'm excited to show Weiss' Stand as well. And again, being Yang is suffering.**

 **BobofBob: Yeah. Only in JoJo will a tapeworm Stand user will be considered plausible. And as for Ozpin's Stand ability, that's a pretty good guess. We'll see how it plays out.**

 **mastergamer14: Whew, last minute review to get in! Let me try to answer your questions as best as possible.**

 ** _Stand Stats:_ For Stand stats, I don't introduce them for a couple of reasons. One: I've never been big on Stand stats in the first place. As cool as it is to quantify the power of a Stand, I actually tend to skip that because I like learning with the characters how it works as it's being used. The characters don't get a Stand stats sheet to figure it out, and learning with them is one of the best feeling ever. I want my readers to feel that way as well. **

**Two: I used to try and record Stand stats for reference, but then I realized how wonky it is. For example: Jaune's Everyday Boy. In four categories he registers as N/A, then A rank in precision and B in potential. And those are only because of it's guaranteed to work if he touches anything and because potential is Jaune's middle name. Looking at that, I stopped categorizing Stands. That is a ridiculous scale to compare every other Stand to.**

 **However, I get what you mean by having Stand stats. It is an iconic part of JoJo, and it does look a little weird I decided to take it out. I won't post them when I introduce new Stands, but I might consider just having them posted once the story is done/every arc is finished.**

 _ **Requiems:**_ **Like I said above to darkmist111, I felt like Requiem was needed because Part 5's villain had a Stand that made Requiem necessary. I wrote the story so that Requiem doesn't need to exist, so I probably won't have Requiem.**

 _ **Stand Cries:**_ **Huh, "rozu..." That's actually not a bad Stand cry. But honestly, I didn't do Stand cries yet because in my heart, there's only one person that truly deserves to ORA ORA ORA for a whole paragraph, and their time has not come. I like to think of Rose as a silent fighter/someone who doesn't try to call attention, so it's not Ruby's time to let out the cry. I did try with Blake with the RAUUU at the end, but it's not quite the same. It's a better ending than an actual cry. Stand cries are awesome, but I want to save their usage for a time when I feel it really matters.**

 **But thank you for reading everyone! I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: September 1, 2017**_


	18. Eastern Glow

**Hey everyone! Happy Friday once again! I've since moved out of my home and into college! Ideally, this shouldn't put too much of a damper in my writing. It definitely shouldn't affect the update schedule for at least six months. But if I somehow disappear or something, that is what happened.**

 **Then we reached another milestone: 100 reviews! This is pretty surprising to be sure, but all I have to say is thank you. I appreciate every review that I get because it gives me a chance to talk with you guys, clarify stuff, learn about mistakes that I didn't otherwise catch, make decisions that would make the story better. I love having this back and forth with you guys. In a sense, you guys also help make this story the best it can be. So thank you to all of the reviewers, and thank you to the regular readers for continuing to support this story.**

 **Nothing much else to say, so on to the next chapter!**

* * *

 _The two ninjas collapsed as soon as they reached the base of the mountain. Behind them bamboo shoots rose and pierced through the heavens, hiding the couple from any onlookers. The young and plucky woman flinched and surveyed the area as she pulled herself up. Aside from the bamboo, there was no other living thing around. No birds soared from above; no worms swam through the earth. Even the wind held her breath here. There was no better hiding place for the duo._

" _Mureba," the feminine warrior gasped, dragging and resting her partner against the side of the stone cliff. "We made it. I don't think that the_ _Kobura isn't going to be chasing us this far. You're going to be okay."_

 _A glance from her compatriot said otherwise. She let out a cry. His silken robes, normally black, grew crimson red. She pressed her hands against the bloody circle. Her fingers felt the liquid of life ooze out. Mureba sighed. "Momo, you don't have to lie to yourself. We both know what's going to happen to you and me. They're going to chase us down to the ends of the earth and kill us both." He cupped her face. "We're not going to ever live that happy life we both envisioned."_

 _Tears ran down Momo's face as she cupped the man's face. Dirt and sweat remained on his face, covering up the handsome face of the one she loved. She shook her head. "Don't say stuff like that. You have to live. I— I got you the antidote, right? Nobody's going to separate the two of us. I'm not going to let anyone come near you, okay?" Her voice became vicious. "I'll paint this world red with the blood of our clan if it meant that I'll be with you forever! But you have to live. I don't know what I'll do if you leave me alone."_

 _The normally stoic man started tearing up as well. "And I can't imagine seeing you die because of me. What I did back there was irresponsible." He sighed as he glanced at the sky. "What was I thinking, attempting to assassinate the clan leader? How is that going to make our lives better? I pulled you into this, Momo. The responsibility is all mine. You don't deserve a man like me."_

 _She shook her head. "The Kobura weren't going to let us go either way. We couldn't hide our relationship forever. You did whatever it took to free us from this life. I don't blame you for that. You shouldn't shoulder so much of the blame. After all, it was my mistake letting Mizudori learn about the two of us. We're both responsible for our fate right now, and we must both face it together."_

" _Momo," the man whispered. She glanced down at the love of her life. "Thank you. You are the most wonderful woman I've ever met. I'm glad to have you as my partner."_

" _No… We're more than that." She nudged her lips onto his. His long arms pulled her close as they enjoyed the simple yet sweet embrace. A soft moan escaped her mouth as his coarse arms slowly slid down her body before slipping under her clothes. A shiver flew down her spine as his warm hands brushed against her back, hitting all of the right spots. With little hesitation, Momo slipped her head towards the growing bulge between his legs. Her soft hands slowly tugged against the silk trousers, revealing the massive perfection that is his—_

"Blake!"

I jerked myself up from my reading. "Huh?" A couple of blinks revealed the four of us cramped together in an aisle of the airship.

Yang leaned over to the right of me. She had a wide grin that revealed everything. "Oh, I'm sorry, kitten. Did I disturb you just as you got into the hot, steamy part?" Lilac eyes glanced down into the exposed pages. "Ooh, licking the wound. That's pretty kinky." My face twisted into a frown as I snapped it shut. I can feel the heat radiating from my face. My partner nudged me with her shoulder. "Something you wanna say to the class, Blakey?"

My ears drooped slightly at her accusation. "Wha— No!" I pulled the novel close to my chest. "Come on, Yang, don't you have anything better to do than bother me? Seriously, what's with your obsession with me reading Ninjas of Love?"

"How about it's nothing but smut?" Weiss called out from the other side of the aisle. Ruby looked at me with a curious look on her face. "Every time I think something's going to happen in the story, the characters just start getting intimate with each other! How does anything get done with all of the sex happening in that story?"

"... Wait." Yang gave the heiress a lecherous grin. "Weiss, you read the book?" The growing redness on Weiss' face said it all. Yang chucked. "I'm surprised. The next-in-line to the Schnee Dust Company an avid smut reader? That is gold—"

Ruby let out a sigh. "Yang, we all did, remember?" At that the blonde's eyes widened, twisting her face towards her little sister. I let out a grunt as her mane of a hair smacked me.

"What? You— We did? Since when?"

My leader sighed again. "Yup. Remember that one time during the break between first semester and second semester? Nora pulled that book out of one of our shelves and challenged all of us to start reading it out loud. If we could get through an entire chapter without stumbling or making a face, we would win some lien. Blake won that one; Weiss got pretty close." She gave me a glare. "I still think you shouldn't be in the bet. It is your book after all." I gave all of them a shrug. Twenty lien is twenty lien, no matter how you get it.

The white-haired girl groaned, pressing her face into her hands. "It was disgusting. The text became really graphic around halfway through. I had to stop when that couple decided to bring the horse in." The heiress shuttered as the memory popped into my head. Oh yeah, one of the controversial scenes in the series. She pressed her palms against the sides of her head and made circular motions. "Okay, Weiss, just relax and purge the thoughts out. This never happened."

Yang looked at all of us in confusion. "Wait a minute. I don't remember it happening. When exactly was—" Her hair fluttered through the air as she jumped from her seat. "You mean the day I went out to Vale for the food run? Oh my gods— I wasn't there! Are you saying Nora just gave my sister smut without me knowing?" The brawler's eyes started to flicker red. "When I come back, I'm going to show that girl a piece of my—"

"Calm down, Yang!" Ruby grabbed her sister's shoulder and yanked her down. "It was harmless. If it helps, I burst out laughing one paragraph into the chapter. The sex scenes were funny in a bad way. Seriously, how can somebody write this stuff? I don't think the author has any understanding of how sex works."

"Oh, and you do?" I said, stuffing my reading into my bag.

"Enough to know that horses and humans don't fit together!" The young girl crossed her arms as she leaned back on the plush seat, blowing her cheeks out. "Really, it feels more like an excuse to write a bunch of kinky stuff rather than create an actual romance."

"But Ninjas of Love does have good writing!" I let a scowl slip onto my face. "You have to read the entire story to see it happen, but these characters do change and evolve! It has a good plot on its own right. It just happens to have a bit of mature content to highlight the relationship between the two main characters." I can feel my face heating up again. "And that content can get… extreme sometimes."

My words were followed by the airship docking. Yang laughed as she yanked herself to a standing position and stretching out her limbs. "Sure thing, Blake. 'Cause two people in a three-way with a horse sounds really romantic. Get me a horse when I'm married, and I'm sure I can spice up the bedroom."

I opened my mouth to let out a retort when Ruby stepped between us. "Guys, enough!" Ruby whined. "We're here in Vale!" I heard her mutter "again" under her breath. Out loud she continued: "Why don't we just enjoy our time in the city? We have the rest of the day to have fun! So let's have some fun!" With that, she rushed out of the airship.

The rest of us looked at each other before nodding and following her out. We were greeted with the relatively uncrowded airbus station. At this time of day, most people would probably still be at work or something. It's a relief that we have the opportunity to get here. Classes are ending sooner than in the first semester; the reason being the Vytal Festival coming up within the month. Still, I can't find any reason to complain. More free time means more time to train, read, research. I brushed a lock of hair back as I felt my stomach rumble. Maybe we can find a nice cafe to eat at.

"So, what do we do?" Weiss asked as we caught up to the girl. "Do you have any plans for us this time?"

Ruby looked sheepish the moment her partner asked her that question. She didn't say a word, instead chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of her neck. "Uhh, maybe go find some kind of place to eat at?"

We all stood silent. "That's it?" Weiss' eyelid started twitching. "So we came out all the way to Vale just to have lunch?"

"Well, I also wanted to buy parts to rebuild Crescent Rose as well, but I don't know past that!" Our leader waved her arms in front of her. "I was really excited about Crescent Rose coming back to me yesterday, and I wasn't thinking when I made the decision!" She is absolutely turning crimson right now. "I'm so sorry guys for wasting your time and—"

"Ruby, it's fine," I interrupted. "It doesn't matter if we just have lunch in the city. At least we're spending some time together as a group." I placed a hand under my chin. "That being said, Tukson's Book Trade is having a closing sale after the owner passed away, and I wouldn't mind getting a couple of books to add to my collection."

"Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea." Weiss nodded. "I've heard a lot of good things about the bookstore, but I've never gotten the chance to go. It might be an… interesting experience to see." She glanced at me, catching my attention. From the corner of my eye, she made tiny movements with her ring finger, gesturing towards herself. Right. We needed to talk.

"Well, if that's the case…" Yang placed a hand on Ruby's hair, eliciting a whine out of the younger sister. "I'll just come with Ruby to the weapons store! She'll need a second opinion on what parts to buy, and who else would be better for the job than me? I've known Crescent Rose just as long as Ruby has, after all."

"You didn't have to say that last part." My bow twitched. "We would've just taken your word for it." My partner didn't say anything, instead giving us a sly grin as she shrugged.

"I think it does. Anyways, I guess this is where we're splitting up. It's probably going to take us a lot longer to find all of the parts we need as well as getting all of the deals down, so when you guys are done, can you find a cafe or something? Just send us a message through your scroll." I nodded. Yang smiled yet again as she snatched Ruby's hand. "Thanks guys! Well, see ya!" Before we could say anything, the two sisters took off, leaving us in the dust.

"Well, okay…" Weiss turned to look at me. "So where's the bookshop place?"

"Well, it's on Spruce Lane, which… is on the same road as the weapons store, just separated by a couple of blocks." I sighed. "Yeah, now that I think about it, we all could've just went together."

"Oh well," the heiress sighed as we started moving towards our destination. "What can we do? My partner's going to be nerding out all day over rebuilding her gun scythe and Yang's just going to be Yang. I don't mind taking it slow and walking on a different path, especially after… everything that's happened so far."

I nodded, leaning my head back to look at the Gothic-style buildings. "So do you want to talk about what happened?"

She shook her head. "You know what Ruby said. Not out here. Maybe we'll be better off in the bookstore, where we can at least pay attention to everything around us." Weiss rubbed the base of her nose. We didn't speak for the next few minutes, making our way to the store with little else happening. It's only when we approached the building when she spoke again. "I don't like having to be so secretive about everything. There's so much that happened within the past few days alone. I can't believe that all of this happened without us noticing… I can't believe Ruby's been going through this alone."

My eyebrows flew up. "Didn't she say that Jaune was also in on the secret?"

"That's true, but when you think about it, this started way back when Ruby fell unconscious a few weeks back. She had to deal with being able to see her Stand all by herself." Weiss ran a finger against the rough scar on her face. "And we didn't believe anything she said. It's just— I feel like a terrible partner now that I realize what she went through."

A bell rang as we entered the store. Tukson's Book Trade looked as pristine as the day I first walked in. All of the walls were filled to the brim with hundreds, no thousands of books! There's one long wall dedicated to fiction, and it's big; it's so big that there were little tags sticking out, pointing out when genres changed from sci-fi to fantasy to romance, so on and so forth.

It seemed like no format escaped the bookstore's grasp: stands stood in the center of the store filled with comic books, posters, codes for digital copies, collector DVD sets for various shows, the list goes on and on. Even if there wasn't something you were looking for on the shelves, Tukson would always have whatever you're looking for in his back storage. There's a good reason why Tukson's Book Store's slogan is "The Bookstore With All Stories Under the Sun." This was a haven for all things literary and more.

It's sad then to see several "All Things Must Go!" signs invade this wonderful place. I can't remember how long it was since the bookstore owner died, roughly two months ago it seems? The police generally agreed that his death was foul play, but the case went cold after that. It seemed as if nobody could figure out the case of his death. I know better. Who couldn't recognize Tungsten Tukson, one of the scariest enforcers of the White Fang? A man who was at the front of the crowd protecting faunus protesters when the police came down, and one of the original members who stayed after the transition to Khan. He's gone now.

I sighed, letting my head fall. Despite his scary nickname, he was a gentle soul. Someone who only wanted the best for his people, and would do anything to make sure nobody on either side got hurt. No wonder Tukson decided to run away to who-knows-where. He must've come to the same conclusion as I had. Too bad the White Fang caught on to his plans and ended his departure early.

And because the faunus owner didn't have anybody to take over the store for him, the city of Vale decided to take over from there. Now here we are now a couple of months later, watching the dying gasps of the old store. The burly yet friendly Tukson will never stand behind the counter ever again. In his stead was a bored twenty-something on his scroll, uncaring of the slow decay of the store around him. There wasn't a single soul in the store aside from him. I bit my lip in a silent rage. A place like this deserved a more dignified death than this.

"So, Blake." Weiss walked over to the fiction section and snatched up an old tome: _Oliver Twist_. Hmm... strange. A book from before the Great War? "This place is safe enough. I'm sure that the guy over there won't do anything to harm us. That being said..." Her face turned stoic. "How much did you experiment with your Stand?"

"I couldn't get much in, but it's mainly seeing just what I can do." My Stand appeared behind me. "It's more limited than I think. The best I can do is bring in 3D objects with me, like my scroll. I thought about trying to drag images of items out, but it doesn't work. Then there's the fact that whatever I fuse to must be inanimate and around my size. And then there's the fact that it's a bit harder to see while I'm merged. It feels like staring into a screen when I look into the physical world with limited camera movement. I try to make up for it with my ears," I wiggled my bow, "But that's something I'm trying to work around." I glanced at the heiress. "What about you? Did you manage to summon your Stand yet?"

She shook her head. "Still nothing." The heiress glanced down at the open book. "I'm not sure. Ruby didn't really get a chance to explain too much before Yang came in and Crescent Rose distracted the girl. It's just—" Weiss sighed. "It does pain me a bit, seeing you guys be able to use your Stand while I can't do anything. If we have to fight, I'm not going to be able to do much." She sighed as she snapped the book closed. "But let's not talk about that anymore. What bothered me ever since yesterday were the messages Ruby sent to us."

A hum escaped my mouth as I pulled out _The Man With Two Souls._ "Yeah, there's a lot to think about. This thing about the Cupid and the Arrow, how that Nolan kid was the Stand user who attacked us back on Saturday, our Headmaster's role in all of this. Even the thing Jaune sent to us about how Stand users will meet other Stand users. It's so surreal… It reminds me of that one superhero doctor who can actually control magic."

"... Well, I don't understand that reference, but I think I get the point." Weiss glanced up at the shelves. "There isn't a lot we know about this world. We try our best to figure out the rules so that we can change it, and in a single day, we gain abilities that actively defy the rules of reality. It messes with the mind to be sure." She shook her head. "But enough about that. Did you find anything that you want to get?"

I shook my head. "I tend to order ahead of time and pick up my usual purchases directly from the owner, due to the… more mature elements." I glared at her as she coughed "smut" in her hand. "But I might buy the entire series for _The Man With Two Souls._ Considering what we've been… experiencing, I think having another read through this story might help get used to all of this. Maybe the text could help you with summoning your Stand."

"That would be nice." The heiress let out a hum. "You know what? I remember this brand new cafe nearby that I visited earlier this month. It's on the cheaper side, but they serve a lot of good drinks and food. They also give out discounts for Hunters-in-Training, so there's that. It's run by two sisters who used to be maids to nobility. What was the name of this cafe? … Maybe it was F&F."

"F&F?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It's short for Flora & Felicia. That's probably the owners of the cafe." Weiss adjusted her ponytail. "So what do you think?"

"... That sounds interesting. I guess we can check it out."

* * *

A frown ran across my face as I pulled against the bolt mechanism in front of me. The mechanism did move, but only after a lot of force. It's fresh off of the 3D printer, and I know I used my final schematics, but something's not right. The bolt's too firm. I'm sure that I oiled and broke down the mechanism so that it would feed smoothly, but it's still not to my satisfaction. Did I make minor adjustments beforehand and didn't record that change? I groaned to myself. That's something I would probably do.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Yang looked over my shoulder. "Huh. Tight bolt. I thought you had the right schematics this time."

"Apparently not," I sighed. "Man, this sucks. I can't believe I have to go back and get Crescent Rose just to get some measurements. This feels embarrassing." A thought struck me. "Wait a moment… the rocket lockers! I have Crescent Rose in one of those! Yang, hold my spot!" I rushed outside, pulled out my scroll and hit the panic button. Even from our location, I could see the white smoke of the rocket streak across the sky from the distant castle in the background. It was mesmerizing watching the rocket arc towards us.

I stepped backward, allowing the rocket to smash into the ground where I once stood. My arm shielded my face from the bits of cement flying from the ground. The container opened with a hiss, revealing the still beaten up Crescent Rose. I lifted my child with care, keeping my finger off of the mechashift mechanism. Maybe the sniper scythe can't fire a bullet, but the scythe itself has been repaired. She's definitely usable, but I prefer to fix everything about the weapon first before I bring her back into the field. And I'd rather not destroy the shopkeeper's store again.

"Alright, then," I stated, humming a couple of notes before laying the weapon onto the 3D printer. With a hand drill, I started to pull out the screws holding Crescent Rose together. "You know, Yang. There's something I wanted to ask you about."

She turned her head in interest. "Ooh, is my sister… participating in gossip?" The blonde rubbed her hands in glee. "I didn't expect that out of you, Ruby. It's a surprise seeing my baby sister talking about another person."

My face flushed. "It's nothing like that! I just… ran right into this problem. But anyway, yesterday I ran into that guy who got hurt Saturday. You know, the guy with the jean jackets, shades, wears this designer shirt thing—"

"Yeah, I remember him." My sister waved away the thought. "I think Jaune had a talk with him while I was around. Wasn't his name something that started with an N or something? North or something like that?"

"Nolan. Yeah, that's the guy. Apparently his team's been getting love letters directed towards one of his teammates. Which one was it?" My eyebrows furrowed as one screw refused to come out. From the looks of it, the shank on the screw might be slightly bent. "I think it was May Zedong or something like that."

"Wait, the really shy sniper girl?" Yang had to stifle a laugh. "The one who doesn't try to talk to anyone outside of her team? Is somebody sending love letters to her? What, doesn't the person realize that texting is a thing these days?" A snort came out of the girl. "Sorry, that's rude of me. But congrats to her for having an admirer. So, who's the guy sending these notes to her?"

"Not a guy." I cheered in victory as the stubborn screw came out. I looked at the grooves on the head. Whew, didn't strip the bolt. That would be annoying to deal with if I did. "It's a girl."

"... That's even better!" My elder sister got into my face, her hair drooping down onto the table. "Aw man, I bet whoever the two are, they will make one hell of a cute couple! Ruby, now you have to—"

"Yang, off the table. The last thing I need is to accidentally get a lock of hair caught in this drill."

"Whoops! Sorry." She backed off, pulling her hair back at the same time. "No, but who is it really? This is perfect teasing material!"

"I don't know." Her face dropped just like that. "Well in my defense, the guy I was talking to doesn't know either. He actually came to me to ask if I knew anyone who can point him in the right direction."

"So you're asking me to help with this search." Yang placed a hand under her chin as she nodded. "That seems like a fun thing to do. So where do we start?"

"With this." I unlocked my scroll and put the picture on display. Yang snatched it from my hands as I went back to unscrewing Crescent Rose. "This is the one from yesterday. Nolan's team generally agreed that the handwriting is close to a girl's, but they can't put a finger on whose handwriting it is. I'm not much for penmanship either, but maybe you might have something for this."

"Alright. You don't mind if I send the picture to myself, right?"

I shook my head. "Go ahead. I can't exactly do a lot with it anyways." The last screw came loose, making a small clang is it fell onto the table. Finally! I popped Crescent Rose open, revealing the beautifully designed internals. Several moving parts interlaid with each other, creating a complex maze of parts that's almost impossible to decipher. That's what makes my sniper scythe mine. Only I can understand the confusing placements of all of these parts.

But that's not what I need today. The bolt mechanism left its place without a fuss. I held it up in the air, glancing at the 3D manufactured one for reference. "Hmm… the shape isn't different. But the one in Crescent Rose is still using a friction-lock system. I shouldn't be having this problem right now." I held the part up to the light. "Why in the world am I having— Oh, right!" I slapped my face. "I forgot that I used a non-stick coating as the lubricant! Man, and to think I was just using regular gun oil! I should record that for reference next time. Hey Yang?"

She didn't respond, completely immersed in looking through my scroll. "Yang? Yang!" The blonde girl jumped in place before looking up. My hand was outstretched. "Can I have my scroll back, please? I have to record something."

"Oh… Sure," she responded, pressing a couple more buttons before handing the device back to me. "Sorry about taking so long, I think the connection's got a little spotty for a moment. But I got the image. I'll look into it and tell you if I found anything about it." The brawler rubbed her hands together. "I'm not going to give up on good blackmail material, after all."

"Thanks. Please don't actually blackmail somebody, but thanks anyway." I glanced through my scroll. Wait a minute… I'm pretty sure that I closed the messaging app earlier… huh. Did Yang…? The blonde girl was on her scroll doing her own thing. Well, she's not overreacting. Maybe she didn't see it. I shrugged as I closed the application. Guess I forgot to close it myself. I should be more careful next time. With that, I pulled up the blueprint and started editing the plans for Crescent Rose.

* * *

I tapped my foot against the ground as I waited outside of Professor Oobleck's office. The Headmaster said that I should talk to Oobleck about the Arrow. After all, he said, archeology is his specialty. Maybe he might have some information that the public might not have. I glanced around the History classroom. The wide, open study hall feels a lot more empty without anybody inside.

Right now, all I can do is just wait as the caffeinated man held another conference with another student. A sigh escaped my mouth as I looked through my scroll. I can't believe that Weiss and Blake became Stand users as well. And the Arrow was right under our noses the whole entire time! I slapped myself in the face. That's embarrassing to be sure. The Cupid managed to escape again. At least there are two more people who can help with the search now.

The door popped open, revealing a dark-skinned girl with pale yellow hair and loose, flowy garbs. Oobleck sat in his seat, sipping his thermos. "And thank you for visiting, Ms. Atlan. It's great having a discussion with a fellow archeologist. My word, your story of the Hanging Gardens of Mistral managed to enrapture me. Just getting the chance to hear about your ancestors brings a lot of joy to this already fine day." He tapped his fingers on the table. "Maybe once the semester is over, I'll take a trip and see the ruins for myself. But enough about me. Go ahead on your day." She nodded at the man, smiling before passing me and going on her way.

"Ah, Mr. Arc. Pleasant to see you here in my office." The man adjusted his glasses. "Ozpin told me you wanted my help on something."

"Yeah, um…" I rubbed the back of my head. "Can I come in?"

"Why, of course! Go ahead! Come in! Oh, and close the door while you're at that!" I did what he asked me to do. Parchment drawings of a beautiful garden sat on the table before he brushed it away. "Now, if I remember correctly, Ozpin said that there was some sort of artifact that you were tracking down, is that right?" I nodded.

The green-haired man took another sip. "While I do find it odd that you have a sudden interest in the subject matter, I don't see any fault in helping a student with such a task. Reminds me of that fictional archeologist Indigo Jones. Loved his movies, hated his style of archeology. Too bombastic. Then again, all movies are over-the-top anyways. But I'm getting off track." He leaned towards me. "What did the artifact look like?"

"Well, it was an arrow, roughly this big." I held my hand out roughly half a meter apart. "It was really simple aside from this ornate arrowhead. It had these bronze curls overlaid over a matte black finish… I think the cutting edge of the arrowhead had a shiny smooth silver polish with these wavy dark lines over it. What else… Oh! There was this hole shaped like an upside down heart with a long point!"

Oobleck tapped his fingers against his desk. "Anything about the wood of the arrow? What about the tail feathers?" I shook my head. "What about the general shape of the arrowhead? Is it cone-shaped? Barbed?"

"Huh…" I scratched my head. "I don't really know how to describe it… can I use one of these pieces of paper?"

"Go right ahead," he answered, pulling a pen and handing it to me. "They're scribbles anyways. Not really that important." With that, I made a rough sketch as best as I can. The actual drawing was crude and sketchy, but it did its job in conveying the unusual shape. It was pretty wide, going outwards before bending back in. Two half-circles connected the halves into the shaft of the arrow.

The history professor took yet another sip from his container as he observed the drawing. "Hmm… interesting… This is an ogive-shaped arrowhead, most likely a kernonen-type arrow."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

He looked at me. "My apologies. An ogive is just a shape made by two identical curves when they intersect. It's typically tapered. For example, when you look at this image—" He pointed at the tip of the arrowhead. "This isn't honed to a fine point. It's slightly rounded. A kernonen-type arrow therefore is an arrow with that type of tapered end. This type of arrow was used in the early stages of the bronze age, when flint became widely available for people to use. Because of how flint splits when being shaped, early arrowhead makers made their arrowheads wide, which gives them their distinctive shape."

Oobleck grabbed a pen and started fiddling with it. "But hearing about the bronze overlays and the polish does throw me off. Such an arrow would most likely be made by a rich and strong lord. Someone who has access to people with a decent understanding of metallurgy. That's almost impossible to find in an age where stone tools were the common tool used. It could be a one-in-a-million genius. I would assume otherwise until then. But polish… bronze age arrowheads don't have a strong sheen, so it must be metallic. But what kind of alloy in the world can create a layered look this early on in history?" He tapped his pen against the table.

"Can't be iron, it's too hard to work with. The main material can't possibly be bronze. It can't be flint, since we've already established it's metal. What could this mystery material be? Whatever it is, it must be out of this world— that's it! The mystery material is out of this world!"

I sat up. "What is it?"

"Meteorites! Think about it. Iron by itself is too soft to work with. Most civilizations didn't use iron until they figured out that they can combine it with nickel and Dust to strengthen it! Meteorites are often made out of iron and nickel merged together! This is what I propose: wherever this arrow was made, there was a meteor shower, and some of them managed to land onto Remnant intact! One of the rich lords decided to make their weapons out of it, and they became the scourge of the land! That must be how this was made!... There is one thing that bothers me, though."

"What?"

"Why arrows? Arrows are designed to be disposable, which is why we typically use cheaper materials for arrowheads. They should not be that valuable. Why not use the meteorite for a sword, or a spear, or any weapon that is designed for long-term usage? It seems like a waste of resources to just put meteorites on arrows. Unless this said lord had a ton of meteoritic iron-nickel, which poses a lot of questions in its own right. This arrow couldn't be more than just a decorative piece."

I held my silence. I don't think that Oobleck has to know about the "other" property of the Stand arrow. He continued: "That being said, I would put my bets on it being from Vacuo or the desert communities around it. Before the Great War, it was an idyllic place. It wouldn't surprise me that they would make weapons like these before the rest of the kingdoms invaded it. And we can't forget the fact that there's probably a sheer amount of civilizations that were buried under those sands. Although Mistral was also known for making ornamental weapons… That's all I can say confidently. I'm going to need a lot of research in order to figure out the rest."

The man looked at me. "Thank you for giving me such an interesting puzzle to solve. I hoped that my ramblings helped you a little. Come back anytime if you have anything else for me or you want an update. Usual office hours. Just set up an appointment, alright?"

"Okay." I shook his hand. "Thank you for your time, Professor."

"It's Doctor, and thank you for this mystery." A smile crawled up his face, sending shivers down my spine. In an instant he pulled me off of my chair and pushed me out into the hallway. "Now if you excuse me, I have some research to do." The door slammed behind me, leaving me alone.

Well… that was an interesting experience. I think I learned a lot of stuff. Not a lot of it is useful to the search. But it's nice trivia. Mainly the meteor part. What could be in a space-rock that could give people the ability to summon Stands? Oobleck did say that meteorites are just iron and nickel already merged together. What makes this one different?

I scratched my head in frustration. Oh well. Professor Oobleck can always fill me in on other stuff. My scroll opened up in my hands as I checked through any new messages. Another groan escaped from my mouth. Nora, what did you do this time? With a sigh and the shake of myhead I started back towards the JNPR dorm room, steeling myself for whatever problem the hyperactive girl caused today.

* * *

"You know," Blake noted as she swallowed a spoonful of white fish. "This place has some pretty good food. Really fancy as well. I wonder what's in this fish soup."

I looked up from the cup of coffee in my hands. We were sitting in a wide room filled with tables and chairs. Beige drapes hung over the windows of the building, giving off a sense of elegance. The architecture itself reminded me of the stylish old-fashioned mansions of Atlas. Everything is adorned with gold paint, from every frame of a picture to the stop for the door. On the ceiling were several complex paintings that took inspiration from pre-Great War artists. Somehow I still find awe in viewing these magnificent scenes.

Several other customers sat around us, chatting about their day. They ranged from businessmen wearing fancy suits and Huntsmen wearing lavish clothes to the everyday citizens in their street clothes. Walking amongst the crowd were women dressed up in maid costumes, addressing each one of their customers with a hearty smile. If we didn't know any better and if it wasn't for the normal people sitting around, people would've sworn this was a place for the extremely rich.

"I find it nice here," I replied, taking a sip from my cup. A plate of pistachio ice cream sat half eaten. "Their ice-cream is great, but their pride and joy is by far the tiramisu cake. It's really small, but every bite tastes like perfection! It just melts in your mouth like mousse, but it has a consistency that reminds you of cake! And the cocoa they use to top off the cake is wonderful! It just creates this beautiful sensation in your mouth, a bliss like when you balance something just right, or when you make the perfect shot needed to take down a Grimm!"

"Why, thank you." The two girls turned around to see a pink-haired maid with a silver plate in her hands. Several dishes balanced on the plate. Her hand wobbled and weaved through the air, causing the two girls to flinch. The maid smiled. "Tiramisu was my lord's favorite dessert. Say what you will about my coordination, but I do pride myself on being able to make the best tiramisu." The tray slipped out of her hands. "Whoops!"

Before anything could happen, Blake threw her hand under the tray. Her Stand appeared a moment later, pressing its hand under the tray and preventing any of the dishes from falling onto the ground. "Oh, thank you," she muttered. "It would be really embarrassing if that happened again. Oh, clumsy me." The pink-haired woman set the tray on their table. "Let me introduce myself. My name's Felicia Icee." She bowed.

"Felicia?" I asked. "You mean like one of the owners of the restaurant?"

The woman nodded. "That's right."

"Wait… don't you already have a lot of people who can serve other people?" Blake let out a hum. "Why do you need to serve the people yourself? Plus, there's the issue of… stuff breaking."

"Well, it's partly boredom, partly nostalgia." The co-owner braced her chin against her hand. "My older sister Flora does all of the business stuff, while I coordinate with all of the other employees. Once that's done with, I don't really have anything to do, so why not? Plus, I do miss serving others, even if I'm clumsy. I wonder what my lord is doing right now ever since he gave up his title. Last I heard, he decided to make a pilgrimage to a canyon in hopes of finding the remains of a secret kingdom. May the gods be with him." She waved her hands at the two girls. "But enough of that! I have customers to serve! May I get your names, though?"

The faunus girl sat up. "I'm Blake, and this is Weiss."

She gave both of us a quick bow. "Have a great day Blake, Weiss." With that she picked up the tray and continued on her way.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Blake said after a small pause. "I didn't think that we were going to meet one of the owners. Felicia seems really humble about her business."

"I think being a maid to an actual lord did a lot to do with that."

Blake nodded her head. "That's true. Wait… oh no!" She slapped her cheeks.

"What?"

"I forgot to ask her what the recipe is for this fish soup!" The girl tugged at her bow in frustration. "For some reason, this kind of fish is familiar, but I can't put my finger on what it can be! It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't remember what it is!"

"I'm pretty sure you're overthinking it or something." I shoved another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. "More often than not, the fish is usually something like halibut or cod. The kinds of fish with firmer meat work well in a soup."

"It doesn't taste anything like halibut or cod! Both halibut and cod have a firm texture with a mild sweet taste! This one has a firm yet moist texture!" She held her hand out and rubbed her fingers together, empathizing the movement. "There's even a hint of natural fish oil in it! I know I had this somewhere, but I can't remember what it was!"

I had to stifle a laugh. It's so strange watching the cat faunus in front of me freak out over not knowing what kind of fish she put into her mouth. In a sense she does act like her animal trait. My lips pressed together in a fine line while Blake flipped through the menu, searching for any clue of what the mystery fish could be. I guess everybody has their quirks at the end of the day. There's not a lot we can do about it.

My hand reached for the scroll within my pockets. I pulled up the messaging app and looked through the correspondence Blake and I had with Ruby. _How many people do we know with Stands?_ I've written a day ago.

 _Me, Jaune, Nolan, Torchwick, Neo, and you two._ She responded back that same day. I shivered as I read Torchwick's name. I'm not sure of who Neo was, but the fact that she was the one to trap Jaune and Ruby on Sunday alongside Torchwick is alarming. We're lucky so far that all of the Stand users that we know of are either Hunters-in-Training or just petty thieves. This could've gone wrong very quickly if we were facing people who are more willing to kill others.

Jaune entered the conversation then, interjecting with his own comments. _Edit: Fox from CFVY = user. Also learned Stand users will find other Stand users. Keep guard up, we're all targets._ Although they only learned it yesterday, it made a lot more sense why Ruby and Jaune were anxious to keep everybody out of this business. No matter what they do at this point, somebody with a Stand ability is going to run into them and cause a lot of trouble. And now that includes us.

I looked up as the cafe door opened, revealing four girls in various attire. They all seemed to wear either tight clothing or flowy gothic-style dresses, similar to my preferred attire. Their clothes stood out in the crowd, their outfits being a light violet, turquoise, green, and dark purple respectively.

"So, Octavia." The girl in the light violet suit gave the girl in turquoise a small smirk. "What's the reaction to your little confession?"

The redheaded girl blushed. "Can you guys not talk about this right now? It's embarrassing!"

"Hush, girl." This time the girl in purple smiled. She had attire that reminded me of a ballerina. "There's always time to hear a bit of gossip about our shy gal! Besides, it's not everyday I get to hear news about my partner!" The four sat down at a table close to the cashier. "Come on, lay in on us. How did they react?"

"Well, um…" Octavia tapped her index fingers together. "... I didn't."

The girl in green gasped. "What?"

"I can't! It's so embarrassing! Confessing to another person in such a way— I just can't!"

The girl in purple groaned. "Well, that sucks that you chickened out." She gave her partner a wicked smile. "It's a good thing I took the initiative this time around."

The redhead's eyes widened. "No! You didn't!"

The ballerina laced her hands together. "I did. They should've seen it by now. Your mystery person knows."

"What the— Gwen! You went through my stuff and— Why did you do that?!" She let out a groan as she slammed her head into the table. "My life is ruined. You've just embarrassed me in front of my crush. No, if you let this spread, it's going to be known all throughout Beacon! I can't show my face there ever again or Shade!"

The girl's face twisted from smugness to genuine concern. "What? Oh, come on Octavia. Don't be so dramatic." She got up and pulled the turquoise colored girl into a hug. "It's not going to end that badly. You know what? I have the perfect thing to cheer you up." She lifted a hand up to Octavia's ear and whispered something, occasionally glancing up at the cafe.

With a shrug I glanced back at my scroll and continued reading. Ruby responded with another text in the RWBY group chat: _Done w/ printing new parts. Yang & I going rite now. Address 2 cafe?_ I started typing in the location of F&F. Now that I look at it, we're a lot farther from the weapons store than I initially thought. It's going to take them awhile to get over here.

I didn't even hit the send button when I heard the sounds of shattering porcelain. Everybody turned their heads towards the clumsy owner, who was picking herself from the ground close to the kitchen. A sigh escaped her mouth as she brushed off the broken shards on her. "Great, there's a slippery spot there," she muttered. Felicia glanced at the kitchen door. "Flora! I'm going to need a mop and a broom! Slipped on some kind of spill!"

"Another accident?" a voice yelled out. A sigh escaped from the door. "I'll get them. Just give me a moment. Make sure nobody steps on the shards, okay?" With that the pink-haired girl bent down to pick up the fallen tray, letting out a resigned sigh. Almost immediately her disappointed face turned to confusion.

The two of us got out of our seats and headed towards her. I tilted my head. "Hey Felicia, what's wrong?"

"That's strange. There was a slippery spot right here just a moment ago. Now the ground's sticky, and I can't pull the tray… back… up—!" With the last tug she yanked the metallic plating off of the floor successfully. Unfortunately, she yanked at the tray too hard. I cringed as it smashed into her face with a clang, sending her sliding down onto the ground— Huh? Did she just slipped on the sticky part of the floor?

"Are you okay?" the two of us asked at once as we helped her up.

"Ye— Yeah." She nodded her head. "I know I have a clumsy streak but I've never had it as bad as thiiiissss—!" The second we let go, she started sliding over the tiled floor, nearly falling back down to the ground. A panicked cry escaped our mouths as we caught her. "Whew… something's not right. Something strange is going on." Felicia placed her hand against the fabric of another table. "I don't know what's going on, but somebody did something to the floor. There's no way something can go from slippery to sticky to slippery agaiiiiiin!"

The moment she pushed herself up, the tablecloth somehow stuck to her hand and was dragged along with her. Yet another scream escaped her mouth as she fell to the ground again, sending several plates into the air. We all ducked and shielded ourselves from the fragments of porcelain flying through the cafe. Several customers started to back away from all of the chaos, whispering to each other about the series of events in front of them. The pink-haired girl's face turned red with embarrassment.

A laugh escaped from the crowd. I turned around to see the girl in dark purple who came in earlier bent over, letting out a long bellow at the fallen maid. The rest of her teammates chuckled along with her, although with a lot less enthusiasm. The redhead in particular looked uncomfortable with the scene. "Oh!" she gasped, pressing one of her hands into her stomach. The dark-haired girl started wheezing. "Did you see what happened to her? And all of the plates that flew through the air? Guys, that was awesome! I can't believe that would work out so well!"

One of my veins started pulsing in my head as I squeezed my fist. Did this girl really do something this petty? Using her Semblance or something like that just to mess with one of the owners of the cafe? Blake let out a cough the moment she saw me slam one of my hands onto a nearby table. "Weiss, we should leave this to the owners. They can just throw these guys out—"

"Alright, Felicia. I got the mop and broom." The door to the kitchen opened, revealing another maid with light blue hair. "Try to be more—" Flora dropped the cleaning equipment upon seeing the sight in front of her. "What is going on? Why is everything such a mess?" The sister on the floor said nothing, looking away from her co-owner. "Felicia, stand up. Have some more pride in yourself. A couple of broken dishes is but a drop compared to what you have done." The girl in goth clothing kept laughing.

"And you." The elder sister glared at the laughing girl, forcing her to drop silence. "What is so funny about this? From the looks of it, you've been harassing one of the employees of the cafe, and one of the co-owners, no less. Do you understand what that means?" At that the four girls paled.

"What a minute," the dark-haired girl started. "You can't prove it was us that did it. We're paying customers, just like everyone else—"

Blake interrupted from there. "I think her last words were 'Guys, that was awesome! I can't believe that would work out so well!'" She gave me a sly wink. "Something tells me that you're not entirely innocent of this joke." Flora nodded her head at the testament before looking back at the four girls.

"Have any words to refute that?"

The girl in the frilly dress paled, giving Blake an evil eye. Her hands flew up. "Now, now. This is just a prank. It was a small joke. At the end of the day, nobody got hurt, we all had our laughs, there's a great story to tell back at home! There's no need to be so uptight about all of this."

"Whatever you did, you indirectly caused a decent amount of porcelain to be broken. Even if it is 'just a prank' as you say it is, I cannot and will not forgive the destruction of property and the humiliation of my sister." She lifted a finger towards the door. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like all four of you girls to leave. All of you are being detrimental to the cafe environment."

Three of the girls shrugged and started to make their way out. The girl in purple, however crossed her arms. "And what if we say no? I'll pay for the broken dishes, that's fine with me. Think of it as an apology—"

"And what if you decide to try something else? What if you decide to do something bigger that could endanger my clients and my employees? No, you must leave, Ms—"

"Darcy." She gave the owner a small curtsy. "Gwen Darcy."

"—Ms. Gwen. If you don't…" She lifted one end of her sleeve. I held in a gasp as I saw the sheer amount of throwing knives she hid within. "My sister and I can personally show you what one of our tasks as the maids of the Nohr family."

At that Gwen scoffed, crossing her arms. "Really? You think a bunch of knives can scare me? Although I have to admit, I like your style. I too favor throwing knives. I guess that makes you a personal bodyguard, or an assassin." Flora didn't flinch, instead mimicking the girl's action.

"Gwen, come on," the red-headed girl noted. "It's clear that the joke isn't funny to any of these guys, and it stopped being funny for me. Let's just leave before we cause any more trouble—"

"Octavia, do me a favor and stay quiet for a moment." Gwen gave the sister maids a smug grin. "I'm going to take them down a peg."

The blue-haired maid sighed. "I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this." She turned to the rest of the cafe. "Everyone, the cafe is closed until further notice! Get out while you still can!" With that everyone made their way out, leaving Flora, Felicia, Gwen, Blake, and I standing in the room. The rest of Gwen's team stayed right outside the door frame, watching us carefully. "Now that that's taken care of, let's deal with this problem." The elder sister pulled out a short throwing knife with an ice Dust tip. "I'm giving you one last warning. Get out now."

"Make me," the girl scoffed.

"Fine." Before I could even blink, the blade zipped towards Gwen, piercing through the air at lightning fast speeds. The girl in the frilly dress smirked, yanking out a blade of her own and flicking it at the flying object. The thrown objects collided with a clang, bouncing off each other and flying off into nowhere. Flora narrowed her eyes at the sight, but otherwise kept her neutral face.

"Intercepting a flying knife," the owner muttered. "Takes a lot of practice to do that. Even then, most people would just block or dodge it. The only people who know how to do that consistently are performers."

Gwen smiled. "You're not far off. The Darcy family pride ourselves with our skill in the performing arts. I suppose that means I can stay, right?" Flora slowly made a reach for her knives. "I guess that means no."

Blake and I gasped in surprise as a feminine figure appeared out of nowhere. Several long feathers sprouted from the figure's body, primarily covering her back. Despite looking fragile, the feathers remained firm, not swinging around as she zipped towards the maid. The bright blues and greens of the feathers reminded me of a peacock. The rest of the figure's appearance felt… gaudy, to say the least. A turquoise fitted top and a flowy beaded skirt were the only things covering up the figure. Her pale-purple skin shone under the building lights. A sultry smile remained fixed on her full, blue lips.

"Weiss…" Blake hissed at me as the figure brushed her fingers against Flora's knives before disappearing. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

I nodded. "Stand user." My mind raced. Whatever just happened in the store wasn't Gwen's Semblance; she was using a Stand! This is bad… We have to do something!

Before I could even move to open my mouth, Flora's hands flew into her sleeves, drawing out four knives in each hand. With a flick of her wrists, she made to throw them… except they failed to leave her hands. The blue-haired owner narrowed her eyebrows. "What?" She tried widening her fingers apart to release the knives, to little effect. "Why are my knives stuck to me?"

"What's wrong?" Gwen laughed as she pulled out a throwing knife of her own. She balanced it on one finger as she watched the girl in front of her struggle. "Having a case of the sticky fingers? I don't know what to say, but you need a person to pull that stick out of your butt. Hey, that's what entertainers do." Her Stand appeared behind her as she struck a pose. I shivered as I saw how far she bent her back up while leaning forwards. I'm sure that's not how the body works. A grin appeared on Gwen's face as she held the knife.

"So let me entertain you with the help of **「** _ **LADY MARMALADE.**_ **」** "

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 9/15/2017**

* * *

 **Nolan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 4**

I looked around the hallway. Nobody in sight. It's to be expected; after all, we've been released from class roughly an hour ago. Everybody should be away from this place and getting lunch. I know that's what my team's doing. If this goes well, this should be the perfect opportunity to sneak into the History professor's office and snatch some papers!

Two small wires appeared from the pocket inside my jacket: a tension wrench and a rake. Originally made from paper clips, they served me well back before Shade, helping me get sweets from the locked box of candy. A petty usage for lockpicks, but helpful nevertheless.

They sat unused during my time as a Huntsmen. After all, why would I need to break into something there? It's not like they withhold a lot of things from Huntsmen anyways. But it's nice to get back into the groove.

With that, I inserted the tools into the keyhole and started fumbling around. When I first learned how to do this, the guy who taught me compared lockpicking to pleasuring a woman. Keep applying pressure, but not too much, or it will refuse to open up. Reach deep into the hole and apply fast yet smooth movements. Take your time and make sure you hit all of the important places. With enough coaxing, you can get that satisfying climax.

… Now that I think about it, the guy's kinda messed up teaching a kid lockpicking with that kind of analogy. I felt the wrench twist as the lock made a loud click. A smile crawled across my face. But hey, as long as it works, who am I to judge? I pulled the door open, revealing the darkened classroom. How much time do I expect to have? I glanced at the clock. Looks like I'm leaning towards the tail end of the lunch period. I should finish this quickly.

I locked the door behind me before rushing towards the other end of the room, where another door stood between me and the answers I seek. Alright, one more to go. All I have to do is stick the rake into— There's no keyhole. I looked at the door again. Wait a minute, that can't be right. Is it possible that the professor doesn't—

The doorknob gave way easily the moment I turned it, allowing me full access to his room. Inside was just as messy as the classroom. Paper laid around haphazardly, and there's almost no sense of order in how everything is organized. It's like somebody drove a car into it. I felt a smile crawl across my face. I'm so close now. All I have to do is to go through the file cabinets, match the handwriting, then walk out like a free man!

But wait a minute. Something's off. Why would a professor not have a lock on his office door? It would make a lot of sense to have one, especially considering that he teaches at a school full of Huntsmen who would do anything to pass. There has to be a catch. There's gotta be some kind of security measure that would at least warn him that somebody broke in.

I leaned my head into the room. No cameras. I dropped down to the floor. If there are any tripwires, I don't see them. Huh. It makes no sense… what could he possibly do to secure the room? I stepped into the room. There's nothing but a mess in here. I snatched a piece of paper lying on the desk. He couldn't have some kind of photographic memory or anything… Wait a minute…

My eyes widened. Maybe he might not have a photographic memory, but he has something better than that. A photo. The whole room's a tripwire! Oh shoot, how was this placed before… I placed it back on the table and adjusted it as best as possible. While the mess could be due to the teacher's bad habits, there's a chance that he might have weaponized this fact. Most people don't think about the order of a mess; as a result, they just barge through. But if somebody took a picture before leaving and looked at it when they returned… they would know if someone entered!

Okay, now I gotta be really careful. I took more delicate steps this time, trying to avoid everything as best as possible. Before I touch anything, I have to memorize the order they were placed in. While I'm at that, I should make sure that there isn't any hard to reposition traps that could instantly blow my cover. Gods know how many times I've been yelled at by Branz because of that fact. I have to admit, this professor's a tricky one. Or maybe I'm being paranoid. But I'd like to stay at Shade and not get kicked out for academic dishonesty, thank you very much.

Before I knew it, I had a file cabinet open wide. Let's see… useless files, boring documents, confiscated items, the usual stuff. Where's the file for student work? I continued rummaging through the papers. Come on, it's gotta be here somewhere. Doesn't this guy organize anything? It's making it hard for him to know where he keeps everything, as well as others who might need to get it on his request— What's this? Essay Reports? I blinked before shrugging. Well, who knows? It could be handwritten.

Alright. Remember: between Archeological Sites and Unexplained Phenomena. With a single tug, the file came out. It's stupid that he would wedge essays between those two files. I shook my head. Not the time for it. Let's see what's inside, shall we? I flipped the cover open. Jackpot! The top one's written with pen! Skimming through the pile revealed that all of the papers were handwritten. I got it!

Now if there weren't hundreds to go through… I sighed as I checked the clock. Eight minutes until office hours start back up. This is going to be a pain in the rear.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Time for the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you rabidhandsquirrl! And don't worry, I do have some plans for Fox.**

 **Guest1: Fox became a user way before the events of the story. His purpose in the story is that one: he can serve as a mentor figure for the others and two: it introduces the idea that there exist Stand users before the current events. It does become important later on, so don't worry about that.**

 **mastergamer14: Yes, I did notice that most of the villains from Parts 3-6 are time-manipulators. While tradition does say I should ideally come up with a time-manipulation Stand, I also feel like moving towards that kind of fight is a bit predictable. Plus, I feel like a running theme I have is identity. Stand users struggle with their newfound powers, adapt to it, fight on to prevent the identity change of their world. Which happens to be the loss of civilization. Time worked as an ultimate power in most of the parts because the villain's arc focused on ambition that improves/maintains their status quo. Ambition to rule the world, to live a quiet life without repercussions, to control fate itself, to create a new world. None of them truly intend on throwing away the old system, which is what the villains here are doing. So I feel like there's a better option, but that will stay a secret.**

 **Concerning Zwei getting the Joker, I say that's an interesting thought. No comment on whether it happens or not. As for Hamon and the Stone Masks... let's just say that I do want to incorporate a version of Hamon into the story. No Stone Masks, though. It would make writing the story easier sure, but it compromises what I want to do with the story.**

 **BobofBob: That's true. I mean, having a straight up parasite as a Stand user is pretty out there, but JoJo has done some very weird stuff before. Sometimes I imagine the random fights that could happen from the "users meet other users" rule. Would be pretty funny. And yeah, Fox does have an ability that is just asking for crazy to happen. I like to think he's better than this after years of getting used to Stand fighting, but the potential is just there for Stand pranks.**

 **doa570047: Thank you doa570047! Well, I already explained how 3D items can go into 2D with Blake. Now whether people can enter/exit 2D with Blake is a matter I won't touch on right now. In terms of limitations, yeah that's what I generally think as well. Working with limitations is what makes any kind of battle interesting.**

 **And as for having Stand stats, I am reconsidering my position. I personally don't like Stand stats at the reveal, and I do believe that it's more fun having readers figure alongside the characters what an ability is. However, I am thinking about having Stand stats at the end of an arc/at the end of a battle. I'm currently leaning towards the former more since the latter would mean a ton of retroactive editing. But either way this arc is going to end real soon, and I promise that I'll make a decision on this by the next chapter.**

 **Guest2: I see what you mean by that. It should be impossible for the 2D Blake to perceive anything 3D with her eyes. But that's explained a bit in this chapter. Also, she can just stick a part of herself out so she could see properly. Dimension shifts are hard to describe, and I'm working on doing it to a level that feels more satisfying. Don't worry, I do hear you, and I'm working on it.**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you, greenscoop! And lucky that it's a misunderstanding that got fixed up before anybody really got hurt! It would be terrible if something like that happened between allies.**

 **Guest3: Thank you for telling me about the error: that's fixed now. But yeah, I would be interested in writing Ruby using Crescent Rose in tandem with her Stand. All of the combat potential of this is so exciting to think about!**

 **darkmist111: I'd say it affects the properties of a specific object at this point of time. Jaune has to be in contact with something in order to use his ability. And as for universal range stands, I'm sure there are some Stands that qualify and they'll come up soon.**

 **That's all of the reviews!** **PM me or leave a review on your thoughts on what you guys think about the introduction of Stand stats. Would you like them after every battle/after every arc/at the end of the story/never? I want to hear from you all before I make a decision on this. But until then, enjoy the rest of your day!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: September 15, 2017**_


	19. Lady Marmalade

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure! So I came to a decision, thanks to a suggestion by doa570047. I'm going to retroactively go back and add Stand descriptions at the end of the Stand fight they were introduced in. I already have the descriptions in my own personal notes, so it wouldn't be too hard to add them in. I won't do Stand stats proper until the end of the story. This is mainly because of my previously stated reasons and also adding the fact that my idea of doing it at the end of every arc would bloat the next chapter, which does have a retrospective. While it won't be a problem in the third arc (I have some general knowledge of where that arc is ending) I'm going to talk about a lot of stuff in Chapter 20. So there will be some kind of Stand stats; it'll just be in the end as a bonus.**

 **Also, I had a couple of guys on the Discord help me beta these fights! I'll thank them properly in their own section. But with that said, let's start the next chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Betas: Discordant & TedorAlive2 from The Qrow's Nest server.**_

* * *

My fingers combed through my ponytail as Blake and I watched the confrontation in front of us. Oh gods, there's a Stand user in front of us, and she's going to cause trouble for the owners. Blake and I have to do something to stop this right now! We can't let her get away no matter what. We can't let this person go free! I let out a hum. If I remember correctly, I texted Ruby our location. We don't need to win against Gwen here; we just need to hold out long enough for Ruby to help turn the tables. I balled my fists. Hopefully Blake can handle this girl without any problems.

A chuckle came from the enemy Stand user, bringing my attention back to the fight that's going to happen. "Oh, come on guys. Look. All I want to do is spread a little bit of fun and excitement to everyone." The performer waved her knife around. "Sometimes life gets a little drab, a little sad. We can't be serious all the time! So why not bring in a little happiness to the people I care for? Nothing wrong with that. Hell, I'll perform something for you as well." She pointed her knife at the confused girl. "Now your next words will be 'What did you do to me?' To you!"

"What did you do to me?" Flora's eyes widened as she let out a gasp. "What the— How did you do that? Are you a mind reader?"

"If you want to think of me as such, sure." Gwen shrugged as she let one of her hands drift towards her sheaths. "But before I can answer your question…" In the blink of an eye, a wall of knives whooshed through the air. A yelp escaped Flora's mouth as she dove to the side, scrunching up in the process as she slammed into a table. The blades missed, flying over the maid. "Ooh, good eye there. You have quick feet." **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** shot forwards, slapping the table Flora landed on before disappearing. "But now it's time to show you my real trick! Try lifting yourself from the table!"

Flora growled. "Don't test me, you—" Her scowl morphed into confusion. "What the— I can't get off!" She wiggled around, but she couldn't pull herself off. The maid twisted her head towards Gwen. "What did you do to me?" A squeak escaped my mouth. Wha— how? Just what is Gwen's Stand ability, to be able to do something like that?

The corner of Gwen's lips shot up. "Oh, a performer doesn't want to reveal her secrets. It takes out the 'oomph' of the actual act, making it look mundane. But, since you asked nicely, I'll do a little bit of a reveal." She started forwards. "Well, you see—"

Before the dancer could say anything else, the owner of F&F snapped her head to the side, ripping a piece of cloth off of her outfit. Moments later I let out a gasp as she twisted back, flinging a hidden knife right into Gwen's face. The turquoise and green Stand flickered into vision, flicking the shot away before disappearing. Without missing a beat the ballerina snapped towards her sheaths, a blur flying through the air in an instant and striking the stuck woman.

Flora gasped once the blade disintegrated. Ice crystals sprouted upon impact, encasing the maid. Only her head was left exposed to the air. She let out a shiver as the table tipped over and flopped onto the floor. The girl in purple let out a sigh. "Tricky. You'd be great in show business. Anyways, where was I? Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "That's right. I have a special ability that can make any surface sticky or slippery whenever I wish. So those knives stuck to your hand? All due to my powers. It's a… rather odd Semblance, so I rather call it a Mystique." She waved her hands in the air. "Eh? Sounds mysterious, doesn't it?"

As Gwen stood over the frozen Flora, a thought hit me. Where in the world are Felicia and Blake? I glanced around the area. What the— It's like they disappeared! Where did they go? Are they trying to plan something? I raised my hand to my chin. From the looks of it, they have to be planning some kind of ambush or something. But where could they be? They couldn't possibly get far, can they? Wait. I glanced at the cashier counter. A hand appeared from behind the front counter, adjusting a polished glass on one of the shelves before ducking back.

The ballerina's laugh caught my attention again. "So what do you think? Pretty impressive, don't you think?" She held her wrist up as if she was looking at the time. "I wished that this could've gone a lot longer, but I'm on a bit of a time crunch. You know how Huntress business is. Busy and all that. Don't worry about getting free. I think the ice Dust wear off within an hour or so. You might have to worry about hypothermia, but I think the weather should counteract that."

She stopped in place before narrowing her eyes. Her Stand appeared milliseconds later, punching away a knife flying her way. "Ooh, that was a close one," Gwen sighed as she readjusted her hair. "Almost got me there. So, behind the countertop, huh?" I heard Felicia let out a small meep, betraying her location. The girl in purple smiled, starting to walk towards the countertop. "Bingo."A hand shot out, ready to throw a handful of knives. Before Felicia could throw it, however, **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** zoomed towards the younger sister, slamming her face against the glass. "I made your face all sticky, so you won't be going anywhere."

"Phrasing," one of her teammates yelled out.

I squeezed my hands together. Why am I still standing here? Shouldn't I be going out and doing something about this? It doesn't feel right, standing here and watching this girl have their way with them and their store! Maybe I don't have a Stand, but I can grab something and distract her! But my body just won't move. Before Felicia could let out a sound, another knife smacked into her, encasing the other owner in ice as well. "I'm glad that you two managed to take a chill pill," the girl crowed. I let out a growl. That's it! I had enough of this girl! My hands wrapped around a plate. I'm going to put her in her place!

Gwen sent a glance my way as I took a step forwards. "Who in the world are you, and why are you still inside the—" Her eyes widened. "You're— Schnee!" Her serious stance disappeared as she fawned over me. "Oh wow, I've never thought I would meet up with a member of the Schnee family in real life! From the looks of it, you must be the Weiss Schnee! Oh my gods, this is like a dream come true! You are Weiss Schnee, right?"

My eyes widened in surprise as she took my hand, forcing me to drop the plate. I jumped as it shattered, the small fragments nicking my ankles. "Uhh, yes?"

The girl in purple had a shimmer in her eyes as she jerked my hand around. "Name's Gwen. I'm a big fan of yours! Loved your singing ever since they streamed your first concert in the Shade Operahouse! I don't know if this is awkward, but I love your soprano voice! I used to dance to your songs all the time! Still do! You're like a hero to me!" Her cheeks turned red as she looked away in embarrassment. "Oh gods, I don't know what to say! What are you doing here?"

I slipped my hand out of her grasp. "Thank you. It's… flattering to hear all that. As for the other question, I'm studying at Beacon. I live here."

Gwen shook her head. "No no, I meant what are you doing here, like in this cafe."

My lips pursed together. "I like eating here. It's new, they have great food that even my friends could afford, and the employees are nice." I let out a sigh. "And now it's ruined, all because of this bad excuse of a joke."

She paled at those words. "Oh, really? I didn't know that! I'm really, really sorry!" Her hands patted against her uniform, searching for something. "Look, I'm willing to pay for anything that broke! Yeah, this might've gone a bit too far, but this won't affect them in the slightest! The owners won't be losing anything at the end of the—"

"That's not the point, Gwen." At once the words stopped. From the corner of my eye I noticed a 2D picture of Blake crawling across the tiled floor, creeping up on the girl. "What about the fact that you made these two look unprofessional? Maybe you can give them back their dishes, but you can't give them back their reputation. They're a small store, and they need every good bit of publicity as possible. That's something you took away from them. Something that money can't fix here."

Her mouth opened and closed before she grabbed tufts of her own hair and let out a gasp. "I didn't think of it that way! That wasn't my intention, I swear—"

Blake jumped in as she saw the opportunity. She shot herself out of the ground and her **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** let out a hiss before throwing a punch towards the girl's head. **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** in an instant struck back, knocking the faunus girl to the side. Gwen let out a tsking sound, still not turning around. "Hey, do you mind? I was having a talk with one of my heroes, and you decided to try and smash my head in. On one hand, that's really rude, and you're next on the list of 'people I need to handle.'"

She turned around to look at my teammate. Gwen pursed her lips as she nodded in approval of… something. "On the other hand, you have the same abilities that I do. So let's introduce ourselves properly. Like proper duelers." The feathered Stand floated in front of her as she gave Blake a bow. "My name is Gwen Darcy, and this is my Mystique, **「** **LADY MARMALADE.** **」** "

Blake brought herself lower. "Alright. Meet **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS.** **」** And just to let you know, these are not called Mystiques. They're called Stands."

"Really?" Gwen raised one of her eyebrows. "Well, I guess 'Stand' does has a nice ring to it. I still like Mystique better. After all, it's a mystery to all but people like us, right?" She held her hands out in front of her. "Maybe we might have something exciting happen after all. I've never had to fight against someone who can see **「** **LADY MARMALADE.** **」** I'll give you the first move. I want to see what you can do."

"And you don't think I didn't notice that you used your Stand to sticky the ground in front of you?" Blake crossed her arms as her Stand snatched a couple of plates. The smirk on Gwen's face disappeared. "I guess I'm right, based on your reaction." The faunus girl turned to me. "Weiss, make sure that Ruby gets over here in time."

"Wait." Gwen's eyes widened. "Are you saying that you two—"

Her words were interrupted by a series of flying plates flying her way. The ballerina jumped onto a table, allowing the porcelain to whiz past her smash into the side of the wall. Gwen barely managed to get back up when Blake herself leaped onto another table. I could feel the sparks flying from their eyes as they stared each other down.

"Well, okay. If that's how you want to play it..." The ballerina brushed herself off, hooking one of her fingers through her knife while doing so. I thought for a moment I saw the turquoise Stand flicker in the air before disappearing. Before I knew it, another knife flew at Blake. Amber eyes widened as she threw herself onto the table, sending tableware tumbling to the ground. The knife itself smashed a glass lantern and ice crystals crackled along the walls. Ooh… That's not good.

"Wait, what?" I turned back to my teammate. The cat faunus' face had morphed into horror as she tried to push herself back up. Despite her best efforts, the white fabric stuck to her body, pinning her. The tablecloth! That's what Gwen's Stand was doing a little while ago! The purple clad girl gave off a smirk as **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** snatched a corner of the fabric.

"And off you go!" Blake let out a cry as she slid over the fabric, landing on the varnished sandalwood back first. And just like that, the cat faunus was stuck on tight again as Gwen's Stand tapped the exposed surface of the table. She bit her lip in a panic as she squirmed, shaking the table in her attempt to escape. The faunus girl's Stand appeared for a moment as she sunk into the ground. However, she still couldn't move from her spot, no matter what she tried to do. Oh no, this can't be happening— Right! I need to get Ruby now! We need help now!

I threw myself under a table, taking me out of the fight. In an instant, I'm typing up a message to Ruby. _Hurry up. Need help. Fending off User right now._ I only hope she'll come before this girl gets away. My head popped out from my hiding the second the message was sent. Gwen whistled as she walked over to Blake, running one of her fingers along the point. Amber eyes widened at the sight of her opponent gripping the knife and winding back for a blow.

In an instant, **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** reappeared, snatching a nearby chair and swinging it against the bottom of the table. I let out a gasp as the one of the table legs gave, sending the entire thing collapsing to the floor. The tablecloth fell over Blake, obscuring her from my view. Moments later, an ice crystal bloomed as it hit the now exposed bottom. Gwen tsked. "Missed that time. Oh well." She shrugged as she leaped off of her perch. "It's not like you can go anywhere anyways. It's not going to be hard to put you out of action."

A bit of saliva went down my throat as I swallowed. My eyes stayed glued to Gwen as she approached the table as she lifted up another dagger. "In fact, I'm going to get you right around now!" She stepped around the table, only to let out a gasp of confusion. "What? Where did she go?" The purple clad girl lowered her weapon, stepping where Blake was moments ago and turning towards me. I furrowed my eyebrows. Is it possible for Blake to escape the ability of **「** **LADY MARMALADE?** **」** How? A familiar pale hand gripping a porcelain plate slowly raised up behind her.

It came falling down, shattering the dish onto the ballerina's head. Her eyes squeezed shut as she stumbled to the side, revealing Blake breathing heavily. She tossed the broken dish to the side.

"Blake!" I gasped. "What in the— how did you get out? I thought it was impossible to escape the—"

"Semblance." Her Stand reappeared in front of her. "Turns out I can unstick myself by replacing myself with a shadow clone. I then merged with an unaffected part of the floor and snuck behind her that way."

"Ow," the girl responded, rubbing the place where Blake hit her. "Geez, that hit hard. You do know I could've gotten a concussion from that?" She lifted her hand and inspected it. "Argh, I think I might be bleeding a bit." She pulled back her Stand, taking care to take a couple of steps back. Violet light surrounded her, most likely her Aura knitting up her wounds. "Man, this is starting to get out of hand. If you don't mind, I'm going to be leaving—"

"Oh no you don't!" I held up my scroll, stopping the girl in her tracks. "You're going to have to make all of this up to the owners. We're going to get an official report by the Valean police, and for that to happen, you're going to stay right here. And gods forbid you if any of your teammates do anything! They're just as involved as you are!"

She rolled her eyes. "For the love of— the prank was all me! Okay? They had nothing to do with— all this." Gwen gestured to the messy state of the cafe. "I came up with it on the spot to cheer up a fellow teammate. Bad joke, I know, but you seriously want to get all of us into trouble for something I did on my own?"

"It depends." Blake crossed her arms. "Are you the team leader?"

"No. Why bother asking?"

I stepped forwards. "You do know that anything you do reflects on your team leader, and by extension, your team?"

"..." Her eyebrows furrowed before widening as she realized the implications. "Oh hell no! This is— What? No no no, I am not going to get NDGO arrested for a prank! No way! Seriously, I don't mind being detained for what I've done, but the rest of the girls? No! They didn't do anything! None of them deserve this kind of fate!" **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** reappeared, punching several dishes from nearby tables. Despite how ferocious the girl looked, not a single plate cracked. "I can't let that happen, no matter how bad my actions are!"

A sigh escaped my lips. "I'm sorry that we have to do this. Really, I do."

"Well, not if I have anything to say about it!" With a roar, **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** snatched a plate and threw it at Blake like a frisbee. Within an instant, Blake's Stand brought her hands up as she floated in front of her user, ready to smash the dish out of the air. Right as the cat Stand raised its hand, to our surprise the plate separated into multiple little fragments. Each piece fell through **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** and flew straight towards my teammate, each making shallow cuts on her skin. Despite the less than impressive damage, it did cause Blake to flinch and cover her eyes.

Another roar escaped the ballerina's Stand as it begun launching a torrent of dishes, all fracturing midair into crude yet sharp shards. I let out a scream as I flipped over a table, hiding behind it as the shrapnel reached me. My breaths became more erratic as I pressed my back against the table as tightly as possible. "Guys!" I heard Gwen yell at her teammates. "Get out of here! I'll catch up!"

"Gwen, you know we're not going to leave you," a girl in purple hair started. "Look, we've been staying out of your way to avoid your Mystique. But it's clear doing it your way isn't going to work. Everybody thinks this is a waste of time for something so stupid. Seriously, we can still talk through this in a calm and rational manner—"

"They're going to kick us out of the Vytal Festival and ship us back to Shade, back to Professor Sierra!"

"Aaand we're going!" The person I assumed to be the leader of the group snatched the wrists of her fellow teammates. "Come on Octavia, Dew! Let's split before the popo get us!" With those words they dashed away from the store. I grinded my teeth. Should I let them go and focus on Gwen? Or should I go after them, leaving Blake to fend off **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** by herself?

… Let them go. I'm sure we can find them later. I don't think any of them are Stand users anyways. What's important is that we stop the Stand user in front of us. But how are we going to do that? Only Blake has a chance to stop Gwen! I can't even bring out my Stand yet! How am I going to win against—

No wait… I bit my lip in frustration. Didn't Ruby say something about how Stand users aren't protected by Aura? My eyes flew to a shard of porcelain that landed near me to my left. It was surprisingly big, being around the span of my hand. It sounded like Gwen stopped throwing all of the dishes. If I can grab that shard and sneak up behind her… All it takes is one hit to the back to—

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard two solid things smack together, followed by Blake letting out a grunt. What in the—? One peek from the right side of the table revealed the cat faunus sliding backwards. Her hands waved through the air, trying to grasp at something, but everything she touched slipped out of her hands. Before we knew it, she crashed into a nearby table back-first, knocking her forwards onto the ground. I raised my eyebrows. What did Gwen do? My eyes narrowed. And what is that skidding sound?

I glanced right above the table that served as my cover. Gwen had her arms crossed, with one of her hands filled to the brim with knives. A wide grin grew on her face as the table she stood on slid towards me at near breakneck speeds. I let out a large gasp, stepping back as she gave me a small wave. "Special delivery, Weiss! This is the Darcy Express, bringing you a special order of butt whooping and a bit of time on ice!"

"Oh for—" My body threw itself out of the way right before the two tables collided, sending splinters of wood all over the place. All I did was cover my head and face as I rolled away from the impact site. Well, there goes that plan. This would've been so much easier if I decided to bring Myrtenaster. At least I could fight against Gwen with that. But there's nothing I can do about it now. I'll just get up, hide again, and form another plan. Alright, that will work—

All of a sudden I felt myself stop rolling. I let out a choking noise as my clothing arrested my momentum. What?! What happened? My hands flew away from my face to see the ballerina Huntress walking towards me. Fear started blossoming in my chest as the realization hit me. She figured out that she wasn't going to win against Blake, knowing that my teammate knows how to escape from her grasp. No, now she's going after me, the person who can't get out! I started squirming, testing my bond to the ground. It's no good. I'm good as stuck. It took all of my willpower not to slam my head down in defeat. The last thing I need is to have my head stuck as well.

 **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** popped her chest outwards as Gwen approached me. "I'm sorry for doing this, Weiss." She raised the hand with all of the knives. "I still admire you and all that, but you know how it is. I have to take care of my teammates. No hard feelings?" I didn't say a word. "I'll go with yes for that one."

The sounds of clothing rustling caught my attention. I looked over to my left to see Blake still trying to use her Semblance to bring herself back up. She finally managed to grab one of the tables still up, but the slick floor below her was preventing her from getting back up. I don't think she's going to make it in time to help me out. I let out a sigh, before trying one last tug. I'm not going to sit here and let her encase me in ice! No! I have too much pride for that! I'm going to get knocked out struggling!

Gwen flung the knives down at me at the sight of me trying to pull myself out. I ignored my impending doom as I tried to pull myself out of my prison. Come on! My clothes held me down as I pulled again. Come on! Still nothing happened with my next tug. The blades were coming dangerously close to me. Come on, I'm not going to freeze here!

I pulled at my restraints one final time. This time there was a weird sensation. Not with my body, but inside my chest. The best way I can describe the feeling is like how emotions pull at the heartstrings if that even makes sense. It felt weird, yet it felt right. Is this the feeling Ruby described to me? The one needed to summon a—

A split second later, a humanoid figure appeared out from nowhere, punching away the knives coming at me. Gwen's eyes widened at the sight. She took a couple steps back, bringing the turquoise Stand in front of her. "What? How in the— You're a Mystique user as well?"

"It's Stand user," Blake called out from her position, but I ignored the girl. My mouth dropped open as the figure floated in front of me. The first thing I noticed is the rugged outfit the Stand was wearing. It wore a baggy, frontier-esque uniform, obscuring the fact of whether or not this figure is male or female. It didn't help that the scarf-like apparel obscured its face. Only haunting, shiny blue eyes can be seen on its face. However, the outfit looked well maintained, almost as if custom tailored for a king. A large crystalline saber hung from the left side of the figure's waist. The figure tipped their wide brimmed hat at me before crossing their arms.

"So this is my Stand?" I asked as I stared at the figure. "After all of this time… it finally appears when I need it the most." I swallowed a bit of my saliva. "I feel like I have the perfect name for it… **「** **I.D.I. TIME.** **」** 'Like a wound up clock, it rings when it's needed.'" Something felt appropriate about giving the Stand that name. It fit the Stand in front of me like a glove. My hopes started to soar. Maybe with this Stand, I can finally unstick myself from the floor! But wait a minute… I don't know what the ability of **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** is. I'm not moving anywhere if I can't even figure out how to use the Stand!

My Stand let out a whistling sound, similar to how wind moves through a cave before yanking the saber out from its sheath. The blade itself was finely crafted, a beautiful combination of both traditional Dust infused steel and silver overlays. What interested me was the fact that the edge of the blade was pure Dust, as in it was made out of an actual Dust crystal that was sharpened. I gawked at the sight. The biggest Dust crystal out there is maybe half a meter long. I'm staring at a meter long Dust blade being held in the hands of **「** **I.D.I. TIME!** **」**

With that the spirit turned towards me and raised its sword up. Wait, that's not right! "What?" I yelled. "What are you doing?! You're not supposed to attack me! Go after her!" I made an attempt to point at Gwen, only to find out that my arms are still stuck to the floor. Oh, that's just wonderful! I get to be killed by my own Stand! Blake let out a cry as the blade started falling towards me. I slammed my eyes shut, hoping for a quick and merciful—

I lost my train of thought as I felt myself be elevated from the ground. Okay, now I'm really confused. What is going on? I opened my eyes. My Stand's saber was slammed onto the ground. Dust crystals the size of my head sprouted from the place where it sliced the ground. From the looks of it, it was the orange variant. It's stabilization Dust: the kind used in Dust infused steel and mechanical parts for mechashift platforms. I lifted my arm to rub my forehead. I don't understand a thing that's going—

Wait. Did I just—? I lifted my hand away from my face. I'm unstuck! Wha— How—? I pulled myself up. The patch of Dust I sat on took on the rough shape of my silhouette. So many questions bounced around in my head as I stared at the humanoid patch. How could a patch of Dust take on that form? How did it cancel out the effects of **「** **LADY MARMALADE?** **」** Why is it stabilization Dust I'm sitting on right now?

A low whistling sound escaped from my rugged Stand again as it slid its blade back into its sheath. My eyes widened. Is this the effect of my Stand? The power of **「** **I.D.I. TIME,** **」** my power, is the ability to create Dust crystals anywhere I want? And all of that comes from that saber resting on my Stand's side? … I rubbed my head in confusion. I'm not sure how this is supposed to work.

I glanced up to see the ballerina still standing, keeping a wary gaze at the two of us. But I can figure that out later. It just works, that's the explanation I'm going with until the fight's over. It's not going to matter if we get trapped here. With that I pushed myself up to a standing position. Now that the fight is me and Blake vs. Gwen, we can turn the tables around and stop everything— why can't I move my legs? I tried lifting one of my feet up, only to have it remain rooted in place.

Did my Stand miss my feet? The frontier Stand drew its blade and made a slice right in front of my toes. Purple gravity Dust appeared this time, growing all around my feet and calves. Not a single crystal formed under my feet. A sweatdrop started rolling down my forehead. Oh no… I'm still stuck! I'm not going anywhere! Why in the world can't I form Dust crystals under my feet?!

Gwen, who was staying back before, perked up the moment we realized that I'm still stuck to the ground. She let out a relieved laugh. "Oh my gods… I thought for a moment that I was a goner now that you managed to find your Mystique." She ignored the correction from Blake, who was trying to pull herself onto the table without slipping back down. "It would've been a nightmare for me if both of you two can ignore my ability. But your Mystique can't free you from **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** and her sticky ability!"

 **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** lunged towards the girl, sword in hand, only to slow down roughly five meters away from me. She continued: "And from the looks of it, your Mystique is only effective when it's close to you. I guess that means I still win. You can't move or get me, catgirl over there is still playing around in my slip and slide. I'd rather freeze everybody, but two out of four isn't that bad, right?"

"One-half is a terrible ratio," I muttered.

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "As long as I make my escape." She turned over to the door, which has since been long abandoned by the former patrons and started towards it. "Don't worry, the abilities of **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** will fade away a couple of minutes after I get out of range." She gave us a wave. "I'll send a check in the mail to cover for the destruction."

I bit my lip. Come on, we can't let her get away! I mean, we can probably catch her back at Beacon and force her to confess, but what about the cafe? Their reputation would be ruined because of this! There's no way we can let Gwen get away!

But what can we do? Blake's in no position to go anywhere right now, and my boots are stuck to the floor! We both can't cut her off, not unless one of us escapes. But how are we going to do that? I rubbed my scar. Okay Weiss, calm down. Think through this carefully. There's got to be a loophole in Gwen's power. While I am stuck to the floor through my boots, maybe…!

Wait, is it possible that—? I wiggled my toes and shifted my feet a bit. Despite the near perfect fit, no doubt due to a tailor's careful eye, there is still a little give. A bit of hope bloomed from my chest. Hmm… that might actually work. My eyes flew over to Gwen, checking to see if she's looking before leaning down and starting to undo my shoes. With every lace undone, I felt the grip on my feet slacken until I found myself free. I stepped on the tops of the boots and gazed at the area around.

It's true that I might be free now. But this is still going to mean nothing if I can't figure out one thing: what did **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** already touch? I'm only in socks, so I still have another chance, but Gwen will catch on to my antics and try something. Sweat started streaming down my face as I looked at the tables still standing. It feels like standing in a minefield. One step in the wrong direction and it's over for me. Come on, there's got to be a way to move around without worrying about stepping in the wrong place.

A thought hit me. Wait a moment, wasn't I standing in the middle of a patch of gravity Dust? I looked down. The purple crystals are still there. I smiled as the pieces came together. My Stand floated back over to me, snagging a metal tray before handing it over. Whew! It wasn't sticky, thank goodness. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** pulled out the saber again, but held it so that the blunt end of the weapon was facing away from the Stand. This was going to hurt.

"Now!" My Stand swung its sword at the pile of Dust the second I leaped and tucked myself under the metal tray. A yelp escaped my mouth a second later as the Dust exploded, launching me towards the fleeing girl.

Gwen turned around in surprise. "What?!" The girl dived out of the way, allowing me to soar over her head. But that wasn't my goal. My Stand zipped over to the open doorframe before forming a crystal Dust barrier in front of it. Her face twisted from confusion to anger. I gave her a smirk. Now there's no way for you to escape, Gwen. You're stuck in here with us until our backup arrives.

Seconds later I smashed into a wall, knocking all of the air and smugness out of me. Another cry escaped my mouth as the porcelain shards from earlier cut me as I landed. Ooh… ow. I look a look at myself. Most of the cuts were superficial, similar to how a kid scrapes themselves while playing in a courtyard. However, I felt bigger spikes of pain radiating from my back. Some pieces probably entered me when I landed.

My breathing started becoming ragged as I pulled **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** back. Almost immediately, white Aura started surrounding my cuts. I winced the shrapnel stuck in my back started exiting my body. Ah! Geez, that did not feel good. Ruby didn't say anything about this hurting as my wounds are being healed!

The ballerina in the meantime walked over to me, **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** out and ready to fight me. Okay, I trapped the girl inside this store. Now I just have to get Blake back into the fight somehow. Together we can probably stop Gwen. But first I have to get past her Stand. For one thing, it's fast. Fast enough to touch something and activate its ability without us noticing. I wonder if my glyphs can outspeed her Stand?

Gwen let out a long sigh, shaking her head at me. "I can't believe this… why do you have to make this difficult?" She pulled out two knives and threw them at me. Both of them missed me by a hair, but I had to jump back to avoid the ice formations sprouting out. My mind raced while I kept backing away from her throws. She's missing a lot more tosses than usual. I know that she's more accurate than that; after all, her preferred weapons are thrown. There's no way that these misses are accidental. What is she planning?

My unspoken question would be answered quickly as I felt something solid press against my back. I felt my heart accelerate as I watched her pull out even more knives. She's backing me into a corner! Once that's done, there's no way she could miss with the knife! Gwen was leading me on from the start!

I swallowed as the ice froze all around me, cutting off my escape routes. There's no time left! I have to think of some way out! Otherwise, we're going to lose! Come on, what to do, what to do… My eyes flew towards the girl. Moments later **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** shot forwards, swinging their fists at the girl with wild abandon. **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** met my Stand, locking themselves in a full on brawl. Thousands of fists flew at the other person as Gwen and I faced off against each other. Come on! My eyes roamed around the room. I have to get out somehow!

All of a sudden I felt a sudden spike of pain in my stomach. I glanced back at the fight to see the fist of **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** embedded in my Stand's stomach. Saliva flew out of my mouth with a cough as I crumpled to the ground. Gwen's Stand threw another punch at my Stand's face. A shot of blood sprayed out of my nose in turn. Ugh… My Stand then drew its sword and swung at the turquoise spirit. My efforts were in vain when **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** beat the sword out of the hand of **「** **I.D.I. TIME,** **」** sending the weapon careening away. A streak of white Dust sprouted on the floor and various other objects.

Before I could react and dive after the sword, **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** stomped on the rugged Stand, pinning both **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** and myself to the ground. I heard Blake cry out as she redoubled her efforts to escape her slippery prison. I spat out a glob of blood out from my mouth. How much can I move? I tried rolling out of the way, only to find myself stuck to the ground. No! This can't be happening!

Gwen stood over me, her face a mix of anger and regret as she pulled one of her last knives out. "Remove the barrier from the front door. I'm done fighting against you."

"Not until you go to the police and take responsibility for this," I spat out. My mind started spinning. Is this it? Should I just pull my Stand back and hope that hypothermia won't wreck my body too bad? I pored through every idea that bounced through my head. How can I get out of this, how can I get out—

She frowned. "I can't." The two of us were silent as we considered one another. "So I guess this is it, huh?"

My eyes lit up as I focused on the white Dust on the ground. Wait a moment… this must be Concussive Dust, if I remember correctly. When activated, it sends out a shockwave that knocks people back. Huntsmen would use the substance in flashbangs all the time due to their non-lethal properties. That just might be my way out of here. If only there was a way to activate the Dust though. The Dust sword is currently out of range, and I don't know how stable the crystals are. Maybe a Dust explosion can activate it. But the only source of powdered Dust is Gwen's knives!

Wait a minute… why don't I just take it? **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** immediately threw a chop at **「** **LADY MARMALADE,** **」** pushing the turquoise Stand off of it. I felt the strange weight lift off of my chest as I was freed from her grasp. Gwen grunted as she fell to the ground, dropping the knife. I only have one shot at this. I can't let that knife use up its Dust reserves on the ground! My Stand swiped the weapon out of the air. It dived towards the Dust streak. There's no way to guarantee that she didn't sticky the weapon in her hands. But I don't think that matters.

The ballerina's eyes widened as I recalled my Stand, allowing the weapon to drop towards the Dust crystals. "No!" she screamed as she tried to dive towards the object. As for me, I crawled into a ball, covered my ears, and braced myself for impact. I shut my eyes a second before the tip of the knife touched the Concussive Dust.

Then a deafening sound blew out my ear drums, sending me flying into a wall.

* * *

"Ruby, what's the rush?" Yang asked as she tried to keep up with me. "What could possibly happen that would force you to rush—"

"Something's going on with Blake and Weiss." I kept walking forward. "They sent me a text for help, and we gotta get over there before the situation gets worse!"

"What?! Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"Well, every second we spend talking is a second where Blake and Weiss could get hurt! I was going to tell you while we're on our way to the cafe, but it slipped my mind! Now we gotta—"

An explosion cut my words short, forcing everyone around us to duck in panic. Our eyes widened. I widened my stance. "It's coming from the direction of the cafe! I'll run in first, and you can catch up!"

"No, Ruby!" Yang grabbed my wrist. "You can't— I mean, you're going to need backup! Somebody who's willing to set off an explosion isn't someone you should take on alone. In fact, look." She pointed at a motorcycle nearby us. "We can take that bike and get there together. It's going to be easier to fight off whoever's attacking Weiss and Blake if I can help you right away!"

I narrowed my eyes as lilac eyes pleaded with me. Should I get Yang into this Stand mess? If I bring her with me, she could potentially be used as a hostage to whatever ability the enemy Stand user has. Then again, don't Stand users take damage from everything? If I convince Yang to use bean bags, she could take down the user quickly. Why does everything have to be so complicated?

My head scratched my head. "I mean, that makes some sense. But you can hotwire a motorcycle? How?"

Yang gave me a big grin. "I never thought you would ask." She went over to the vehicle and pulled out what looked like a copper wire exposed at the ends. "I originally learned this method just in case I forgot the keys to Bumblebee, but I'm sure the same methods apply to this bike. Find the connection for all of the ignition wires, unplug them, stick this copper wire into the little ports…" She hummed to herself as she did this task, looking at the dashboard. "Okay, not those two ports, and voila! The lights are on!"

I stepped forwards and looked at the dashboard. Sure enough, all of the lights flashed on. My sister continued: "Now to find the ignition switch. There's no button on the handles. Maybe this is a kick ignition?" She glanced at the side. "Aha! There you are, you little rascal!" She set a little lever in place. "Now let's start this baby up!"

Before I could say anything, Yang stomped on the ignition, causing the bike to roar in fury. The headlights flickered on as the bike shook with the engine. Yang lifted her head with pride, brushing her hair back. "Ah, that's a beautiful sound." She slipped onto the dark motorcycle before slapping the seat behind her. "Come on, Ruby. Get on. We have no time to check for helmets, so we're going to be driving dirty. At least there's a backing so you won't fall off."

"Hey! What are you doing with my bike?!" We turned to see a small group step out of a nearby restaurant. Most of them were wearing leather jackets and tight cotton undershirts. I swallowed. I've heard of a series of Huntsmen that travel in some sort of a biker gang. I forgot the name, but it had to do with some afterlife deity or something like that. Did… did we just steal a bike from them?

"You heard me! Get off my bike!" One guy wearing a pale green mohawk stepped forwards. Now that I think about it… Doesn't the guy look a bit like Russel from CRDL? Yeah, he does! The guy is like Russel if he was taller and had facial hair! He pulled out a revolver and cocked it. "No more warnings. Get off by the time I count to three, or I'll fire. One…"

"Ruby, get on the bike!" She started revving the engine. No time to think about that! I gotta get to Weiss and Blake!

She sped away the moment I leaped into the back site, earning a groan out of the Russel lookalike. "Aw, come on!" We ducked as a series of bullets flew towards the bike, each missing us as Yang weaved through traffic.

"I'm sorry about the bike!" I yelled as we sped away. "We'll return it to you!" If he could hear my promise, he didn't look happy about it, reloading his weapon as the rest of his posse got on their bikes.

"Whew! That was close," Yang laughed as we continued onwards.

"No, not really." I turned back towards my sister. "They're coming after us."

"They are?" She shrugged. "Well, I guess we should hurry and save Weiss and Blake before they catch us." I nodded, swallowing as we made our way to the location of the cafe.

* * *

My eyes flickered open as I pulled myself out from the few bits of glass and porcelain on me. The ringing in my ears was already fading away. I combed through my ponytail. Did I do it? Did the Concussive Dust do its job? A bit of movement caught my attention. I glanced over to see Gwen dragging herself back up to her feet. She didn't look too great. Several shards of glass and porcelain had sunk deep into her. She was bleeding profusely everywhere. Well, it's a good thing that I called my Stand back. That could've been me if I stabbed the knife into the Dust vein. But she's not pulling **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** back. Is she going to be okay?

She coughed out a blood, spraying it over the floor as she stared at me. "Please… just let me go." Brown eyes stared into mine. "Please. I already know that I'm in the wrong. Just this once, let me go free." I swallowed as my Stand picked its sword back up. What should I do? On one hand, she has to fix what she's done to this whole entire store. She admitted it herself, she's the one who messed up.

But then again… we all did. I looked around. This place was completely trashed now from the explosion. There isn't a single thing still standing. Yeah, it might be Gwen's fault that Felicia was embarrassed, but Blake and I destroyed the place trying to bring her to justice. If Gwen has to stay to face the consequences of her actions… Blake and I have to as well.

"You're not leaving." I raised myself up to stand a little taller. "I'm not leaving, either. We're both going to stay here and face the consequences of our actions."

The ballerina shook her head. "That's not enough." Before I could blink, **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** zipped over and dragged her hand across the floor, ending by touching my feet. Almost immediately after that, Gwen threw herself onto one of the chairs, sliding away from me. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** tried to swing at the turquoise Stand, only for the sword swing to miss as **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** was dragged along with its user.

I growled. She's getting away! And I'm out of range as well! I tried running towards her before I realized that my socks were stuck to the ground. Of course she managed to stick my feet to the floor!

Gwen threw herself off of the chair the moment it stopped. Her Stand snatched the chair up and smashed it into the wall, forcing it to stick there. She leaped onto it a second later, making gasping noises as she pulled herself up. My heart nearly stopped. She's trying to get out through the clerestory window! I gawked at the girl as her Stand slammed another chair into the wall, forming stepping stones towards the opening close to the ceiling. She really doesn't want to get caught, does she?

What in the world can I do to stop her? She's out of my Stand's range, her Stand is protecting her from long range shots, I can't move forwards. Gwen's going to get out at this rate!

Before we both knew what was going on, a fist appeared out from behind a painting, smashing her in the face and knocking her off of her perch. **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** finally disappeared the moment she landed on the ground. With that, the chairs stuck to the wall fell down. I lifted one of my legs. I'm free! But how?

"That was close." Blake pulled herself out from behind the painting before reforming back to her normal self. "It's a good thing I happened to be there when she woke back up."

"Blake?" I asked. "You're free from the slippery part of the cafe? But how?"

"Your explosion." She pointed at the area where the Concussive Dust used to be. "The moment I saw white Dust sprout out from your Stand's sword, I gave up pulling myself back upright and let myself get launched into a wall. From there I used my Stand ability and snuck over here. I was planning to just restrain her, but she woke up early."

I dropped myself to a seated position. Yeah, Blake's right. That was way too close of a call. And just to apprehend one prankster… the rest of her team left before we could do anything. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** called back the crystal that blockaded the door before fading away.

"So, what should we do now?" I asked.

The faunus girl shrugged. "Maybe we should get Flora and Felicia out of their ice prison and explain everything."

I nodded. "That seems like a good idea." I stood up. "Let's get them out."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 9/29/2017**

* * *

 **Nolan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 5**

"No." I flipped the page over, going onto the next one for comparison. "No." A sweat drop started moving down the side of my face. How many minutes has passed? Was it six minutes? Four? I'm trying to do this as fast as I can, but it doesn't seem like I'm going to find our mystery person in time! Come on, where the hell is this chick's work? Everybody's forced to do this, so she has to be somewhere. Seriously, did she happened to skip out on this one particular test due to the flu or something—

My hand flipped over the next page. Wait a minute… this handwriting looks familiar… Could this be? I glanced at the picture on my scroll and looked at the paper in my hand. The essay was written in small handwriting like in the letter. They both share very carefully made lines to the point of being delicate. The markings on the written essay have light pressure, similar to how I remember it on the letter. Loopy letters, wide spacing. The handwriting on this person is basically identical to the one on the letter.

There's only one thing left to check. **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** crawled behind me. "Belfry, check the scent of this." I lifted the page to its nose. Zesty citrus, cedar, and lavender, that soft yet sweet fond smell. That's it! I found it! And the mystery person is… Octavia Ember? I scratched my head. That name's really familiar… where did I hear it from?

I snapped my fingers a couple of times as I let my mind run wild. Octavia… I feel like I met her before. But where? Where would I—

Something clicked in my mind. Wait a minute, wait a minute… isn't Octavia from Shade like us? Yeah, that's right! She is from Shade! She's part of team… NDGO. She's the shy redhead, I think. But did she send it all the way from Vacuo? I thought that her team wasn't coming until later due to some kind of stomach flu. And besides, why would she send a letter across Sanus when we have scrolls?

Well, it's not my place to ask. A grin crawled up my face as I snapped a picture of the paper before putting everything away. And just like that, I figured out the answer. I'm going to laugh in all of my team's faces once they find out that they've lost the bet. I pocketed the scroll. Now all I have to do is sneak out of here before the teacher who teaches here comes back—

Goosebumps crawled down my back when I heard the jingling of keys. A gruff voice spoke outside the door. "While I'm honored that you wanted to order dinner for the two of us, I have to decline Bart. I'm taking my own wife out tonight. We don't get to go out that often, considering her job shipping Dust by train. It's hard on both of us that we chose dangerous professions, although it's more bad timing on her part. We have to enjoy the time we can spend together."

"That makes a lot of sense, Peter. I'm married to my work, but I can definitely understand the sentiment." My heart pounded in my chest as I heard the doorknob start to rustle. "Well, the doorknob's stuck again," one of the teachers groaned. Oh gods, they're going to catch me in here! Shoot, what do I do, what do I—! That's it!

I leaped on top of my Stand, causing it to shake in discomfort. "I'm sorry about this, Belfry." I wrapped my arms and legs around its stomach. "But I need you to get on the ceiling right now." It shook its head before starting its climb up the wall. I had to suppress a yelp as I felt myself slide on the scaly skin. Ow, that's prickly! Okay, shut up for a moment Nolan. You just have to hold on long enough for the teachers to pass, then we can just slip out without anyone noticing. This should be—

We managed to get on the ceiling just before the door opened, revealing a man with glasses and green hair alongside a fat muschased man. The unkempt man continued: "I should just buy a new door and install it myself. But let's get back to the original topic. I was planning on asking you about some help on geography, considering how you used to survey the lands past Mountain Glenn, but I guess we can schedule this for later—"

"Oh no, we can have this talk now, Bart. The students are off early to train, remember?"

"... That's right! Ah, it's my airheadedness again." The green-haired teacher adjusted his glasses. "I can never get used to this schedule. It was way easier while other Kingdoms were hosting. All we had to worry about were the missions Ozpin would put on us. But now there's way too much downtime watching the rest of the students."

"Well, the shoe's on the other foot now, huh?" They both let out a laugh. "I can never get used to this empty moment. You would think teachers like us would never have to stop working ever?

"That's true. There's way too much free time. It's a good thing I had this little side project about finding this artifact." They walked over to the desk, where Bart grabbed a thermos and took a long sip from it. "Ah, that hits the spot. Did I ever tell you about my search?"

"You mentioned it, but we've never had a conversation about it."

"Right. Surprisingly enough, Mr. Arc was the one to bring up the fact. I never expected a boy like him to have such an interest in archeology. But anyways, I've been trying to pinpoint any locations where Mistral has an influence on the continent in Sanus. Despite all of the research done, I can't find any records of any previous Mistralian settlement receiving a shipment of any priceless artifacts." I felt my palms start to feel sweaty. Can I move without getting caught? I can't exactly leave now. All it takes for me to get caught is for one of them to look up and then it's over for me.

Bart continued: "So I was thinking that if there were any shipments, they must either be intercepted by bandits or the trade routes they went on were destroyed by Grimm. You've been in the area, can you give me some insight?"

The portly professor let out a hum while he stroked his mustache. "Well, most bandits in the Mistralian and Valean settling zone were pro-Vale. So anything they take will eventually end back in Vale. It can't be that. So it had to be obtained from a caravan who was attacked by Grimm. The sad part is I can't give you much besides that. There were a lot of paths created on a whim, so it's difficult to know just how many were opened up, not without more surveying. Plus, there's all of the negativity remaining from the settlement disagreements. We're not going to figure out what shipment this artifact came in."

The sound of a scroll ringing interrupted them. "Sorry about that Bart, that might be the missus. Hello? Oh, Ozpin, I didn't expect— What?! I'll be over there immediately." He snapped the electronic shut. "We have to go. Explosion in the city."

"Another terrorist attack? We should hurry." The two teachers left without another word. I held my breath for a couple more seconds before dropping from the ceiling. Whew. Lucked out that time. But now I gotta get out of here. My mind was a blur was I left the classroom. An attack on the city? Did it have to do with the Stands? Was this what Ruby was talking about in their search?

"Nolan!" I looked up to see the rest of my team standing in front of me. When did they get there? Branz had his hand on his face. "Good gods, we were looking for you. What the hell are you doing right here?"

"Not important. But here's the thing. I figured out our mystery person."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The person who's sending the letters. It's not anybody at the school. It's—"

"Holy— This that team BRNZ?"

What in the—? I turned around to see three members of team NDGO standing behind me. Octavia's eyes widened as they flew over to May before darting somewhere else. I can't believe it… NDGO was here all along? My eyes narrowed.

"Okay, guys. We're going to need to talk this out."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 _ **Stand Descriptions:**_

 **「LADY MARMALADE」- User is able to change the amount of friction exerted on a surface, making surfaces sticky or slippery in the process. She can modify the extent of how sticky/slippery a surface is. She is able to touch surfaces she used her Stand on without any negative effects.**

 **「I.D.I. TIME」- User is able to form veins of Dust of varying amounts, quality and type with the swing of the saber. The Dust cannot be mined: any kind of disturbance will set it off with the exception of Stability Dust. Said Dust cannot form on living beings. In addition, Weiss cannot stand on the Dust or form it under her feet.**

* * *

 ** _Song References:_ Gwen Darcy's 「LADY MARMALADE」was inspired by Patti LeBelle's Lady Marmalade. Now, I know there's the more popular version covered by Christina Aguilera, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll go with the original one. It's a contemporary R &B song originally released in 1974. Now, I chose this song because of the lyrics. It's mainly about a prostitute going about her profession. An "entertainer" of sorts. But I'm not implying Gwen is sexually promiscuous. It's more about the wiliness of those working such a profession. The ladies of the night have to be slippery enough to nab a deal from anyone and stingy/persistently sticky enough to get their money from said customers; that's where Gwen's powers take inspiration from.**

 **Weiss Schnee's 「I.D.I. TIME」was inspired by Imagine Dragons' It's Time. It's an alternative/indie rock song released in 2012. Well, originally Weiss' Stand would've just been Imagine Dragons. But as I was writing this chapter I realized I had a plot thread where Weiss couldn't summon her Stand. So I thought, maybe I could use an Imagine Dragons song to represent that. And I Think It's Time does a great job with that. It's a song about new starts and moving past their own beginnings to something new. It fit her arc well, so I went with it. But why use I.D.I. Time instead of I.T.I. Time? I like the flow of I.D.I. Time better.**

* * *

 **Retrospective next update talking about the writing process for Down Under and Lady Marmalade, and also about the second arc in general. Yeah, wasn't kidding when I said I'll be talking a lot. There's like three different subjects to talk about compared to around one in the previous retrospectives. But time for the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **Guest: I mean, your guess was pretty close. But I guess I can see how Lady Marmalade is similar to Sticky Fingers. Oh... I see what you did there. Gotcha.**

 **mastergamer14: I'll reference it, that's about all. In fact, I tried to pull off a Spin reference in the chapter where JNPR goes to the arcade. Granted, it's more mechanical than the actual ability, but I guess you can say Nora's a Spin user now. But again in all seriousness, no Spin.**

 **For my opinion on The World Over Heaven, I consider it a terribly written ability. The scene where DIO fights Jotaro feels like a rehash of The World battle, but with Jolyne by his side. However, The World worked because even when Jotaro discovered he can stop time, he was still at a disadvantage. The fight was interesting because Jotaro had to figure out a new ability while fighting someone experienced with time stop. It had a sense of urgency, and when Jotaro outsmarts DIO it feels satisfying. The World Over Heaven felt cheap because gameplay wise not much changed from the fight with The World, and how DIO was defeated felt cheap. It didn't feel like Jotaro outsmarted DIO. Jotaro just had the right thing and the right knowledge at the same time, which is Joseph levels of BS. And only my man Joseph can do this kind of stuff.**

 **Overall, I just think The World Over Heaven doesn't integrate well with JoJo's canon. Thankfully it's non-canon, so it's easier to ignore. But as for bringing it into this story, I would have to say no. World ending powers can get too insane, like World Over Heaven, Made in Heaven, and King Crimson. While enjoyable, they all needed BS abilities to get out of a corner. I loved the Josuke vs. Kira fight because it didn't need to rely on world-ending abilities and that it was a clash for something so personal. I think it's possible to have a non-world ending ability and still make it an exciting fight.**

 **And for the Funny Valentine premise, it does sound interesting. It won't be part of my story because it disrupts the direction I wanted to take, but as a standalone thing I don't think it would be half bad.**

 **greenscoop1: Thank you greenscoop! And yes, that was a JoJo pose. Finally, someone who's eccentric enough to pull it off! Praise Gwen!**

 **doa570047: Yeah, I forgot about NDGO at first as well. I think I discovered them again while I was searching for Stand users to have in the story. But I loved writing Gwen and Octavia to an extent. And yeah, glad to hear that you had fun playing "Who's the Stand user?" Always fun making the puzzles.**

 **And yeah, to an extent Hamon is a lot less interesting than Stands. It's boring since it has no power ceiling whatsoever. There are so many ways to use it that it becomes uninteresting. But I think it's possible to have a variation of Hamon and still make it interesting. Granted, this story will always be about the Stands, but giving a variation of Hamon a tiny part in the story will make it a bit more interesting. As for Stone Masks... they felt appropriate for the Hamon era, where it was about hunting the creatures of the night. I don't think they merge well with Stand fighting, even if the premise is interesting.**

 **darkmist111: Thanks, darkmist. And to answer your question, they both can have the same result. Lady Marmalade is more strict though, with being able to stick/make objects slippery to the touch. Soft and Wet is way more versatile.**

 **camillaeon21: It's just a reference. I was looking up names that fulfill the CNR, and Flora first came to mind. Then I decided to make the reference. I won't be referencing Fire Emblem all that often.**

 **But anyways, thanks for reading! I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: September 29, 2017**_


	20. Treat You Better

**Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter! There's a retrospective at the end of the chapter for anyone who wants to read it. But wow... the last chapter of this arc. Man, time really flies.**

 **Also, had one of the members of the Qrow's Nest helped beta for me again. So thank you for that! With that out of the way, let's get into the action!**

* * *

 _ **Beta: Chari from The Qrow's Nest**_

* * *

I placed my fingers close to my bow and scratched the base of my ears as I watched the blue-haired sister pace back and forth over the broken remains of her cafe. "Oh gods, this isn't good. All of the tables are destroyed beyond repair, there are several plates broken and scattered across the floor, all of the customers have left the building and are probably telling everybody about what happened." Flora combed a lock of her hair back as she frowned. "This isn't good. With all of the things we have to do, we have to close the cafe for a while until we get this place back to normal."

"Cheer up, Flora," her sister responded. Felicia gave her older sister a smile. "While the store might not be in the best of conditions, at least we still have a store. That's a lot better than the time we became refugees. Plus, you've seen the numbers and the reviews about this place. People love the food here and they're willing to come back for it! That's not going to go away while we do general repairs."

The elder sister nodded. "True… true. But that's not our only problem. There's also the issue of money. We took out a loan to rent this place out, remember? While our grand opening made enough lien so that we can keep renting out this place for another month, we're going to have to spend that on cleaning up, buying furniture, getting it transported here, and so on."

She glanced at the slumped body of Gwen. "And even if the girl was able to pay for all of the damages she inflicted today, there's no way she could be able to pay off all of that and the rent coming in a couple of weeks. I mean, look at her. She's still young; there's no way she managed to amass such a fortune in such a short time." Flora rubbed the bridge of her nose. "We have to find another source of revenue quickly. Otherwise, we have no choice but to close down this cafe and move to somewhere cheaper."

My eyes widened. What, does that mean if the Icee sisters can't pay for this… there'll be no more fish soup? No! That was the best fish soup that I ever had in a long, long time! I can't let that slip through my hands! I felt my fingers curl up into the shape of a claw. These two must've loved doing this, and now their dreams are ruined. All because of Gwen.

"I can help with that." Everybody's eyes turned towards Weiss as she stepped forwards. "I am a Schnee, after all. I have a family fortune that I can tap into. After insurance, I can help cover the rest of the costs you guys might have." My eyes widened in disbelief. She was always a little stingy with tapping into her family fortune. I remember her talking about how she didn't want to rely on it, stating she only wanted to use the money she earned from her performances. What changed?

Flora looked at the heiress before shaking her head. "I appreciate the gesture, but…" She cleared her throat. "As generous as your offer might be, I have to politely decline. I'm aware of your heritage and your company's… reputation—" Weiss flinched at that. The owner continued: "—and while I mean no offense, I don't wish to be in the debt of the SDC." She gestured to the room around her. "It might not truly find success, but we find enjoyment in this line of work. It's a small business venture for both me and my sister, and I'm not interested in the help of—"

"—Then consider it payment for the damages my friend and I caused trying to stop Gwen." Her eyes flickered the ballerina, then to the ground. "What happened here was… unfortunate, and inexcusable on my part. While this girl here was in the wrong, what my friend and I did was just as irresponsible. The two of us acted in order to give you two some sense of justice, but we destroyed your store doing so. Think of this as an apology for letting this get out of hand." She looked back up at Flora. "I have no intention of investing in your business, nor do I want to take it over. This is a token of goodwill from me to you."

The blue-haired girl narrowed her eyes, furrowing her brow before giving us a bow. "Thank you very much for your kindness. You have a good heart indeed." She turned to look at the girl in purple. "However, there is still one thing we have to take care of. What are we going to do with her? She does have to make up for everything she's done to the store. I'm thinking we can get her to clean up the store, but what about after that?"

"You know," Felicia started, stepping into the conversation. "I've thought of an idea where we can earn more revenue." She pointed a finger in the air. "There's been a trend recently where people ordered food from home, and then someone would come and deliver freshly made meals. We could do something like that until the café reopens, and maybe even longer if this proves to be popular."

Flora hummed, nodding her head as she thought it through. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. It would be helpful to have the extra lien. But what does the girl have to do with it?"

At that the younger sister smiled. "Community service. Have her do this while we get the cafe in order. She won't get any pay while doing so. I like to think of it as a mandatory internship. We'll also have the other employees do this, but as far as we care, this will be her responsibility until we officially open again in a few months time or however long it takes to fix the cafe."

"Hmm…" The blue-haired girl lifted the corner of her mouth just a little bit. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I would be completely on board with that idea." She let out a hum. "Well, that means that the only thing left to do is to wake her up and tell her the news." We stood silently in the broken cafe. "… But now that I think of it," Flora started. "We do have to file a police report if we want to claim the insurance. We can't exactly just let this girl go right now."

Huh… she makes a good point. The rest of the restaurant groaned at the realization. The police have to punish her for what she has done here. How else would they expect to maintain order in the city of Vale? It would be really easy to make an example out of her and be done with it. Then there's the fact that she's a representative of Vacuo. This could cause a lot of trouble on the international scale! Shade would probably kick her out for publicly embarrassing them in the days right before the Vytal Festival! Her life would effectively be over.

But wait a minute… What's going to happen to us as well? We caused just as much property damage as Gwen did. I placed a thumb on my chin. Beacon would pay for any damages caused by students. I wonder if this applies to Gwen as well. Would she be covered by the school?

I perked up as the sounds of rumbling reached my ears, interrupting my thoughts. "Is it just me, or do you guys hear some kind of vehicle approaching?"

Everybody stopped and paused. "I hear it," Weiss noted. "It sounds like a motorcycle. But Yang didn't take Bumblebee out of the garage today, right?" I shook my head. The heiress shrugged. "Then it might just be some passerby or something like that. What's the big deal about it?"

A second later, the motorcycle zoomed by the entrance of the cafe. Yang and Ruby were both seated, glancing behind them frantically. They both jumped off the bike, rolling into the store as the bike tilted and crashed into a nearby lamppost. Wild screams escaped them as the two sisters cocked their weapons and pointed them wildly into the store.

"Found ya, criminal!" Yang yelled, jabbing her gauntlets into the air while taking on a pose similar to those dumb Western movies. "The law's here to shoot down the bad guys! Bang! Bang!" Everybody stood silent at the sisters' wild entrance. I can see Weiss' eye start to twitch while the maid sisters looked confused. Yang's proud smile dropped quickly. "Wait, why are you guys standing around? Wasn't there somebody attacking this place?" I shook my head as I groaned at my partner. Yang blinked. "So the attacker isn't here?"

Weiss finally burst. "Of course, you numbskull! We stopped her some time ago! See?" She jabbed a finger towards the still unconscious Gwen.

The brawler blinked once, then twice as the situation dawned on her. "... Oh. Ohhhhhh…" Ruby and Yang glanced at each other before my partner shrugged. "... So I guess that means our entrance is—"

"You look ridiculous doing that," I stated, shaking my head again while my face turned red in sheer embarrassment. I rubbed the base of my forehead. "Just plain ridiculous."

With that the two sisters groaned, dropping their weapons as they started pouting. "Aww, really?" Yang reverted her gauntlets back to their bracelet form. "That sucks. Well, at least the whole entire place isn't completely destroyed like what I did to that one bar some time ago. Don't ask." With that she ran forwards, snatching both me and Blake before yanking us into a hug. "But I'm so glad that everybody's okay."

Weiss and I wheezed as Yang's iron grip made it hard to breathe. "Yang…" I tapped her on the shoulder, getting her attention. I waved my hand across my neck, and her face nodded in understanding.

"Oh! Sorry about that." She let go of us before gesturing to the area around us. "So… what's the story behind all this?"

I let out a sigh. "It's a prank gone wrong."

"You mean like those stupid videos on RemTube? I can imagine the title already: 'I Dropped a Bomb in A Cafe? Prank Gone Wrong!'" The blonde girl slapped her knee and laughed. "Hah! Good one, Blake. I didn't know you were a joker. No, seriously, what happened?"

"Blake's not joking," Weiss stated. "It really was a prank gone wrong."

"Really? No!" Yang gave us a look of disbelief. "There's no way! You're saying that somebody escalated a prank to the point where they ignited explosives?!"

I glanced at Weiss before nodding my head at Yang. "Well… yes. It's a funny story that's… complicated. I think it's better to explain what happened as we go back home."

Our team leader looked up at that. "Wait, right now?" I nodded our head, leading to Ruby pouting. "But I've always wanted to try out that strawberry sherbert that Weiss kept telling me about!" She let out a sigh. "But it's not like we could eat anywhere, with all of the tables broken and all that." The girl shrugged her shoulders, eyes going downcast. "Oh well, I guess."

Felicia raised her eyebrows at Ruby. "Excuse me for the interruption, but you mean our strawberry sorbet, right? We don't make strawberry sherbet. And it's pronounced 'sherbet.'"

"Wait, really?" Our reaper's eyes widened. "Aren't they the same thing, just with different names?" The younger co-owner shook her head. Ruby let out a long hum. "Then what's the difference?"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked that question!" The pink haired girl clapped her hands together. "A sherbet has roughly one or two percent milk fat from mixing in dairy products, while a sorbet has no milk whatsoever. However, they are often confused together because one, they are both considered water ice desserts due to their low milk fat content and two, the process of making each of these recipes are really similar.

"Okay…" Ruby scratched her head in confusion. "So a sorbet has no milk, and sherbet does?"

The girl nodded her head. "That's right. Despite this, the two recipes couldn't taste any more different. For starters—" She raised a finger in the air. "Give me a moment, it's easier if I show you the difference." And with that the maid ran into the kitchen. The rest of the girls stared in silence for a moment before she popped back out with two glasses. One of them had a scoop that was orange in color, while the other was scarlet. The orange dessert had a more creamy texture, while the other looked icier.

"Felicia?" Flora asked. "I know educating people on their desserts is nice, but don't you think that we should save that until we actually get this place back open?"

"Well, why not?" Felicia shrugged. "Nobody's going to come in, and we're probably never going to make anything for awhile while we deal with the repairs." The elder sighed at that, rolling her eyes but not making any movements to stop her younger sister.

"Well, I guess that's the okay then. Alright, so this here—" Felicia set the orange colored dessert on the front counter. "—is our orange sherbet." The maid placed a small spoon on the rim of the glass with a flourish. "Go ahead, try it. It's on the house." With that, Ruby picked up the dessert and placed a spoonful in her mouth with a pop. "Describe the flavors," the pink-haired girl continued. "What do you taste?"

"It's… a little creamy." Ruby nodded her head, eyes glancing up as she consumed the dish. "Not as strong as ice cream, though. It's more like…" She snapped her fingers. "Like coffee creamer creamy. It's surprisingly not sour like I expected, but it's distinctively orange flavored."

"Alright." Felicia took the orange sherbet out of the girl's hand and replaced it with the sorbet. "Now try this one."

Ruby nodded, taking a scoop of the new dessert. Her eyes widened the moment she placed it in her mouth. "Wow," she whispered. "This one's like if I just took a bite of a strawberry! There isn't any kind of creaminess whatsoever, but the fruity flavor stands out on its own!" She took another spoonful. "This is really good."

"And my job is done here." The pink-haired maid smiled as she stepped away from the counter.

Flora sighed. "Now back to the matter at hand. Felicia, as nice as it is to show somebody the differences in desserts, isn't it more important that we figure out whether we should press charges on the unconscious girl in front of us?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem," Ruby stated as she kept eating the sorbet. "Beacon will take responsibility for her."

Weiss raised her eyebrows at that. "And how would you know that?"

"The Headmaster told me about this earlier." She let out a sigh after her last scoop of the fruity dessert. "The academy is supposed to take care of its students, so if one of them gets into trouble, Beacon has to take responsibility. I'm sure that they'll make some kind of deal that will work with you guys."

The blue-haired sister bowed. "Thank you very much, then. While we can't exactly serve anyone at the moment, when we do open back up I hope to see you four back here."

"Alright then!" Ruby placed the empty glass on the countertop. "I guess that means it's time for us to go!"

"Well, that's fine." I stretched while letting out a yawn. "After everything that happened today, I wouldn't mind spending it on something more relaxing." I started towards the front door.

Yang and Ruby paled. "Um, Blake?" The blonde grabbed my wrist. "It's not a good idea to leave that way."

"Why not?"

"You know how Ruby and I were riding on a motorcycle?" I nodded my head. "You realize that the bike we were riding on isn't Bumblebee?"

"What are you trying to—" The realization dawned on me. My eyes narrowed at my partner. "Yang… who did you take the bike from?"

"Thrush!" A voice sounded outside alongside several rumbling motorcycles. "Isn't that your bike over there!"

"No doubt about that! That means the girls who stole my bike's gotta be in this area!" We heard the sound of a shotgun being cocked. "Okay, listen up! We're going to search all of these buildings for those two girls, and we're going to make them pay for messing with my bike. You hear that, punks? Trent Thrush's coming for you!"

Yang jabbed a finger towards the door. "Yeah… him. We borrowed it from him. In our defense we needed the ride to get over here. But forget about that, we have to leave now before he finds us!" She turned over to the two sisters. "Is there any back entrance that we can use to get out of here?"

The maid sisters nodded, pointing to the kitchen doors. "Once you pass through those doors, it should be straight ahead," Flora stated. "We'll take care of anyone who comes in."

"Thank you." I turned towards the rest of Team RWBY. "So I guess this is the part where we sneak out, right?" The rest of them nodded.

With that, we ran towards and through the kitchen doors. Compared to the cafe outside, it's a lot more metallic in here. There's everything one would expect from a normal restaurant kitchen, from ovens to stovetops to stations with half made food and so much more. I resisted whistling. It's a surprisingly big kitchen for such a small business.

Most of the team had nearly made it to the door when I spotted something. The door to the freezer room was slightly ajar. My curiosity peaked. I always wanted to know what was inside the fish soup. Do we have enough time to check? I glanced out of the door window. No one. I think I could make it.

"Blake!" Weiss hissed as I crept over to the freezer room. "What are you doing?"

"I have to check something out for a moment." My hand wrapped around the door handle.

"What— The fish? Blake, now's not the time for that!" Weiss rubbed her eyes in frustration. "We have a crazy biker who wants to shoot us! How is the thing on your mind right now the fish you had an hour ago?"

"It's a curiosity that has to be satisfied! Besides, it won't take long."

Yang smiled at that. "I guess we're going to figure out if curiosity killed the cat—"

"Shut up, I'm going in." I popped the fridge door wide open and slipped in. Almost immediately I started to shiver with the sudden change in temperature. A shelf lined each side of the room, filled to the brim with various vegetables and meats. Alright, now where in the world can I find the section for frozen fish?

My faunus ears registered the sound of someone yelling. Someone masculine. Most likely one of the bikers who entered the building. My eyes roamed over the shelves. Where is it, where is it— there! I ran over to a vacuum-sealed package of fish. This might be it! Okay, so what is it… Red snapper. Hmm… Oh! It is red snapper! It's been awhile since I had red snapper, but now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense!

"Oh really?" The masculine voice was closer. "So your place is trashed, yet you deny that you saw a blonde and brunette girl come in here? That seems a bit suspicious, especially considering how my friend's bike crashed right in front of this store. Are you sure you didn't see anyone?"

"I'm certain." That sounded like Flora. "This mess is due to the customer lying over there. If two girls went through here, my sister and I would notice them."

"Then again, it's plausible that they managed to sneak by you two and hid somewhere. I'm going to need to search your place."

"You don't have that right!" That was Felicia. "You can't just search us like that!"

"Yes I can. As a Huntsman looking for a criminal, it is within my rights to search a building if it meant finding said criminal."

Flora spoke again. "And what are you planning to do with them? Shoot them with a shotgun?"

"That was mainly an intimidation tactic. We never had any intention on hurting the girls. Just have them apologize for what they did. But if they attacked us… it's good to have something on hand, just in case."

I bit my lip. Alright, curiosity is sated, let's get out of here. I started to creep towards the freezer door when I heard the kitchen doors fly open. "Again, don't worry you two. Nobody should get hurt as long as nobody panics. We might look like thugs, but we're still Huntsmen at the end of the day. Our loyalty is to the people first— Why is that freezer door ajar?"

"Oh! That!" Felicia let out a laugh. "Oh silly me! I left the door open again. I should really remember to close it. If you don't mind, I'll just get to that—"

"No. Not yet. You don't mind if I check the freezer for any people hiding? I don't doubt that this was an accident, but that doesn't mean people can't be hiding here." I swallowed. That's not good. Should I bother hiding? No, that's not a good idea. He will surely notice if I move now. Hmm… if I use **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** to merge with the door, would he notice if he opens it? Oh course he can! There's still a 2D version of me that will be imprinted! But maybe… I looked at the top of the door. I think I can reach the top of that…

My Stand materialized behind me. I took one last breath before pressing my hand against the door. That crawling feeling hit me again as it sunk right in. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it. I dived right in, and in moments I found myself looking right into the freezer. Alright, no time to lose. My eyes flickered to the ledge of the door. Just have to get up there before this guy catches me inside.

With that I leaped up, throwing my fingers over the ledge. Huh. That was… actually pretty easy. Then I tried pulling myself up, only for a wave of pain wash over my back. I resisted letting out a grunt as I relaxed my arms. What the— I can't pull myself up? Is this a limitation of my Stand ability? I can't pull myself upwards a certain surface. I glanced at the side end of the door. But what if I had some help? What if I braced myself and walked up that way? I heard heavy footsteps coming my way. Well, I'm about to find out.

I swung myself over, pressing my feet against the edge. I took a tiny step upwards. No pain. Okay, so that's a good sign… Now, just to inch my way forwards until I reach the top of the door, then I'll leap out and make a run for it. Shouldn't be too bad. The door flew open. Now! I flung myself over the top before emerging out from the wall and slamming into the floor with a thud.

"What was that?" the man said. He closed the door before spotting my prone form. "What the— How'd you get in here?" I didn't answer his question, picking myself up as I made a break for it. "Wait a moment— stop! Get back here! I have a couple of questions for you!" I ignored his order, bursting through the exit and into the chilly afternoon. Not a moment later I slammed the door behind me.

"Blake!" I turned to see the rest of Team RWBY waving at me from a distance. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

"No talking just run!" They took my advice, turning around and making a break from the cafe with me.

* * *

After that exciting day, everyone went back home to Beacon. Before I knew it, Weiss, Blake, Yang and I found ourselves sitting in the library. I had my doodle diary filled with old weapon designs out. Several weapon parts were drawn out, forming weapons ranging from guns to hand-to-hand melee weapons to even some armor pieces that could double as improvised weapons. I think there were twenty-two pages dedicated to Crescent Rose alone. I let out a pleasant sigh. It's nice to make a couple of doodles of other weapons, just to make sure I don't get stuck at only being good with scythe and sniper rifle pieces. Who knows? I might need to use something else one day.

This time I sketched out a couple of lines of the chain daggers from that Stand dream so long ago. I was outlining the weapons that were most likely used by Mom back in her heyday. The tip of my pencil worked fast, scratching against the paper as I roughed out its wicked sharp design. A giant metallic pivot clamped a blade together in the middle. Something that grabbed my interest is how one end took on a hook shape, while the other end was barbed. I put the eraser tip in my mouth and gnawed on it.

Hmm… Now that I think of it, how was this supposed to work? Originally I thought that they acted as a pair of chain and daggers. But now that I put in more thought about it, why would Mom have a mechashift part in the middle of the blade? It must be able to shift forms. In fact, I bet that the weapon has three blade forms: the dagger, the kama, and the hook/handaxe. That allows Mom to have more options when throwing the blade. There's also a Dust chamber in the back for applying an elemental effect on the steel.

I finished putting in the last detail on the weapon and admired how everything seemed to fit together. It's a simpler design, but at the same time it crammed in so many functions and allowed her to do so much. No wonder Uncle Qrow loved to talk about her weapon expertise when he was helping me. I drew a box on the bottom corner before stopping. What did Mom used to call her weapons? Dad and Uncle Qrow never really told me about that, did they? I hummed to myself. A name for Mom's weapons… I think I'll call it Astera Rose. Something about that name sounds… right at the moment. I'll change it if Dad or Uncle Qrow corrects me.

"So, was it worth it?" I looked away from my doodles to see Weiss frown at Blake. My partner set down a book about Dust formations and leaned towards the faunus. "Was whatever you found in that freezer room worth making us run all the way back to the airships like fugitives? Where we all had to look over our backs for any bikers lusting for our blood?"

The faunus nodded, giving us an uncharacteristically toothy grin. "It's red snapper."

Yang glanced up from her side of the table. "What about red snapper?"

"That's the type of fish they put in the fish soup!" Blake let out a sigh. "It was something that bothered me ever since I put it in my mouth, but I couldn't figure out the name of the fish. But now that I know, I can sleep easy."

My sister blinked once, then twice at her partner. "Okay… it's just really weird that you would care enough to put us in danger of getting caught. Why didn't you ask the employees or something?"

Blake shrugged. "I forgot to ask after everything that's happened."

"But didn't you say to me afterward that—" Before Weiss could say another word, the cat faunus covered her teammate's mouth.

"I. Forgot. To. Ask," Blake repeated. "There's nothing more to it, okay?"

"Alright…" With that Yang pulled out a game board and dropped it on the table. "Well then, who wants to play Remnant: The Board Game?"

Everybody glanced at each other. "Well, it's not like we have anything better to do with the rest of the day," I said. "We don't have classes for the rest of the day, so why not?"

The blonde clapped her hands together. "Great! I call Mistral!"

I slammed my hand down. "Not this time, dear sister! You always pick Mistral! That's like the best Kingdom in the game! No, this time we're mixing it up. We're going to shuffle the Kingdom cards and deal them randomly. That way we all have an equal chance at getting Mistral."

"Ruby, are you still bitter about the last time we played?" Yang chuckled as she set the game pieces up. "Anybody could win with any Kingdom. Mistral just has abilities that give them an early lead. Besides, Neptune smoked all of us last time with Vale, which has average abilities."

Weiss sighed as she placed her chin on her palm. "Weren't you bitter about him winning?"

My sister's face scrunched up. "... No. No I'm not." Her eyes flickered at the rest of us. "But that's not the point. All I'm saying is that every Kingdom has a specific start, and Mistral just happens to have a start that generally favors them."

Blake sighed. "Just shuffle and deal the cards already, Yang. If you're good at the game, it wouldn't matter what kind of start you get, right?"

"Well yeah, but— Fine." Yang shook her head as she dealt the Kingdom cards randomly. "Be that way. I can still beat you guys easily even if I don't get Mistral— Hey! What do you know?" She flipped over her card to reveal the symbol for Mistral. "I guess it doesn't matter, does it?"

I felt my jaw drop in an instant. "Wha— How did you— Yang! Are you cheating?"

"What? I did just like to told me to do." She smirked to herself as she grabbed the Mistral deck. "I mean there are only four kingdoms to choose from. There's still a one-fourth chance that I could've gotten Mistral anyways. I guess luck's on my side this time, huh?"

"Well, we'll see about that." I flipped over my card to see the kingdom of Vale. Aww, gods no! Not Vale! I've never won a single game playing as Vale! This is just the worst— I pulled myself together, taking long breaths. "Okay. It's fine. This is fine. Calm down Ruby, this shouldn't be a big deal. I can make this work." I snatched the green Vale cards and shuffled them together.

The reason why I don't like playing as Vale is that its deck relies so much on maintaining momentum. Atlas tends to tank until their tech moves high enough to overwhelm the other kingdoms. Mistral is focused on creating a strong economy before moving into rapid expansion. Vacuo serves does well in hit-and-run tactics, basically being able to ignore random events. But with Vale, their abilities rely on them being able to increase power exponentially. If nobody notices, Vale can become a powerhouse. However, if anything slows me down, I might not be able to rebuild momentum before somebody knocks me out of the game.

And the worst thing is that Yang knows that. I gave my sister a glare from behind my cards. Weiss and Blake might ignore me, but Yang is going to try and stop me as soon as possible. I got to play this smart.

"I'll start this game off by expanding into Eastern Sanus." I dropped a couple of soldiers into the marked territory.

"Interesting…" The sly blonde laced her fingers together. "Not going for Patch, I see?"

"Considering that I already own the only territory connecting to it? I think I don't need to take Patch yet." I drew an event card. "And I got Rapid Growth, which I will use to up my army count in both territories."

"Your funeral. Alright, my turn!" Yang snatched up a card.

The game went by like a blur. Like expected, Yang immediately went after me the moment she got a stable economy going. However, my gambit paid off as her early fleet got carved up by the entrenched fighters. Blake mainly did nothing, holing up in Solitas and slowly moving up the tech tree. Meanwhile, Weiss sent a strike team into my territories, forcing me into a two-sided battle. I still managed to snatch the island of Vytal and forced a ceasefire between Weiss and Yang.

It would buy me time, but not long. I bit my lip as Vacuo was being steamrolled by Blake's army. In a turn or two Weiss is going to be knocked out of the game, and Blake's going to come after me. While Yang and I created an uneasy alliance to take down Atlas, I'm starting to worry we banded too late. Blake's got two entire fleets hammering at Weiss' forces! I peeked at my cards. And my hands filled with traps! I can't do anything to help Weiss beat back Blake!

"Oh, you guys play that board game?" Everybody turned to see the gray-haired boy peering at the table. "Who's winning?"

"Who are you?" Weiss huffed.

"Wait, we met yesterday, I think." I pointed at him. "Hmm… your name was… Mercury, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Hey, glad that you remembered! To give you a quick rundown, I got dragged over here by my teammates against my will." The boy jabbed a finger at Cinder and Emerald sitting at a nearby table. While Emerald was staring at us right away, Cinder fiddled around with some kind of clear glass tube, like a pen body or something before looking up. Both of them gave all of us a long stare before giving us a quick wave. "And I saw you guys doing something, so I thought why not ditch my teammates and watch something interesting for once?"

"We're right here," Emerald noted.

Mercury gave her a smirk. "I know, Emi. I know." He turned back towards us. "Wow, Atlas is just massacring Vacuo right now. You guys let the girl playing Atlas grow too far, did you?"

Weiss scowled. "Could you just go away or something? The last thing I need is somebody to remind me of how much I suck at this game."

The boy grinned even harder. "Nope," he chuckled, popping the p in the word. "You know something interesting? Atlas forgot to cover their main territories. Seriously, just one Grimm strike event there can knock Atlas right off the board. And Mistral, what are you doing with your economy? Why aren't you focusing on taking the open territories of Anima? It's like you started doing that, then stopped for some stupid reason."

"Can't you see that I'm doing that right now?" Yang hissed.

"Still way too slow for a usual Mistral opening. Vacuo's getting screwed over right now, so no comments there. Vale…" He quickly peeked at my cards. "Actually, you're in a good position. Just need a little bit of luck to put yourself in the lead. This could snowball with one good draw."

"What?" I looked through my hand. I don't see anything that could potentially be game-changing. A lot of it was mainly traps and boosts. What could he possibly mean?

"Pfht." Weiss placed her cards down and crossed her arms. "If you're going to be so critical with how we play, why don't you sit down and play the game for yourself?"

"Eh." He shrugged his shoulders. "I care enough to watch a game and call out terrible plays. I don't care enough to actually play it myself. Plus, it's fun getting under other people's skin. After all, in strategy the winds of favor can change at any time."

Emerald leaned her chair back as she twisted her head towards us. "You get that from a fortune cookie?" The boy ignored her, instead giving us a toothy smile.

"… I see," Blake noted, giving the boy a glare. "I'm going to take my turn now. With my Factory card, I'll build a carrier and place it right outside the border of Atlas. And then I'll continue my attack on Weiss."

A carrier? Wait a minute… Everything clicked into place. I have a Hostile Takeover card, which isn't really helpful considering how any unit I take is just going to get shot down, followed by swift retaliation by the other players. But now that Blake built a carrier, and the fact that it's the only thing protecting her capital… I can take her out right here! I glanced at the boy standing to the side. Did he really realize that from a single observation?

"—And with Weiss destroyed, I'll end my turn by moving my fleet towards Vale." Weiss slammed her head on the table, muttering something about the game being rigged. Blake gestured to me. "Your turn."

A grin crept up my face. "I'll draw my card and then play Hostile Takeover!" The cat faunus' face twisted in horror as I snatched the carrier she just built. "With this, I'll fly over to Atlas and bomb it! I just need to roll a ten or higher." I rubbed the pair of dice in my hands before dropping them on the board. "Come on, ten or higher, ten or higher." The pair landed on eleven. "Yes! Blake, you are out of the game!"

"What?" She leaned over the board, looking at the dice, then back at her hand. "Do I have anything to stop this… no. Fine. I guess I'm dead then."

"And that's when I step in," Yang giggled as she rubbed her hands. "I'm playing Wartime Propaganda, doubling my force's fighting strength and sending a full force invasion into Vale!"

"Not so fast!" I slammed my hand against the table as I stood up. "Because you just fell for my trap! Divine Winds of Remnant! Your army's cut in half!"

"So? I'll press on the attack. Even with my bad start, I still outnumber your troops two to one!" Yang pressed a finger against the table. "All it takes are some good rolls to put you down."

I laughed. "Oh, Yang. You poor, poor soul. You've walked into a minefield of traps! Because now I play Turncoat! A third of your army's all mine! And then there's Cultural Outrage, which spawns several creatures of Grimm in your boundaries! And now I'm going to boost my own army with my own Wartime Propaganda and attack!"

"Noo!" Blue cards fell out of Yang's hands as she grasped her hair. "This can't be possible!"

"It is!" I grabbed the dice at my side. "Surrender now, dear sister, while you still can. I will be a merciful ruler if you do."

"I— I… I give." She threw her cards down on the table. "Good game, Ruby. All of Remnant is now yours." She rubbed the base of her nose. "Stupid card draws leading into a combo," she muttered under her breath.

"Well… that ended quickly." Mercury stood up and sighed. "Are you guys going to play another game? It's kinda sad that I caught the tail end of it."

"Are you going to join in?" I asked as I rearranged everything back to its original place.

"Nah. Like I said, not my thing. It's more fun watching other people fight." His eyes flickered back to his teammates. "Besides, Emerald would never let me hear the end of it if she caught me playing such a 'dorky' game." The boy empathized the word with air quotes.

"You know it doesn't matter what you do anyway, right Mercury?" The girl with the mint colored hair got up and approached the rest of us. "You're always going to be the dork of the team."

"Oh, says you, Ms. 'I-Only-Read-Avant-Garde-Novels.' If I'm the dork, you're the edgy hipster with the superiority complex!"

"Ppht." She rolled her crimson eyes at her teammate. "Go ahead and believe that. Enjoy your dumb comics while you're at that. At least I don't need pretty colors and overly muscular characters to enjoy what I'm reading."

"Why not? I don't see anything wrong with enjoying a bit of manservice, you know." He wiggled his eyebrows at Emerald. "Considering how far that stick is up your butt, you could use a little bit of relief once in awhile."

"And that's why we can't have a decent conversation about books or anything like that. It always comes down to large pecs for you and how I'm sexually repressed." She shook her head. "If I didn't know any better, I would assume you're deep within the closet frustrated that you aren't getting any action."

"Wow… Okay." Blake whittled her thumbs. "Going hard with the insults, I see."

Emerald glanced at us. "Yeah, we really like to hit close to home with our words. It happens when we're stuck with each other for the time being. But I don't think I've introduced myself to everybody. Emerald Sustrai. I'm already familiar with Ruby."

I nodded. "Emerald, these are my teammates: my sister Yang, my teammate Blake, and my partner Weiss." I gestured to each one of them before facing Emerald again. "So, how do you like Vale so far?"

The mint-haired girl nodded. "It's been an… interesting experience so far. I think recently my team went to a boat party. Most of my team found it fun, but me… not so much. Felt more like going to school or working trying to interact and mingle with such a large crowd. Not that I have a problem with crowds, just bothering to talk to them. I'm just more of an 'ignore-everyone' kind of person. Like, if I can keep people this far away from me—" She stuck both of her arms out and waved them around. "—I would be a happy gal."

"Have fun dying alone and happy then." The gray-haired boy let out a snicker as he stepped into her personal boundary, earning a glare from his teammate.

"Still one annoying person I have to get rid of before that could happen," she muttered under her breath.

"Ooh, I think I hear treason in my ears. Could you say that again?"

"Nothing."

I shifted my weight, coughing to get the pair's attention. "So, uh, continuing on. I've heard about how your team doesn't really have anything to do right now. Do you guys wanna hang out with us for the moment? We're playing Remnant: The Board Game, but we can pair up or something and work as teams or something."

"Actually, I'll sit out of this one," Blake responded. She turned over to the dark-skinned girl. "So you read avart-garde? Which ones?"

"Another book-lover? Not a lot of those these days." Emerald brought up the corner of her mouth as she sat down with us. "I've read _Ulysses_ and _Pale Fire_. Those I found to be really strong reads. I would recommend them to anyone. I've also read _A Clockwork Orange._ "

Mercury smirked. "You mean like the movie?"

The girl shot a dirty look at him. "No, nothing like that! You've only watched the movie for the sake of the violence, you dumb brute. Of course you wouldn't care about the actual meaning. It's a book about limiting free will by forcing standards on the inherently evil by the inherently evil." She took in a deep breath. "You can't make a person good if the world you live in is just as bad as that person. No, you have to either convince others it's better to be good or change the world so that evil doesn't affect other people. So many people missed that point, especially considering how the movie dropped the last chapter.

She let out a groan. "What was the director thinking by removing that chapter? Was he thinking: 'oh, let's end the story with showing how terrible the world is and not show that people can grow out of their horrible past to do something more worthwhile with their lives.' Seriously, what a sociopathic loonie."

He laughed as he leaned towards us. "Easy way to trigger her right here. Never fails."

"Shut up, Mercury." Emerald turned towards Blake. "But yeah, those are the ones that immediately come to mind."

"I've read _A Clockwork Orange._ " The faunus girl gave Emerald a small smile."It had an interesting perspective on people manipulating others for the sake of power. The process that the government used to experiment on the main character was a novel if morbid idea to maintain power—"

"Sorry for interrupting," I started. "But why don't we get Cinder to come over here? Let's just all hang out together!"

Mercury and Emerald looked at each other. Emerald shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we're not really sure about whether Cinder's interested. Our team leader has this habit of being stuck in her own thoughts and ideas whenever she's bored, so we tend to let her focus on her thing—"

"It's not a big deal with me." We all jumped as the very girl we were talking about sat down at our table. "While it's true about what they just said, I don't mind taking the time to have a chat." Amber eyes bored into mine as she took on a wide sitting stance. "It's always interesting to hear new opinions. I could use someone new to talk about, well anything really."

"Well then! I guess we won't be needing this board game!" I pushed the board game to the side. "So, how's life back at Mistral?" And with that we spent the rest of the day with Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. I remember that feeling I got when I passed them yesterday, but now that I think about it, they're not too bad. Hmm… I can't wait to face off against them at the Vytal Festival!

* * *

A sigh escaped my mouth as I slid the last sheet of paper into the done pile. And with that, all of the paperwork for today's done. That should take care of the costs of all of the amenities. The papers for allowing the Amity Colosseum into Valean space have been finished for some time. Now it's just waiting for Council approval. Maintenance for the Bullheads have been scheduled, and missions have been assigned to all Huntsmen teams not participating in the Vytal Tournament. I think I should stop for today.

With that, I glanced outside of my office window. The broken moon shined bright in contrast to the night sky. To this day nobody knows how the moon shattered into pieces ever since our beginnings, even though there are many theories on how and why. I have my theories myself, but ultimately there's no way to know for sure. What dazzles me about it is how it constantly shatters and reforms. In a way, it's a never-ending cycle of destruction and creation, reflective on how Remnans lived their lives for generations now. We destroy ourselves, we break up, we come back together, we reform and grow strong, and on and on.

Many wonder if it's possible to escape this cycle. I don't blame anyone for wanting that. No one likes the feeling of loss. It seems like an impossible feat, being able to escape the fruitlessness of destruction and embracing just the joys of creation. Many have tried doing so many times in the past. Everyone so far has failed. From the first idealist to… her, destruction has always won in the end. Even my attempts at escaping this loop resulted in failure and more destruction.

Our society is on thin ice right now. There's a tension everyone's been feeling these days, with the increasing counts of terrorism and the radicalization of several viewpoints. We've gotten complacent living in our paper house. Everyone's carrying a match, and we're all waving it at each other, forgetting that just eighty years ago that same attitude lead to disaster. Should we ever forget the past, it will come back and hit us in the face, whispering 'I told you so' before sweeping everything away from us. The cycle is starting to loop back onto itself, bringing another round of destruction.

And with the reemergence of the Arrow and the Cupid, it's like the past has come back to haunt me. I let out a soft groan, rubbing the corner of my eyes. I thought we would be safe if we just disposed of the Arrow, buried it away where no one can find it. But seeing that monster use it for the Queen… My eyes clamped shut. I can still hear its laugh, her laugh, both taunting me for as long as I live. Even after so many years… they refuse to disappear…

" _Sir?_ " That familiar presence brought me back to reality. " _Is everything okay?_ "

"Yeah," I whispered. "Just… a lot of thinking about the past."

" _You know how bad it can be to dwell on the past. You said it yourself, a man cannot move forward with confidence if he always looks behind him._ "

"I did…" I opened my eyes and picked up a pen, fiddling with the cap.

" _It might be easier if we shift topics here. What about the other users?_ "

A sigh escaped my mouth. "Belladonna and Schnee… While I haven't offered them the invitation yet, there's no doubt that they would join the other two in finding the Arrow. I've talked to Mr. Porfirio, and his answer is a resounding no. I expect a similar answer from Ms. Darcy, especially after I heard about her recent display. And you already know Mr. Alistair's position. Then there was the anonymous user who contacted us. I'm currently checking their credentials, making sure that this person is who they say they are. Then we might talk. But until then…"

" _I see. While not as big as satisfactory, four individuals might be enough. After all, that was the size of the original group._ "

"Back when we first found the Arrow." I pulled the cap off of the pen, tossing it into the air while staring at the moon. A never-ending cycle. Something that will never stop spinning. As long as we keep living, we'll suffer through this cycle. Society might've built itself to minimize the effects of the cycle, but no one has left its grasp. Overloading on either creation or destruction might help, but we have to give up so much more. I don't know if Remnans can ever escape.

I threw the cap high into the air. Maybe the cycle can't be broken. It might go on forever until the end of time. Funny then that it's easier for me to pause the cycle rather than end it. Denial only took me so far, after all. But at the same time... I can use the extra bit of time. I lifted a finger and pointed it at the falling cap. "Stop."

The pen cap froze.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 10/13/2017**

* * *

 **Nolan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 6**

It was dark out as both team BRNZ and team NDGO sat in their room, twiddling our fingers. The only exception to this was Gwen, who was suspiciously absent. NDGO refused to say a word about what happened to her.

There was a long, awkward silence between the two teams, particularly between Octavia and May. Everybody fidgeted around, waiting for… something to happen.

"Well?" I stood up and gave the redheaded girl a solid glare. "Don't you have something to say, Octavia?"

"Whoa, wait a moment," Dew started, getting up from her seat. "Nolan, you've only said a couple of words, and you're already getting out of line. She's not going to say anything if she doesn't—"

"Guess what? I don't care." I let out a sigh. "There's a lot of explaining to do, but we're not going anywhere without addressing the elephant in the room, and that has to do with this." I pulled up the image of the letter and showed it to them. "Does this look familiar to any of you?" All of team NDGO had their eyes widen at the sight. "That's what I thought. So you guys do know something about this. Let me tell it to you straight: I know who wrote the letter. And I don't want to play this game of side and seek, so why don't we just get to the point and get around to the confession?"

Nebula let out a groan. "Nolan—"

"Don't you 'Nolan' me! You guys know just as well as we do about May's attitude on this kind of stuff! As crude as what I'm going to say, you're not going to get anywhere leading her on!" I placed a hand on my hip. "We're sister teams! We shouldn't be hiding this kind of stuff between each other! You guys lied to us about several things! At least give us the truth now!"

"Nolan, shut up!" Branz grabbed me and threw me onto the bed. "Geez, stop being a handful and let them be! They got their reasons, they'll tell us when they're ready!"

"Oh? And when will that be? Tomorrow? A couple of weeks from now? Years after our graduation? I might be a prick, but I also know that this issue will come up sooner or later, and I'd rather have this issue come up now when we have nothing to lose than when our lives depend on it! You owe it that much to us!"

"Stop being so dramatic." Branz shook his head. "Geez, and doing this isn't going to split the two teams apart? And I thought I was supposed to be the overly emotional one. They're not going to tell us if we push the issue, and it's going to be awkward now that—"

"I'm in love with her."

The both of us raised our heads in surprise at the redhead. "What?" escaped out of both of our mouths.

Octavia combed through her hair, looking extremely nervous. "You're right, Nolan. I should've been more upfront about how I felt. I just didn't really know how to do it, and I put all of you guys through a lot of stuff just for my feelings." She glanced at our sniper. "But… I love you, May."

There was a pause in the room as May took Octavia's words. "... How long?"

"What?"

"How long did you know about your feelings?"

"I'm not too sure, but for some time." The redheaded girl glanced up at the ceiling. "Ever since the second week of Shade, maybe?" I blinked a couple of times. Okay, wow. That's a while. She continued: "It started small, admittedly. Little stuff like your skills, your complexion, your more casual attitude towards everything. Then it was… your eyes." Octavia grew red. "Just… something about them I loved, and then it just, happened. I tried repressing it for some time after I learned about how you didn't want to date and all that. But I guess I just couldn't take it anymore after I heard about us going to the Vytal Festival together."

I blinked. "So the time you told us that NDGO had to come later due to the flu—"

"Oh, that was just the common cold." She wove it off. "But I took the sickness as an opportunity to chicken out and not have to be with May alone. I mean, we did take the next airship right after you guys. But May, I'm really sorry about putting your team through all of this. I mean I totally understand you're not up for dating, but could we still at least stay friends? It's going to be awkward between us, but we can figure it out—"

"Well if you want, we can try the romance thing out."

"What?" Everybody turned to look at the girl in the beanie in surprise. Octavia in particular had eyes wide like a saucer. "But I thought you weren't into relationships."

"I remember clearly saying that I wasn't interested in sex with anyone. That doesn't mean I can't have a romantic relationship." May brushed a lock of hair in front of her left eye. "Besides, it's actually kind of cute what you did with the letter. If you're willing to go through all that effort, I can at least give you a chance." The redhead did nothing, just covering her mouth as her face turned red. May spread her arms out. "You want a hug?"

Octavia nodded, wrapping her arms around her crush. They kinda… look awkward, now that I think about it. The two whispered apologies to each other as they fumbled around. But still, there's something that's a bit endearing about watching the pair embrace.

The sounds of footsteps caught my attention. Was somebody running in the hallway? Moments later the door flew open, revealing a red-faced Gwen. Her breaths were ragged. "Sorry guys, there was a lot of stuff to deal with, but I managed to get out of trouble as long as— Oh!" May and Octavia broke contact with each other, staring at the newcomer with surprise. Gwen blinked a couple of times as she stared at the scene in front of her. "Wow… that was quick. I kinda didn't expect you guys to get together so quickly. But congrats guys!"

I gave the girl a wave. "Sup, Gwen?"

"Oh, and the rest of team BRNZ is here too?" She shook her head, stepping into the room before grabbing a nearby towel. "Geez, you guys are leaving me behind! Seriously, let me catch up or something!"

Dew sat up. "Gwen, what in the world happened to you? You've been gone all afternoon after we came back, and we thought that something bad happened!"

"Whew... No, nothing of the sorts. I said I would take care of the problem, right? Don't worry, I'll tell you guys later." A figure appeared behind her, touching said towel before disappearing. I blinked. Wait, what? No way. Was that… a Stand? Gwen didn't seem bothered, brushing the sweat off of her skin with no issue. And wasn't her ability to make things sticky or slippery her Semblance? Wait a moment… so she had a Stand the whole entire time? I mean, it makes a little more sense now that I think about it.

My breath hitched as Gwen plopped down right next to me. Might as well be open about what I can see right away. I leaned over to her ear. "Hey, Gwen. You have a Stand?"

The girl flinched at the word. Her eyes widened as she shot a glance in my direction. "Wha— How did you know— Can you see it?" I nodded. She pursed her lips. "You can see it? Since when?"

"Since Saturday, maybe. Did you have this the whole entire time?" She nodded. Hmm… I brought my Stand out, forcing it to sit in front of us. "I have one, too. Good thing, too. After what I've heard from others, knowing other Stand users would be helpful in defending ourselves. What's the name of your Stand?"

"... You know what? That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all." The peacock-like Stand appeared in front of us while the rest of our teams started another conversation. "It's **「** **LADY MARMALADE.** **」** And yours?"

I gave her a smile. This just made our group a lot more interesting. Maybe Gwen can teach me more things about these powers. "Gwen, meet **「** **BELFRY FALLS.** **」** "

 **=NOLAN BA END=**

* * *

 _ **Retrospective:**_ **Out of all of the arcs that I've written so far (and I did finish the third arc ahead of time) I always considered the second arc to be one of my finer ones. I was finally out of the setup arc and I truly had the freedom to write whatever I want. Yeah, Belfry Falls was one of the hardest things for me to write, but after that everything else in this arc was solid. I felt like all of the Stand battles in this arc were way more interesting to write. Coming up with Belfry Falls is something I'm proud of doing, I loved writing Chaining Day and Cornerstone, there's a tapeworm Stand user for Down Under, Lady Marmalade was a ridiculous concept that I love now that I re-edited it.**

 **Another reason why I loved it was because I could really explore these side characters. Well aside from the tapeworm, of course. I didn't even remember Nolan and Gwen when I first chose them to be Stand users. And now they are characters that I adore, simply because they have a ton more personality than "cattle prod dude" and "ballerina who fought against SSSN." And I'm particularly proud of the backstory I crafted for Roman and Neo. It worked so well in tandem with the ability of Cornerstone to create a good blend of flashbacks, action, and tension.**

 **But let's focus on the actual development of the enemy Stands. Down Under before I came up with the rule that no OCs will be Stand users was supposed to belong to a random janitor or a random student that I wouldn't develop much. That variation of Down Under was an absolute mess. I could not justify it at all without anything sounding contrived. And at the same time, I couldn't think of any other user who can use it, so I left it deliberately vague in the first draft.**

 **Then I was rewatching JoJo and realized: "Wait a minute... can't animals be Stand users as well? And from there I started looking at some animals in an attempt to figure out which animal should be the Stand user. I almost picked Zwei for being an easy animal target, but I didn't know how to justify Zwei attacking his masters all of a sudden. So that went out of the window. And then I remembered about tapeworms. Suddenly, everything came into place. Why not have the tapeworm be both of the Stand and the user? So I combined that together to create this crazy combination.**

 **And for Down Under's Stand ability, I used to have second thoughts about it. This was right after Belfry and Cornerstone, two of my smarter fights. Deciding on the ability to make the floor lava felt underwhelming in comparison to those two. It was extremely limited, it had no inherent offensive capabilities, it can't even really do anything without the worm throwing lava at its victims, and then I felt like it was unoriginal because RWBY Chibi made that joke already. Two factors kept it in: I needed Weiss and Blake to become Stand users as early as possible in the story and I remembered the best things are jokes played absolutely straight. Yeah, it's not quite as mind-bending as Belfry or Chaining Day/Cornerstone. But it brought me a lot of laughs writing something so absurd.**

 **In comparison, Lady Marmalade was actually really easy to write. I've always wanted a battle where the enemy user can sticky/nonsticky stuff. It came to me when I was grabbing a honey jar for some tea. I remembered how the sticky surface of the jar contrasted against the more sleek parts, and it hit me. Having Gwen be the Stand user was also a fairly easy choice. I wanted to have someone who was a bit showy and flamboyant yet genuinely cared about their friends. As the one styled as a ballerina, Gwen fit the bill for showy and flamboyant. Then it was just writing her as a more sympathetic person that made Gwen really stick out in my mind.**

 **Oh, yeah, then there's this little quirk I did where pre-existing Stand users would have different names for Stands. For example: if I edited the chapter correctly Fox never mentioned his Stand by the name "Stand." It was always "spirit" or something like that. Same thing for Gwen. She calls them Mystiques. You want to know why Gwen does that? There's a Youtube video I watched around the time I wrote Lady Marmalade called "** **Griffin Explains JJBA — Coolgames Inc Animated" where one of the hosts thinks that JoJo is about men using the power of fashion to fight clowns. At the end, the host thinks that Stands were called Magnifiques. Of course, since I didn't hear him properly I thought he said Mystique, which I loved so much I had it as Gwen's replacement name for Stands. Still works out, though. Mystique flows a lot better than Magnifique.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on to the reviews!**

 **Guest1: Yeah, Weiss' Stand is one of the more interesting ones in my opinion, since it combines the best of both worlds. And writing Gwen was a wonderful experience. She's most likely going to get a side-story arc of her own, like Nolan. To answer your question about avoiding consequences, I like to think that NDGO doesn't have the greatest reputation with their professors. And wouldn't anyone be scared if you're on a field trip and you messed something up? Nobody likes to be known as "the person who got shipped back because they destroyed a cafe."**

 **Also about the one-hand thing, there is one 'on the other hand' in there during the Gwen retort. Admittedly, the words afterward was still a bit strange. But I think it still fits with her demeanor.**

 **And yeah, I don't really believe Yang's excuse for her ability to hotwire a motorcycle. I mean, she doesn't seem like the person who would steal from other people, but...**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **Guest2: And thank you Guest2!**

 **Guest3: I'm not putting in the Saint's Corpse or Rock Humans into the story. I think the gang already has enough of a time trying to find just one Arrow. Then I always felt the Saint's Corpse needed a lot of locations to explore, which RWBY isn't really good at establishing. Rock Humans I don't add because even though I'm up to date with JoJolion, I don't think anyone has any idea of what the Rock Humans really want. I don't want to headcanon something not set in stone yet only to find myself wrong years from now.**

 **As for new powers from the Stand arrow, it will likely appear. Just not in the way anyone would expect. And for Grimm being able to get Stands, that's a likely no. Stands in this story can be thought of as projections of the soul/Aura. The Grimm don't have souls on their own, so they won't get a Stand if just the Arrow hit them. But, that doesn't mean soulless things can't get Stands. After all, Anubis was born from the previous owner dying, with the Stand itself bound to the sword. Anything that is exposed to a soul/any kind of expression of the soul when hit will have a better chance to form a Stand.**

 **doa570047: Thank you for all of the compliments doa570047! I love Gwen to pieces, but I think your review summarized her pretty well. With the Weiss not being to stand on her Dust, it seems like a weird weakness to put in. But actually, the reason does relate to Weiss' dream sequence back during Chapter 16. It's almost as if just Dust alone isn't enough to support her... But yeah, I can't wait to show off the creative ways Weiss can use her abilities! And now that I think about it, Weiss and Gwen do have a ton of Killer Queen parallels. I was more focused on writing it similar to a fight against Sticky Fingers, but I can totally see where the KQ parallels come from.**

 **And whew. You're really writing notes to see where everything connects? I'm flattered at the amount of effort and attention you're paying to my story. It's nice to know that you love the amount of detail that each chapter holds. And as for a glimpse of the antagonist, let me just say it's important to look at it from a different angle. As a mystery story, figuring out who is truly behind the scenes is where the fun lies. I might not show who is, in fact, causing all this, but I do allude to this opponent through others. Now it's just a matter of piecing out who is doing this and why. There's only one hint I will give out: those who allude to her will have their biases, so there will be some warping of the truth. But it's all important to establishing what this antagonist is doing.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: October 13, 2017**_


	21. Kozmic Blues

**Hey everybody! Welcome back to RWBY BA: Remnant Roses!**

 **First thing's first: we hit the milestone of 100 followers! I can't believe that there are 100 people out there following this story, and I have to thank all of you guys for all of the continued support. I sound like a broken record at this point, but it means a lot knowing that you guys still enjoy this story. So thank you for that.**

 **Also, I managed to get another beta from my Discord server, so thank you to them! I'll have their name in a separate section.**

 **Then to more distressing news: my home state of California is currently going through a wildfire, and the area I'm in right now is severely affected by the smoke. A lot of us have to wear air filter masks to travel around. It's a very stressful situation, especially since we had a small fire spark up on Wednesday. Then my family is at risk of the wildfire spreading in their direction. With that and midterms coming up for me, don't be surprised if I don't update at my next appointed time. It's an intense moment in my life, and while I love writing for you guys, I need to take care of life. If I do make it in time, just ignore this message. But if I don't... well you know why.**

 **But no time to be negative! Let's get into the new arc!**

* * *

 _ **Beta: Discordant from The Qrow's Nest**_

* * *

After all of the things we experienced, I always thought that I will change my ways. It's one thing knowing that I have to push myself harder than anyone else to stay here in Beacon, especially with my forged transcripts. There was never a time when I wasn't playing catch up with the rest of the class. It's another thing knowing that if I don't keep up, some evil person will destroy the world as we know it. Most would do anything to make sure this didn't happen. And I thought I did too. But some things really do stay the same.

Someone nudged my shoulder just as I closed my eyes. "Hello? Jaune?"

"Whuh?" My eyes snapped back open, bringing me back to Professor Port's room. He was still droning on about another one of his exploits. I blinked my eyes. No way, I swore I was paying attention the whole entire time! Did I really…? I turned my head to look at my team. "Wait, did I fall back asleep again?"

"You were nodding off a bit," Pyrrha noted, keeping her eyes at Port's figure in front of the classroom. "But I think you were awake the whole entire time."

I let out a sigh of relief as I took a glance at the clock. "Oh, whew! Okay, well I don't have to worry about that—" My smile dropped. "Two o' seven? That can't be right… Wasn't it one-fifty a minute ago?" Pyrrha shook her head, letting out a confused sound. I bit my lip. No, there's no way. My eyes were open the entire time aside from the end! "That can't be right. I never rested my head and fell asleep! How does time pass like that? What happened?"

"You know it's possible for a person to become unaware of the world even when they aren't sleeping, right?" Ren leaned towards me. "I think there was this test where somebody flashed a light in a sleep-deprived person's face, but with their eyelids taped open. There were times when for a split-second, that person fell asleep and didn't notice that a light flashed in their faces."

I groaned, slamming my face down onto the table. You would think that I would spend more time paying attention to his classes after it saved my life way back during that search and clear mission. But after a whole entire year of sleeping in Port's class, it's hard to resist the call for more sleep. Just… how can you pay attention to a lecturer who can't tell an engaging story and teach at the same time? How does Weiss do it? She can take notes on Port just fine. Wait… now that I think about it, isn't doing notes on Port the same thing as transcribing oral stories? I rubbed my eyes, resting my head against my palm. The things I think about sometimes.

My mind wandered a bit as I stared at my professor. It's been a week since Weiss and Blake fought another Stand user at some cafe. Ever since that day, nothing really happened. We didn't run into the Cupid or the Arrow. It's like it disappeared off the face of the earth. And it's not doing anything since there weren't any new news about any Stand users since Gwen.

Speaking of which. We thought for a moment that we had something with Gwen. She was the closest thing to another lead that we had. However, the conversation we had a couple days after that incident was disappointing. She always had a Stand from the moment she was born. And with that, the trail went cold. We have no idea where the Cupid could be at this point. For all we know, the baby Grimm monster left Vale a long time ago!

I sat in silence as I waited for our last Thursday class ends. Tomorrow's a holiday, and that means that we'll have another chance to slip out and search for the Cupid. I let out a soft sigh. It's going to be harder hiding our tracks from the rest of our friends now that Blake and Weiss are with us. Somebody's going to suspect something if team RWBY goes to the city without Yang. Same thing if I'm hanging out with them without bringing the rest of team JNPR. But we need every person to help us out with finding the Cupid. The Grimm baby might not be making any new Stand users, but that doesn't mean that it's not causing havoc right now. We can't miss this opportunity.

"—But I'll end this story here because there are a couple of announcements to make." Everybody perked up after hearing that. When was the last time Professor Port decided to end a story before the bell? Did he ever do that ever this year? "A surprise, I know. I can see it on everyone's faces! But I believe that these particular announcements are more important than these post-final lessons. As you all know, Wednesday next week is the simulation we like to throw for all first year students."

That got everybody speaking. The whole room broke out into whispers about this event. The mustached professor coughed into his hand, silencing the class. "As you may have heard, we hold this after finals as a fun way to teach adaptability. And as you should know, every year the simulation is different, so anybody thinking of taking advantage of the previous years will be disappointed." Port adjusted a piece of his suit.

"Beacon only reveals the date to the students since the city announces this to all citizens anyways. Anything can happen on this day. In previous years, we've dropped teams into the city to track a certain person, placed them on a boat that they must navigate back, trapped them in a cave filled with Arachne, and so on. What I'm trying to say is that do not try to plan for this, because the simulation is never what you're going to expect."

Nora leaned in towards us as the class burst into conversation yet again. "What do you think that means, Jaune?"

"Maybe we're going to be thrown off of a plane into some kind of survival scenario, kinda like Initiation." Team JNPR leaned forwards to see Yang looking back at us, giving us a toothy smile. "That would be pretty cool to do that again."

The hyperactive redhead grinned. "Ooh, that would be cool! Or how about exploring the ruins of an abandoned city? What about escaping from a maximum security prison? Ooh! Maybe we can—

"Those all sound like things that Beacon would do," Ruby noted as she turned to face us. "But we shouldn't worry about it. Port did say that we're not going to predict it."

"Oh, I know. But thinking about it is so exciting!" Nora drummed the top of her desk. "What else… maybe—"

"Now, now. Settle down, I still have one more announcement to make." Everybody stopped. "Tomorrow's a holiday, and I'm sure that everyone is excited for it." All of the students nodded and started to cheer. The veteran Huntsmen chuckled at us. "Yes, I am excited as well for this day. However! It pains me to say that there's a real possibility that all flights to Vale will have to be restricted on that day." My eyes widened in surprise. What?

"Let me explain. The company who runs the airbuses has to ground all of their flights due to a sudden discovery of a defect in a critical part of the ship's engines. There is reasonable concern that ignoring the problem can potentially cause an airborne explosion. While the airbuses are still airworthy, the risk in safety led to the grounding of all airbuses until the part can be replaced." Port cleared his throat. "Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, since we have dedicated Bullheads. However, this couldn't happen at a more unfortunate time, since we ourselves are currently doing regular maintenance on the majority of our Bullheads."

"All functional Bullheads are dedicated only for transporting current Huntsmen in the field back to Beacon should they need to evacuate. We hope to get most of the Bullheads done by the end of Friday. But for students who were planning to spend this holiday in the city or with loved ones, you will have to reschedule. I'm sorry for that." At this point the whole class exploded with conversation.

While the whole room chatted amongst each other about this series of events, I stared blankly at the whiteboard in front of the class. We're stuck in Beacon until further notice? Oh gods, this is bad. Really bad. I grabbed tufts of my hair and groaned as I slammed my head back onto the table.

"Hey Jaune, you okay there?" Nora asked.

It's not fine. We're going to be losing another day to find the Cupid. That's one more day it can turn somebody into a Stand user and cause havoc in Vale. One more day where we can't get our search back on track. Ugh, why did fate have to be so cruel right now? We needed this extra day to find anything to get back on track, and now it's gone. What are we going to do?

"Hey Jaune!" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Nora. "You had something planned for the holiday?"

"Sorta?" My mind raced to think of some kind of excuse. Did I actually react that badly to the news? I shouldn't make this a habit. What if the rest of team JNPR or Yang catches on to what's going on? "Uh… A couple of my sisters were planning to come over to Vale to look at apartments and all that, so I offered to be their tour guide to the city."

Pyrrha scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "... Aren't most of your sisters older than you? Wouldn't they have some kind of experience in Vale by now?"

"They've… mainly been to the commercial district! It's not the same as the residential district." I pointed a finger in the air. "It's like how in Mistral there's the famous gambling strip within the nearby town of Beruntung. It's the most iconic part of the town, but it's not even close to what Beruntung is actually like. Whether we see it or not, there's an actual town with people to care for. It's just that the majority of their lien comes from the legal gambling in the casinos."

My partner raised her hand to stop me. "You didn't have to explain it that much, I think I got it. Sorry for asking." Her eyes flickered to mine. "Were you close to your sisters? I mean, closer than your parents—"

"I get it. In a sense, I was." My chin rested in the palm of my hand. "I respected my parents. After all, they wanted for the best for me, even if that meant… not putting me through training. But my sisters are the ones who really raised me. It's easier to think of my sisters as actually family then mom and dad."

"And on the day you have a chance to see them, you're stuck here at Beacon." Ren let out a low sigh before patting me on the back. "I'm sorry about that."

The portly professor coughed into his hand again, getting the rest of the class' attention. "I'll dismiss class early today. On behalf of Beacon, let me say that we're sorry for this inconvenience. I hope that all of you enjoy the holiday in spite of that."

"So what now?" Nora asked as everybody started packing up and leaving. "The whole day is just… given to us."

The green-clad boy turned towards his partner. "I thought you would be more excited about this."

"I know, and I am, but there's not a lot to do here." Nora pushed herself up to her feet. "What can we do in Beacon? We've always gone to Vale on holidays!"

"Well, we could train."

"We do that every day."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Hmm… We… could go to the game room and mess around there."

Pyrrha raised her eyebrows. "Isn't that where a lot of people got hurt a week ago?"

Oh, right. That time. "… Good point. Let's not do that." My mind started to draw a blank as we left the lecture hall. Okay, wow. Now that I think about it, Beacon doesn't have a lot of places for entertainment. And now that we're stuck in the school for at least tomorrow, we've just realized just how bad it is. "Um… We could hang out with RWBY and C.M.E.N."

That got my team's attention. Nora had to swallow down a laugh. "CMEN? Is that really their team name?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with it— ooh." I slapped my face. "I can't believe that I didn't notice that before."

"What?! How did you not notice that?"

"It's not my fault! They spelled out their team name the first time I met them!" I threw my hands up in defense. "It always bothered me how they never said their full team name unlike everybody else. But then again, I wouldn't say my team name out if it was spelled like that. Speaking of which, here they are right now with team RWBY."

We all turned to face our sister team and part of CMEN. Ruby only told me about them through messaging and sent a couple of pictures of them, but I've never met the team in person until today. According to my friend, these guys are a little… eccentric. I remember Ruby stating that Cinder's team was from Mistral, yet they're always wearing a thick, heavy uniform. They just wear it… everywhere, even after classes end. In fact, the only time I see them in their normal clothes was during combat training.

Then there's their weird quirks. The mint-haired girl, her name's Emerald I think? She seems really clumsy. Like, really, really clumsy. She always seem to smack into other people whenever walking without fail. It was a little funny watching her run into everybody back during the beginning of the semester, but now it is just really concerning.

The girl with the amber eyes must be Cinder. The thing is that she has this really weird stare that comes off as intense. It's weird how she looks so calm and rational, but her eyes were a raging inferno of emotions. It's almost like she was trying to light the whole world on fire all the time.

And Mercury… well I'm pretty sure he's into feet. There was this incident Ruby saw where he would sniff his boots in his dorm. In person, he doesn't look at weird, but after what I heard… And then he has this weird obsession with maintaining his shotgun boots. Way more obsessive than Ruby. Like his life depended on it. Although… it would make sense why Ruby would be friends with them now that I think about it.

"Hey guys!" Ruby gave us a smile as she waved at the rest of us. "Finally! Isn't it great that we're on break? It just so tiring sitting in class when there's nothing important to learn."

"Yeah," I said. "But hearing about how we can't leave Beacon for Friday is a downer."

The girl nodded her head with a bit of sadness. "And we had something great planned for Friday. It was going to be the best! And now we can't go."

Cinder gave us a small smile. "Such a shame indeed. I had some plans there as well. But what can we do about it? Nothing, really. All we can do is adapt and find something else productive to do."

A thought suddenly hit me. Why don't we just use the elevator again? I mean, it was a pain in the butt having to sneak around the storage area before getting out, but Ruby, Weiss, Blake and I can use that to get to Vale. But wait a minute. How are we going to sneak back in? And how are we going to explain to everybody where we were? It'll be suspicious if us four managed to disappear when everybody should be on campus and— Yeah, nevermind. No leaving Beacon tomorrow. We just have to suck it up.

I nodded. "That's true. I'm pretty sure we can find something else to do tomorrow. But enough about that. What are you guys doing?"

"Just getting a late lunch," Ruby responded. "I had a long training session with team RWBY, and we all forgot about eating. Team C.M.E.N. also didn't have lunch, so they're coming with us. What about you?"

"Yeah, we already ate. Anyways, we'll be going back to the dorms and spending some time together as a team." I jabbed my thumb towards the direction of the residential building. "I guess we'll see you guys later?"

Ruby nodded. "Alright! Goodbye guys!" With that, we went our separate ways.

"... Well, team CMEN were… okay," Pyrrha stated after a short silence. "They don't seem like bad people. That Mercury guy was a decent opponent when I fought him. I'm pretty sure he could keep up with me if he didn't quit early."

Nora shrugged. "Eh, they seem nice enough. Although it's kinda weird how there's only three members on their team. We've never seen their last person ever! Like, what do you think happened with their fourth member? Do you think that they had to go into hiding? Or maybe they're on a long journey to discover their true inner self. Or maybe—"

"— Or maybe their last member just likes staying in their dorm." Ren shrugged his shoulders. "Not everybody is a social person, after all."

"That's true." The hyperactive redhead bobbed her head back and forth. "But why? Maybe they have their face disfigured by an experiment gone wrong. Or what if—"

"Oh my gods!" Everybody turned their head towards Pyrrha. "I almost forgot! My agent talked to me about how there was supposed to be an interview so I can renegotiate my current contract, and it was supposed to be set tomorrow in the city!" She faced the rest of us. "I'm sorry everyone, but I have to get to the CCT and get the date changed. It would be terrible for my family's financial situation if I didn't get this done."

"We don't mind." I waved her off. "Go ahead and do what you need to do. We'll all understand if something like this is important."

She gave us a quick nod. "Thank you."

* * *

Cinder gave me a glance as we made our way to the cafeteria. The rest of my team were sharing a conversation with the rest of Cinder's teammates. "Ruby." I looked up at her. "So why did you need to go to Vale? You didn't mention anything about needing anything until after the Vytal Festival."

"Oh yeah, that." I waved off her concern. "My team doesn't need anything. But that doesn't mean I couldn't go window shopping. Plus, I'm looking for something… important."

"Like something for your weapon?"

"More like something that I need to… collect." I adjusted the straps on my cape as we continued walking. "As a weapons enthusiast, there's sometimes some stuff that you see and you think: 'I want it.' Even if it has nothing to do with Crescent Rose. Which by the way, she really needs a new paint job before I can say I've fully repaired my weapon. Everything's already done, and she's already functional, but it's disturbing to see the exposed dark gunmetal stick out from the red paint I normally use. I want her to look good when we fight. You get me?"

"No, no I don't," the woman chuckled as she shook her head. "I've never been a big fan of metallic weapons. I only fight with my fists, remember?"

"That's true. I still don't understand why you don't use gauntlets like Yang." I gave off a pout. "I mean, you could have a ton of range if you had a gun on you. Why stay limited to close range that way?"

"I like to think of it as… specialization." The leader of CMEN nodded her head. "While yes, I don't have a lot of range, I make up for it by being a heavy hitter. And if I ever needed range, I would either have Emerald and Mercury take care of it or just unravel the wrapping around my hands. And it's not like I'm powerless. Dust woven into clothing is a lot more valuable than you think it is."

"Hmm… you have a point there." I rubbed the back of my neck. "But what about the times when you have to fight alone? If your teammates are distracted by something, or you're on a solo mission? What would happen then?"

"I'll just ramp up my… Semblance and fight that way. The thing is, I don't lose control of a situation. There's a ton of backup plans up my sleeve, ready to be used at any time. You learn to hide whatever power you actually have, and let your enemies believe whatever you present to them. If anything, it's the enemies that should always be surprised, never you."

"Gods, you're saying that like you're prepared to fight Remnans and not Grimm." I let out a laugh.

"Well in a sense, wouldn't Huntsmen have to fight other Remnans eventually?" Cinder's smile dropped. "Think about it. Huntsmen have an extreme amount of power, since not only do they have Aura on their side, but they also have combat training, practice with their Semblance, and weapons that can shift forms at will. Armies can only do so much against a Huntsmen. Who wouldn't want that kind of power backing them up? And do note that we have combat training against Remnans as well. People like us will fight against something, whether it's the Grimm or other people."

"But we also have the ability to choose jobs for themselves," I countered. "We can think for ourselves, we have morals, we all believe that the survival of the Kingdoms is more important than anything else. Even a greedy Huntsmen understands that they need other Remnans to spend that money. But many more Huntsmen have valid reasons to protect everyone against the Grimm."

"I don't disagree. But my point is that within our society, Huntsmen are powerful tools. If Grimm didn't exist, then Huntsmen would be used not for everyone, but for the selfish. Then there are those who split away from the Kingdoms due to conflict. There will be opponents smarter than just the Grimm. I'm just taking on a policy that recognizes this fact."

"Alright, fine. Believe whatever you want to believe." I raised my hand up to my chin. "Changing subjects, why did you want to do to the city?"

"… There's a group I meet up with on those days. We like to talk about the issues plaguing Remnant and how we could change the world to make it a better place. How to make it a fairer place for others. How to stop conflict once and for all. You can say this group is fairly powerful, but they don't truly have an influence in the city yet. I'm helping them out in a sense, partly because they share a similar belief as me. Even if it's focused on another group?"

"And the other part?" I asked.

"I'm trying to find somebody. Someone important, someone who can give me a chance at gaining the power needed to make the world fair for others. Someone who could give me the power to give Remnant justice."

I raised my eyebrows at that. "Justice?"

She nodded her head. "Let me ask a question. Do you believe in destiny?" I shook my head. "This idea that from the moment you're born, you have a life completely planned out for you. I've never thought I would amount to anything until I've met that person. What they've said about changing society, how justice will be given to everyone and everything… I believe it is fate that I would bring justice to everyone. A chance at a new world where no one has to suffer, or struggle, or fight, but a chance of living without conflict. I think this is the role given to me."

"Hmm… the person you've talked to must be wise or brilliant. It seems like a noble goal. But how does that help us win against the Grimm?" I let out a confused hum. "You focus a lot on Remnans. But Grimm are the reason why we're in a situation like this. Why would you think that our troubles will be over once justice is brought to this world?"

Cinder narrowed her eyebrows. "Well—"

"If you guys are done talking about stupid philosophy," Mercury interrupted, slamming his hands down onto my shoulders. I yelped as I struggled in his grasp. "Let's eat some food already. I don't want to go dumpster diving for food."

"You're saying that like it wasn't the first time you had to do that," Emerald called out.

"Shut up, Emi."

"Well, let's just end the conversation here for now." Cinder smiled again as she opened the glass door. "It was… interesting having this talk."

I nodded as everybody else walked into the building. Cinder's words have some backing to it. The Kingdoms aren't the best of societies. It would make sense to try and change it for the better. But a world without conflict… I wonder what that would be like. A world where we didn't have to worry about fighting ever again… Whoever convinced Cinder of this is ambitious. It's an interesting dream for someone to have.

* * *

With a whir of a motor, the lock snapped open, allowing team JNPR and I to walk into our dorms. I let out a long yawn as I flopped onto the bed. Maybe I should just go to sleep right now. Yeah, my uniform's going to be wrinkly when I get up, but who's going to care? It's the holiday starting tomorrow!

"Ahh! Home sweet home!" JNPR's hyperactive redhead bounded into the room. With another eased sigh Nora untied the ribbon around her neck and tossed it onto her desk. "Finally, a chance to get out of these stuffy clothes and put on my comfy pajamas! You guys don't mind if I take the bathroom first and change out, right?"

"Go ahead." I waved her off. With that I glanced up at the ceiling. Okay, so we're going to be losing Friday to the broken airships. Nobody has an idea if we're going to lose any part of the weekend as well. I sighed. We could really use more time to get this done. But next week's the simulation, the week after that's the Vytal Festival Tournament, then after that is winter break. If we can't find the Cupid by then, we might not be together to continue finding it. Ruby and Yang might go back to Patch, Weiss might go back to Atlas. Well, maybe Blake might still be in the city.

But then again, what can Blake and I do with just the two of us? We're going to basically let the Cupid run amok throughout the entire winter if we can't find it right now. And that means the chance something goes wrong will skyrocket! It's going to be a complete mess that we're going to have to deal with when we get back. No, if we want to make sure that everything's going to be fine, we have to get the Arrow within the next two weeks!

"And I'm back!" Nora burst through the bathroom doors in her usual sleepwear of t-shirt and shorts. With a pleased sigh, she leaped onto her bed. "So, what did you guys talk about while I was changing?"

"What?" I asked, sitting up as I glanced at Ren. He returned a shrug to me. "We didn't say a single thing to each other."

The girl tapped the side of her cheek for a moment before nodding. "Well, okay. Nothing's a pretty good starting point. That means we can talk about anything we want! Like… why don't we have a pancake day?"

"Nora." Ren sighed. "I always make pancakes for you in the morning. You had my pancakes this morning."

"Nono, that's not what I meant. I mean, why don't we as a team make pancakes together?" She threw her hands up, a manic grin starting to crawl up her face. "It makes so much sense! We're not going to go anywhere, so why don't we do something that doesn't involve having to leave our rooms? It's going to be the perfect day! In fact, I think it's about time we tried to attempt the largest pancake stack ever known to Remnant!"

"Wait, what? The biggest— How big is the largest pancake stack ever?" I pulled out my scroll and started typing stuff in. "I mean, we've already seen some big—" My eyes widened at the search results. "Oh gods, one hundred and two centimeters? That's huge!"

"Yup," the girl nodded. "A perfect pancake tower, stacked the size of a small child. I mean, I've made pancake mounds close to this size, but those are just pancakes I throw into a pile. No, I want to create perfection. It'll be the equivalent to the Amity Colosseum in terms of how impressive it's going to be!" A bit of drool started falling out of her mouth. "I want to break this world record. And eat the world record too, while I'm at that."

I let my mouth open and close as I stared at the redhead in disbelief. "... Do we even have that much pancake batter to make something like that?"

"Of course we do! Ren had a giant stash of his secret recipe dry mix right under my bed! It's huge, like it's basically the size of the mattress I sleep on! Here, I'll show it to you right now!" She threw herself off of her bed and started digging underneath. "Okay, where is it… Let's see. Magazines of the X-Ray vs. Vav arc. I don't know, it wasn't really good. The two really shouldn't be fighting after being such good friends and all that. Whatever! Continuing on! Discarded boxes of chocolate eggs. Pyrrha's highlighter. Oh, so that's where it went! Yeah, I should clean up underneath my— There it is!"

"Ren, how did you ever manage to get all of the pancake mix if it's so messy down there?" I whispered.

"The thing is, I don't." His eyes flickered to his childhood friend digging underneath her mattress. He leaned into my ear. "Don't tell Nora this, but I just make a new batch every time before she wakes up. In fact, I'm not sure if we can still eat the one underneath her bed. I can't get to it for ages. I'm pretty sure it's all moldy by now. Granted, I have it sealed in an airtight container, but who knows?"

"Okay!" Our attention went back to Nora, who had her head firmly underneath the bed. "I can't reach our container of pancake mix, so I'm going to throw everything I have out until I can reach it! Heads up! Magazines!" We ducked out of the way as the books flew at our faces. "Boxes! Hmm… I'll just pocket the highlighter. Dud grenade round!" She tossed the discarded ammunition towards the closet space for the two girls.

"Wait a minute," I started. "Did you say dud?"

She didn't get the chance to answer my question when the whole room exploded. Everybody let out a yelp as the shockwave knocked us all off of our feet. The explosion sent me flying into a wall, which knocked the air off of me. A cough escaped my mouth as pink smoke filled the room. Ah! Air! I need air! My hand fumbled around the wall. Where's the window? It has to be— I felt something cold and smooth. There!

I yanked the window open, sending a rush of fresh air into the room. I coughed a couple more times as I waved the air around me. "Ren! Nora! Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine!" Ren stumbled towards the window with his mouth covered by his sleeve, Nora following closely behind. Their breaths were shallow from the smoke around us. "But what about you? I saw you get hit by the explosion."

"My Aura took most of the blow, don't worry about that." I felt a sweatdrop run down my face. That was close. And to think I was planning on using my Stand to help her out right before she threw that grenade. I would've been blown to shreds! "But Nora, why did you have a grenade under your bed?! If that destroyed one of the walls or even the floor—"

"I'm sorry!" The girl had her hands held close to her mouth. "It didn't work when I tried to fire it, so I thought that it was safe enough for me to keep inside the room until I can exchange it at the store! I didn't expect it to explode right now!"

"Nora." The boy in green grabbed her shoulders. "Any kind of ammunition is dangerous, no matter when it's used. You should've at least removed the Dust propellant so that it couldn't fire at all."

"Yeah, that's true…" Nora let out a long sigh as she looked into the room. "Well, at least the only thing that was destroyed was a closet door. I don't think I keep anything important there except for clothes." She squinted her eyes as the pink smoke cleared up. "Wait a minute… isn't my closet on the left hand side? Why hasn't it—" She slapped her cheeks as the realization struck her. "Oh no! I just blew up Pyrrha's closet!"

The rest of us looked up. Sure enough, I managed to catch a piece of red cloth hanging from a broken half of the closet door. Several outfits lay all over the floor, either ripped or stained with soot from the explosion. I recognize the dress that Pyrrha wore to the dance, its shiny red color dirtied by the debris from the explosion.

"Oh gods," I muttered under my breath. "This isn't good."

"What am I going to do?" The girl started fretting, running towards the shattered remains of the closet. "Oh gods, what if she kept some important stuff in here? What if I destroyed something important to her? Would she forgive me? Guys, tell me she's not going to panic over this! I don't know—"

"Nora, you have to calm down." I leaned down and started picking at the closet door. "I don't think she'll keep something important to her in a closet. Besides, even if she did, she's the forgiving type, remember?"

Ren stepped in. "That's right. Besides, Pyrrha will understand that this was an accident. You didn't know that the grenade was still live and you didn't intentionally throw the grenade to destroy the closet. I'm sure that Pyrrha can pick that up quickly and forgive you."

I nodded, giving one of the shards of wood a tug. The door came down just like that, revealing the clothes still hanging from the closet rack and something rectangular on the bottom. I raised my eyebrows. What's that on the bottom? I dug through a bit of the debris, cleaning up the pile to reveal what was hidden underneath.

Sitting on the floor was a little box with electric candles sitting on it. In the center was a faded picture of a pale white dog. I'm not too sure what the breed is, but it's distinctly Mistralian. The little dog had a brown stripe across the center of their back. This pattern was reversed for its head, being predominantly brown with a white stripe down its face. The fuzzy looking animal had its tongue out while it was being hugged by a much younger Pyrrha, maybe five or so? The two looked happy together. There was a little name tag underneath the picture with a name: _My Sweet Luna._

A wood splinter shattered the center of the box. There were some tears in the photo, fairly recent as well. It's most likely due to the explosion. But there was a bulge where the wood splinter was. I felt my breath hitch. Is there anything under this that could potentially…? I snatched the splinter and lifted it up. Underneath was what looked like a tiny pacemaker. The lead was smashed, with sparks escaping from the circuitry. The casing was all messed up, with dents all over the machine. The only thing still intact is the wiring connected to the lead.

I heard some gasps from behind me. "What is this?" Nora whispered. "Why is there a picture of a dog between some candles?"

"Don't pry any further." I turned around and faced the rest of my team. "It's something very… private. I'm not going to say anything about it." I stepped away and pulled out my scroll. _Hey Pyrrha,_ I wrote. _How far are you right now?_

 _Not that far,_ she responded. _I had to do the negotiations right there. It's really stressful having to talk to businessmen about being a champion. Are you guys doing something right now?_

I glanced up. Nora was kneeled at the shrine, staring at it in disbelief. Ren was running a hand down her arm, trying to comfort her. Pyrrha can't see this. It'll crush her. I started typing, _We're not in the room right now. JNPR's currently going to—_

Before I could finish my message, I heard the door pop open, followed by Pyrrha walking in. She gave us a half-hearted smile. "Hello everybody! Jaune was just texting me about—" Her eyes widened at the sight of the closet. Her jaw dropped as she stood there in silence. Seconds stretched into minutes as nothing happened.

Nora got up, lacing her hands together in a plea. "Pyrrha, please. You have to understand, I didn't mean to do this—" She couldn't finish her sentence however, as Pyrrha shoved her to the side as she made her way towards the broken closet. My partner's movements were almost robotic as she leaned down and picked up the ruined pacemaker. The hyperactive girl had a frown grace her face. "Are— are you okay?"

"Nora. I'll only say this one time." Pyrrha's voice was stilted, filled with sorrow and… anger? "Get out."

"Look, I can explain everything—"

The hyperactive redhead couldn't finish her words as she grunted in pain, stumbling back. What the— I turned to see Nora crumbling, sparks flying into her body. The pacemaker had struck her in the chest, electrocuting her. Granted, her Semblance meant that nothing will actually happen, but the blow still shocked everyone nevertheless. My head flew back towards Pyrrha, who had her hand out. The pacemaker flew back into her hand.

"Go. I don't want you here. I don't want to hear anything from you. It doesn't matter." Pyrrha stopped to take a couple of breaths. Almost as if she was trying to calm herself down. "I don't want to see you. Not while I'm cleaning up your mess. Just—" She swallowed back a choke as she sat down at the shrine. "Just go away, Nora."

Nora didn't respond, making a choking sound instead. A sigh escaped my mouth. What's with these past few days and making Nora cry? I glanced at Ren, who nodded before taking his partner's hand. "Come on, Nora. Pyrrha just needs some space. Jaune will calm her down, right?" I nodded. "See? Let's go get some food for everybody else, alright?" With that, they left.

As for me, I walked over to my partner and sat next to her. "Look, Pyrrha—"

"Jaune." She didn't spare a glance at me. "Could you not say anything for awhile? It's really hard not to… lash out at everyone."

I nodded, scooting a bit. Together we sat in the wreckage in silence, staring at the picture of the dog.

A long time passed before Pyrrha spoke again. "I remember the day I got Luna." She cradled her chin within her hands. "It was a fully formed moon. I was celebrating my fifth birthday with my mom and dad at night, back in the little house we called home before I became famous. Before, I always wished for some kind of friend to play with. It's hard being an only child. So, right after I blew out my candles, my dad pulled out this box with holes on the side of it. And when I opened it, there sat a little kokoni puppy, looking up at me with the widest smile I've ever seen."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed my partner made a small smile. "Soon after that, I started training to compete in championships. Mainly because I wanted to be like the champions in the news. Luna quickly became my first and only friend for a long time. There were times when I wanted to stop training, to quit. But every day after practice, Luna would bound over to me and cuddle. She was a wonderful dog."

"That sounds great," I sighed. "I wished I had a dog like that. But that also means that Luna… isn't with you anymore, right?"

She nodded. "The problem started when I was around twelve. Luna would be less quick to bound over to me, she would get tired quicker. We took her to the doctors. Turns out she had bradycardia, where the heart would beat slower than normal. She couldn't get enough blood to her brain. The veterinarian fitted Luna with a pacemaker, and she was fine for awhile. Skip two years later, and I fought the finals match that would make me a champion. A week prior I had just found my Semblance, and I was training nonstop so that I could use it in battle."

Pyrrha swallowed. "I won the tournament fight, but then soon after, we had to rush Luna to the vet, where we learned that the pacemaker was failing due to some strong magnetic field. She—" My partner held back a sob. "Luna didn't make it. And— and I was the problem. I was using my Semblance around her all the time during that week. I was the reason that my friend—" A tear fell close to the broken pacemaker. "I did this to her."

I wrapped one arm around her shoulder, pulling her head close to my chest. "Easy, Pyrrha. You didn't know. Plus, you have the rest of us now, right? It's going to be okay. We can move on from this."

"But Jaune," she whispered. "I— I don't know, but I just can't find myself forgiving Nora for what she's done. This here." Pyrrha brought the pacemaker close to her heart. "This is the only reminder I have left of Luna aside from the pictures. There's nothing else. My family sold the rest of Luna's stuff. I can try to fix it, but it just wouldn't be the same. I shouldn't be angry at Nora, but after all this." She stopped for a moment, trying to recollect her thoughts. "There's no way to explain it, but I don't want to see Nora for awhile. That's just the best way to explain it."

A sigh escaped my mouth as I held her in my hands, pulling out my scroll and messaging Ren. _How's Nora?_

 _Crushed. She's hurt about Pyrrha hitting her like that. I think it's best if we stay out of Pyrrha's way._

Hmm… how are we going to do that? There's no way to go. _I don't think so. We're most likely going to run into each other tomorrow since we're stuck in Beacon. Maybe we'll try and talk this out early in the morning, when everyone's calmer. You have a room?_

Ren responded quickly. _I'm planning on bringing Nora to team RWBY. They'll take us in for now. We'll meet at the fountain tomorrow, 8:00?_

 _Alright. I'll see you then._ I snapped my scroll closed and continued embracing my partner. I can feel her shake as she pressed her face into my shoulder. It didn't matter to me that I can feel my shoulder getting wet. This is what Pyrrha needs now. Tomorrow isn't going to be pretty, but we have to fix this problem. I just hope that everything works out.

* * *

Hours passed quickly as the two of us fell asleep. The first thing that caught my attention was the buzzing against the side of my leg. Pyrrha stirred next to me, but otherwise remained asleep. I yawned as I dug my scroll out from my back pocket. What time is it? _11:32. 8 NEW NOTIFICATIONS,_ my scroll read. My eyes widened at the sight. Oh my—

"Pyrrha, wake up!" The girl yelped as she shot up from my grip. I brushed myself off as I scanned through the texts. _11:31. Where are you right now?_

 _Woke up late. Heading over right now._ I placed my scroll away as I stretched. Man, sleeping on the floor is really uncomfortable. How do people do it?

"Jaune? What's going on? Why were we sleeping on the floor?" Pyrrha's face flushed. "Why were we sleeping together? What are you doing right now?"

"I guess we dozed off or something," I replied, taking a quick glance at myself. Okay, I'm still in yesterday's uniform. Am I going to be fine? I took a quick sniff. Yeah, I can do without the shower. "But that's not the point. We're going to go out, get something to eat, and try to talk this out with Ren and Nora."

Her eyes widened. "What? No, I can't do that! What if something goes wrong? What if she doesn't want to forgive me? What if I don't want to forgive her?"

"You're sounding like Nora right now, you know." But she's right. What if something does go wrong? I should have my rocket locker at the ready just in case this gets violent. I looked up. "Come on, you gotta have more trust in yourself and be more open to talking it out with Nora. All of this is a big misunderstanding on both sides. If we can clear up all of this confusion, then everything should be fine! Plus, Ren and I will be there. We won't let anything go wrong even if something does happen."

"Well, if you say it like that…" Pyrrha let out a long hum. "Maybe I should give it a chance. I'll try to talk it out with her."

"Alright then!" I grabbed her wrist. "Then I think it's about time we had this conversation." Before she could say a word, I tugged her out of our dorm and towards the rest of our team.

Beacon was booming with a ton of activity as Pyrrha and I were walking towards the fountain. There were a ton of people walking around, a lot more than usual. Several large groups talked amongst each other, doing bits of fun activities such as street dancing, music performances and all that. Hell, I think I see a red-headed cat faunus do a performance similar to ice skating with a man playing jazz to complement her. It felt like going to a mini-festival of sorts. I guess everyone decided that staying cramped up in the dorms wasn't how they were going to spend their holiday off.

One thing that caught my attention in particular was the stage set next to the statue of Beacon. It looks to be some kind of talent show, looking at the people on the stage as well as the students standing on the side. A ton of random props were scattered around next to that line. My eyebrows flew up as I looked at the participants. Oh, huh. Team SSSN and CRDL are performing in a talent show? I didn't think Cardin was that kind of person. It would be fun to see what they will do if it wasn't for the fact that we're already late to this appointment.

As we made our way towards the fountain, Pyrrha started getting more fretful, turning paler the closer we got to the fountain. "Jaune, can we just do this another day? It's not going to be right if we do it right now, when everybody's trying to salvage their Friday." When I didn't respond, she continued on: "Plus, I think Nora's going to need a bit more time to herself before we can actually have this talk." I kept my mouth shut. Now she really looked scared. "Please Jaune, I don't know what to do, I don't think I can do this!"

"Pyrrha, it's not as hard as you're making it out to be." I brought my mouth up to a smile. "It's like what you said to me about Luna. Tell her about your dog, how important she was to you, and that you want to hear her side of the story. Again, don't worry about it Pyrrha. It's going to be fine."

"Right. Fine. It'll be alright." We passed under the arch leading to the fountain. There were a couple of students hanging around the area. The sun was high in the sky, basking everything in the area with its warm glow. And sitting on the edge of the fountain itself were Ren and Nora having a talk with each other.

I felt Pyrrha tense in my grasp. Nora tensed up as well the second she looked in our direction. And with that, we stood silently as the two girls stared down each other.

"Well?" I gestured over to the hyperactive girl. "Don't you have something to say to Nora, Pyrrha?"

My partner nodded as she started walking towards her teammate. "Uh, hello." Nora glanced away, crossing her arms in a huff. "Nora, I know what happened yesterday was an absolute mess. I wasn't thinking straight. If you can give me a chance, I can explain everything."

"Oh really? Just like how you gave me the chance to speak back in the room? How you hit me using that little doo-dad your dog had on?" Everybody reeled back at the sharp words.

"What the— Nora!" Ren shook his head. "I thought you were going to be calmer! You have to at least give Pyrrha the chance to say something!"

"... Sorry, Ren. I guess I'm still a little hurt from what happened." She rubbed her eyes. "Go ahead, Pyrrha."

The champion nodded. "Alright. I know I was angry about what happened to my dog's pacemaker. And I also know that I was completely out of line with what I did. I wasn't thinking clearly. But please understand, this is something really personal to me." Team JNPR stood there in silence as Pyrrha poured her heart into her story, spinning her tale about her dog, how much it meant to her, why she acted the way she did."

Nora stirred as Pyrrha ended her story. "That's it?"

My partner flinched at Nora's response. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean that you overreacted to the destruction of your shrine to your dog, slammed a broken pacemaker into my chest, and caused me a lot of pain… all because you were a lonely girl?" My eyebrow flew up at her words. What is Nora saying? This isn't like her at all. She's a lot more forgiving than that. Why's she's being so… dismissive now? The hyperactive girl brushed herself off as she stood up. "Because that's really childish. Oh, boo hoo, your dog died. How about losing parents that you can't even remember? I'm still standing tall even after losing my family a long time ago, and you crumble the second somebody mentions a dead dog."

Pyrrha let out a growl. "Nora, that's an insensitive thing to say. I'm just trying to explain my side of the—"

She couldn't finish her sentence as Nora slapped her in the face. I felt my jaw drop at the sight. What in the world is Nora doing? Pyrrha brought one of her hands to her cheek, mouth open in shock. Nora shot her teammate a glare. "Listen up, Pyrrha. Things happen that's out of your control. Deal with it. I didn't think that the grenade would explode when I threw it. It's completely out of my control. But what can you control is yourself. So get over yourself already!" I kept my mouth shut. I don't think mentioning her hypocrisy was going to end well.

My partner stayed silent for a moment, just staring at the other redhead in shock. "You slapped me."

"Yeah, and so what if I did?" Nora shrugged her shoulders. "Don't be so self-centered, Pyrrha. You've explained your side of the story, I've explained mine." She let out a scoff when Pyrrha didn't respond. "What, did the truth hurt? How bad do you feel now that you realized how much you hurt me?"

"Nora!" Ren ran his fingers through his air, letting out a groan of agitation. "You didn't have to hit Pyrrha to make your point!"

"Shut up Ren, I'm not done!" The girl turned back towards my partner. "Are you angry? Because you look pretty angry right now. Of course you wouldn't get it, you're too self-centered to care about others." She held her arms up, beckoning Pyrrha to her. "Hit me. I dare you."

"Look Nora, you're taking this way too far." I started towards the two girls as I realized the situation. "It's not a good idea to goad her—"

Before I could even blink, Pyrrha whipped her fist, bashing Nora right in the nose. A gasp escaped from the pancake lover's mouth as she staggered back. If it was anybody without an Aura, she would be bleeding from the nose. However, I'm pretty sure the blow still hurt pretty bad. Nora growled as she stomped over to my partner. "You—"

"Intervention!" I grabbed Pyrrha by the waist, pulling her back before she threw another punch at Nora. Ren likewise hooked his arms under Nora's armpits and yanked her back. "Pyrrha, calm down!"

"No! I had it! I'm not going to hold back anymore!" A yelp escaped my mouth as she started dragging me across the ground. "I'm going to go over there and beat Nora's head in!"

"Well, maybe you should try not beating your friend's head in?" I bit my lip as I brought my Stand out. "We can still try to talk this out, you know."

"We gave up talking the moment she slapped me!" Pyrrha started struggling as I lowered her density, making it harder for her to pull me. "Now I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!"

"Ren!" I yelled at the other boy. "Get Nora to calm down!"

"Don't listen to him, Ren!" Nora responded. "Pyrrha sucker punched me! Just let me go and I'll break her legs!"

"I know. That's why I'm doing this." He released Nora from his grasp.

"What the— Ren!" I shook my head. "What are you doing?"

"Jaune, Pyrrha made Nora cry and punched her in the face. If there's one thing that makes me furious, it's messing with Nora. I would let that stand." With a yell, the two of them charged us.

"Aw, come on! **「** **EVERYDAY BOY!** **」** " I pushed Pyrrha to the side. A cry escaped her mouth as she bounced far away from the fountain. Moments later I ducked, dodging a punch thrown by Ren. One smack to the back of his hand increased his density tenfold, causing him to collapse to the ground with a yelp.

"Renny!" Nora threw me an evil eye as she balled her fists up. "Jaune, stay out of the way! This is between me and Pyrrha!"

I shook my head. "I can't let you do that, Nora. We're teammates! We're not going to fight each other!"

"No!" She started bounding towards me, arms raised and ready to fight. "I'll fight you too!" I retreated a couple of steps back, hands out as I waited for the right opportunity to counter. Okay Jaune. Nora's an up close fighter, so one hit from her's going to really mess up your day. However, she's just like everybody else. I just have to touch her once to stop her in her tracks.

The last girl standing roared as she swung a fist at me. Slow and sloppy. It's actually what I expected for someone who only trained with a weapon. I stepped into her range, allowing her fist to skim my face as I shoved her to the ground. Nora fell like a rock, collapsing with a thud. Almost instantly she struggled to get back up, but no matter what she tried, she's couldn't lift her finger an inch off of the ground. Not a second later Pyrrha slammed a fist into my face. I staggered back, letting out a wet cough.

"Ow, Pyrrha! What the hell!" I rubbed my cheek. "Why did you hit me?"

"Do I even need a reason?" My partner raised both of her fists up in something that reminded me of a boxer's stance.

"Yes! Yes you do! Because I don't know what I did that made you so—" She charged me. "Oh gods!" I sidestepped again, allowing her to past me. Before she could react, I slid my fingers down her back. She toppled and fell to the ground in an instant, bound to the floor like the rest of JNPR.

I took a couple of deep breaths, wiping my brow as I looked my teammates. What the hell's going on? Why's everyone so angry at each other? Everything was more or less fine yesterday. What could've happened that would make everybody so angry at each other? It doesn't add up somehow. There's got to be a good reason why—

A bottle smashed into my back, sending glass shards deep into my skin. A gasp escaped my mouth. What the— Who hit me? I turned around to see a random student with a broken glass bottle in his hand. "Dude, what gives? I was clearly defending myself— Oh, that's not good." Now that I bothered looking, it was utter chaos around me. Everyone was just wailing on each other, no holds barred. It's like a battle royale, where everybody was using anything they could get their hands on to beat up their friends.

My mouth went dry as I stared at the student with the broken glass bottle. "I don't know," the boy rumbled. "All I know is that I feel so, so angry! So angry that I need to just… let it all out." He stared at me. "I wonder how you will look when you're covered in your own blood?" A shiver went down my spine as I heard those menacing words. With that he brandished his weapon and stepped towards me, his eyes revealing nothing but murder.

 ** _⇐TO BE CONTINUED=_ 10/27/2017**

* * *

 **So, no side character bizarre adventures yet. I'm reserving that for the next arc. But don't worry, I'm not forgetting about the rest of the cast. That being said, let's just get into the reviews!**

 **Guest 1: Thank you Guest 1!**

 **darkmist111: The natural conclusion of Stand users meeting other Stand users. While I won't describe it as straight up bloodlust, it does seem like Stand users meeting Stand users always end up in destructive fights. Is it due to the nature of Stand users? Could it be due to the realization that the very existence of Stands makes their users dangerous to the world around them? I've always been interested in showing the consequences of Stand fights on society. And it's pretty obvious in Lady Marmalade. Good catch there.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: And thank you rabidhandsquirrl! Yeah, they do come off as more sympathetic, huh. I wonder why...**

 **doa570047: Yeah, I'm glad the sisters are more of a forgiving type. Well, it also helps that they don't need to stress so hard on keeping the restaurant open. But yeah, turns out a quick look at the Wikia shows that BRNZ and NDGO are both from Vacuo. I actually didn't know this either until I started researching stuff for Nolan's BA, so lucky me. Everything just landed right. And** **I think you meant Mistral when you were talking about the remaining teams. Vacuo is already covered. But the stage is set, everybody's literally going mad. Who can the next Stand user be?**

 **Guest 2: First off, thank you for making notes of my mistakes. I've corrected the league thing. But yeah, sometimes it's the silliest stuff that sticks out the most. I had way too much fun writing the sherbert and the board game scenes, and they mean jack to the story. Guess I know why Araki likes going off topic into these random tangents. The dorky passion is amusing, to say the least.**

 **Guest 3: Hmm... I wonder why...**

 **mastergamer14: I like the idea of Stand evolution. It fits the story I want to tell. Granted, it would be my own take on it. Not with all of the bells and whistles of Part 6, but something that will be interesting.**

 **Anyways, that's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update:**_ **_October 27, 2017_**

 ** _EDIT Oct. 19, 2017: A minor change in dates. It was left over from an old idea, a remnant of a previous plan that I failed to catch. Should be fixed now._**


	22. Feel Good Inc - Part 1

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to yet another chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure. So, I'm okay right now! Through the fire and the flames, everything is now fine! There's no more need to worry about my safety or if the story's coming out anymore.**

 **Anyways, as for story related stuff. No betas this week. This Stand fight was way too big for anybody in _The Qrow's Nest_ to get through in time for this release. So, expect more mistakes than usual. But well, there's not much to say and a lot of stuff to go through, so let's just jump right in! **

* * *

A weak whimper escaped my mouth as the sounds of carnage roared around me. I can feel my gut wrench, my mind racing to process all of this information. Something's off here. Why would everybody be fighting like this? It makes no sense at all. It would've been a little plausible if it was just my team, maybe even a couple more people. But everybody in the plaza? How is it possible that everybody happened to be angry at the same time? My eyes narrowed. This must be the work of an enemy Stand. But who could be causing this?

My breath hitched as the bloodthirsty boy took a couple of test swings with the broken glass bottle in his hand. I can't exactly worry about who that is right now. Right now, I have to make sure that my team and I don't die to the berserkers around us. And that means figuring out how this enemy Stand works.

I took a couple of steps back, glancing at the crowd at the same time. Okay, so nobody's bleeding. Their Aura's still intact. So does this ability only affect emotion? But if that's the case, why am I not affected? Is it due to the fact that I'm a Stand user, or is there another factor that I'm not considering? This person's range is long enough to encompass at least the plaza, and that's from what I can see. Just what is the extent of this person's powers?

But before worrying about all that, I need to heal up. I recalled my Stand and winced as the glass shards in my back started sliding back out, my Aura reconnecting my muscles back together. A shivering wave of pain caused my body to jitter. Ugh, I can't get used to this. It always just feels wrong. But with that out of the way, I focused my attention on my opponent. How am I going to get out of here alive? Let's start with the guy immediately attacking me. The guy has an improvised weapon in his hands which could really mess me up if I had my Stand out. But aside from that, he doesn't have any immediate way to hurt me.

What options do I have… Hmm… I should call my rocket locker and get Crocea Mors. That should allow me to fend off these guys long enough to find the user. But then again, it's going to take a while until my weapons reach me. How long can I stall this guy until I can get my sword and shield? I inspected him. The guy looks bulkier than me, but he's not Cardin-sized. I might be able to wrestle him down if he wasn't trying to kill me.

He let out a roar, charging me and breaking me out of my thoughts. I jumped back, slipping past a wide swing in my direction. Huh. His movements are slow and easy to read. And I think he's just fighting impulsively. I can handle this. In fact, this should be easy enough that if he doesn't have any kind of backup at all, I won't need to worry. Everybody else was focused on fighting their own battles when I looked over his shoulder. I stuffed one of my hands into my pocket and hit the emergency button. Yeah, just stall until I can get Crocea Mors. That's my best choice.

The boy in front of me gave me a big grin as he leered at me. A bit of drool started dripping out of his mouth as he started going into a maniacal laugh. What the— What's going on? I brought my hands up to my chest. Why is he laughing like that? It's sorta unnerving watching the guy just… laugh like that. But—

A cry escaped his mouth, sending a bit of saliva into the air as he charged me again, his weapon high above his head. My eyes widened as he brought the broken bottle down towards my face. Oh gods— I took a couple steps into his arm span, smacking his weapon to the side so that it instead skimmed my arm. My Aura flared for just a moment before fading in favor of **「** **EVERYDAY BOY.** **」** I balled my other hand and let my Stand increase its density. The guy's smile dropped into a furious frown.

With a grunt I slammed my fist straight into the guy's gut, causing him to cough and wheeze as he stumbled past me. Pain shot through my arm moments later, causing me to grasp it while letting out a groan. I know that I'm not Yang, but ow! How in the world does she punch so hard without breaking her hand? Agh, geez. I waved my arm around.

From the corner of my eye, I can make the gray streak of the rocket smoke cut through the blue sky. That's good. Only a couple more minutes before I can get my weapon and stop him quickly. I forgot that the rocket lockers are right here. Of course they're going to be here sooner than I thought. I shook my head. But that doesn't matter right now. I just got to make sure that neither JNPR or any of the students decide that I should die.

But it wasn't too long until I heard the incoming roar of the student. I sidestepped, again avoiding the student's attempt in ramming the jagged bottle into my back. How did he recover so quickly? I made sure that I knocked the air out of his lungs! Even with Aura, he should still be recovering for a couple more seconds, but he's up like nothing ever happened! I brought my fists up like how Yang normally holds her arms whenever she boxes. Oh man, I really should've gotten more training in this kind of stuff. It would be really useful to have right now.

A growl escaped from his mouth as he twisted on the balls of his feet, this time making a wide arc towards my face. It should be fairly easy to dodge. Not too much of a big deal. As I started leaning to the side to dodge, the boy suddenly shifted his weight, throwing his free arm into my chest instead. I felt myself wheeze, my ribs snapping as his punch sent me careening towards the side of the arch. Oof… A cough escaped my mouth as I curled up into a ball. Ow…

I recalled the Stand back and glanced up. The angry student was making his way towards me, his maniacal grin growing even bigger. Gotta… get up. I started to push myself off from the ground. There's no way I'm going to let him stab me again! My muscles shook as I slowly dragged myself to an upright position. Ugh… it's really hard to catch my breath. How can this guy recover faster than me? We did the exact same thing to each other! This shouldn't be happening—

He was on me in an instant. Oh— My eyes slammed shut the moment he swung his weapon into my face. Sharp, prickly sensations jabbed into my eyelids a moment later, threatening to puncture my eyes. A pained scream escaped my mouth as the hit sent me flying to who-knows-where before I slammed into something solid.

Holy— He would have gouged my eyes out if I chose to have my Stand out! I lifted my stinging eyelids open. I think I might be close to the fountain again, considering I can see the rest of my team still on the ground. The sound of water trickling was also a good sign. In fact— I touched the marble behind me, feeling something wet graze my hand. Yep, I'm right in front of the fountain. I just hope that my landing didn't catch any more attention.

How far was the guy from me? My eyes searched the area, eventually spotting him where I used to be. Further than the last time he sent me flying. Okay, that's good. That means more time to recover. The boy broke into a sprint, causing me to pale up. And I stand corrected. I snatched the edge of the marble structure and flipped myself into the water. A shiver ran down my spine as the ice-cold water swallowed me whole, delving into my clothes. I called out my Stand as I lowered myself into the water, making a loose fist with one of my hands. Alright, any time now…

The moment he was within an arm's length away from me, I squeezed a small stream of water into his face as he swung at me again. It hit him straight on. Granted, it didn't really faze the boy, only causing him to blink. However, it did cause him to flinch, making him miss me by a couple of inches. More than enough for my plan. Before he could recover, I snatched his arm and pulled him towards me. The boy yelped as **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** lightened him up. His free hand tried grasping the edge of the marble, but a solid kick from me knocked it away. He's done.

All the boy could do was yelp as I swung him into the fountain with a splash. I didn't let up for an instant, bringing my Stand out to make the boy hyper dense while decreasing the density of the fountain water we stood in. He shouldn't be able to move now. That should stop him from doing anything—

A cry escaped my mouth as he slammed the glass bottle into the side of my leg, carving a deep gash that ended close to the bone. Blood started gushing out of the wound, staining the water red in an instant. What? What happened? I jerked myself out of the water, recalling my Stand again to slow the amount of blood coming out from my side. I thought that he shouldn't be able to bring himself back to the surface. Anything heavier than water will sink. I saw that myself in a pool once— Wait a minute… that's my problem. We're not in a pool, are we? He can easily escape because we're not in a deep pool, but a fountain that goes only a foot deep at most. He can still struggle out of it.

My face winced as he pulled himself out, although with some difficulty. Okay, that wasn't my best idea. Maybe find a bigger pool before trying something like that again. I bit the bottom of my lip. How long do I have before my sword gets here? Two seconds later, I could hear the thundering sounds of the rocket locker entering its last stage. I looked up. The rocket's coming right towards me! I jumped to the side right before it hit me as it landed with a thud, sending more shards of concrete flying into the air and knocking the wind out of my lungs. But that didn't really matter. Right now, I felt sweet relief when the locker door opened, revealing the sword in its sheath. My family heirloom.

The boy must've seen the weapon too as he threw himself out from the fountain and charged towards it. Oh no you don't! **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** came back out again as I snatched one of the broken off pieces of concrete and fired it into his knee. A yell escaped his mouth, stumbling before falling to the ground. This is my chance! I made my way over and ripped the weapon out from its container. At the same time, the boy crawled towards me, trying to jab the bloody glass into my foot. I felt Crocea Mors grow heavy in my hands as I swung it at his hand, knocking the weapon out of his hands. He didn't have a chance to gasp in surprise when I swung again, this time connecting with the side of his head. And like that, he fell like a sack of potatoes.

I took a couple of deep breaths, bringing back my Stand to finish healing my wounds. Finally, the guy's down. He's not going anywhere anytime soon. I raised the still sheathed Crocea Mors and attached it to my side. Finally, some time to think. I pressed my back against my rocket locker as I stared at the four people lying on the ground.

Alright, so what do I know so far? The boy I just knocked unconscious was probably not the Stand user. He still had Aura protecting him. Besides, everybody around us is still fighting. A hum escaped my mouth. Wait a minute… Now that I think I think about it, I don't recall hearing the sounds of fighting right now. Maybe he was the Stand user. Did everyone finally stop?

My head glanced up, only to find everybody else staring at me. Every single face in the crowd had a bloodthirsty look, like they want to spill my guts on the floor or something similar to that. Nope. Not even close. I held my hands up in the air as I tried to make myself look as peaceful as possible. "Nothing to see here, everyone," I muttered. "Go ahead and just do whatever you want."

"Oh, really?" The rest of the group dropped their fight, instead focusing on circling me. "Go ahead and do whatever we want? We're completely fine with that. We'll do whatever we feel like doing. And what we feel like doing is breaking every single bone in your body."

"Yes!" Everybody turned to see Nora wiggling on the ground in a creepy dance of ecstasy. "Break his bones! Shatter his femurs! Make him cry—" She herself cried in pain when somebody went over to her and stomped on her face. Although it wouldn't really do anything in the short-term, considering everybody here still has their Aura, it still made my blood boil.

"Hey!" I brandished my blade, giving them a glare as I pointed it at the crowd surrounding me. "Don't touch my teammate like that!"

"Oh really?" One of them walked towards me with a cocky strut. "Or what? What are you going to do, little man?" His words gave me pause. What am I going to do to get out of this? After all, I am surrounded by a ton of people who would love nothing more than to rip me apart. My heart skipped a beat as the circle started moving towards me, narrowing the amount of space I have to fight. This isn't good. It's going to be a lose-lose situation if I allow myself to get surrounded by these guys.

I jerked my head around, trying to look for any way to get out of the tightening noose of people. No dice. I can't spot a single hole that I can slip through. But if I don't act soon, I'm not going to get out anyway! Come on, what can I possibly do? My eyes fell on the rocket locker. Before Cardin mellowed out, he used to shove me into these and sent me flying to who-knows-where. It wasn't a pleasant experience, that's for sure. But maybe I can use this to my advantage.

Before the rest of the students could do anything, I leaped into the locker and slammed the door on it. Screams of anger and indignation escaped from everyone's mouth. I could make out several footsteps running towards my shelter. Gotta make this fast. My scroll flew into my hands as I tried looking up a coordinate to fire myself towards. Alright, what's a good location to be? It's best if I shot myself towards a place with a lot of people. I'm more likely to find the Stand user that way. Or actually, maybe it should be a place with as few people as possible. At least I'll have time to breathe.

My heart leaped when I heard banging noises on the metal container. From what I can see from the slits, there are several people banging their fists against the locker, trying to break in. A bead of sweat fell down my face. I know that this locker is made so that it is impossible to break into, but I should really hurry this up. I gazed at the map projected on my scroll. Come on, where should I go? I don't know what to choose!

The door ripped open, revealing a group of angry students staring me down. Wait, what? How did they get the door open? I glanced up to see Pyrrha standing up, her Semblance causing the metal door to float in the air. A growl escaped her mouth as she sent the door flying back in my direction. There's no time left! I hit a random location and sent the locker flying straight up into the air, just barely dodging the attack. The door instead bounced off the frame. One of the students groaned as the metal object bonked him in the head, knocking him down to the ground.

I snatched one of the hooks within the locker as I let out a sigh of relief. Whew, that was close. If I acted a second later, these guys would've ripped me out of the locker and that would be that. I glanced at the sky as I soared through the air. Alright, now just to find the Stand user attacking all of us. I scratched my head. How the hell did the Cupid manage to get into the school, hit a person with the Arrow, and then get out without us noticing? I'm sure that one of the known Stand users would have known about it by now. Even the ones who weren't helping us with the search. But to be caught by complete surprise… I'm not sure how that happened.

And speaking of which, all of a sudden everyone just stopped fighting each other and focused on me. On one hand, it's a relief knowing that at my team aren't going to get attacked. In the other hand, that means I'm now a target. Is it because I'm a Stand user? If so, then it might be possible that the others are going to get into a lot of trouble as well. I gritted my teeth. Even more reason to find this user as soon as possible.

Before I could dwell on that further, several streams of light in the skies caught my attention. What is that? I leaned my head outside, sending my hair flying wildly. My eyes widened as I recognized the telltale signs of rocket smoke. At this point, it looked like Beacon was on fire with the amount of smoke in the air. What the— Everybody called for their weapons? A bead of sweat dripped down my face. There must be hundreds of rocket lockers flying out right now! And if everybody's armed with a gun… Oh gods, that makes it even more dangerous to go after the Stand user!

A chirping noise escaped from my scroll as we started dipping down into a fall. Now that I think of it, what did I select to be my landing zone? Please tell me I chose a decent location. I don't think I can deal with all of the bad luck going on right now. I pulled out my scroll. A groan escaped from my mouth. Holy— How did I select a spot twenty meters away from the fountain? I swallowed as I saw the mass of students moving towards me. There's one strategy that can help me out now.

My body flew out of the locker the moment it crashed into the ground, sending me stumbling across the concrete floor. The war cries behind me pushed me to get up and start running. I have to find this Stand user now! The last thing I want to do right now is to be chased by a mob of angry Huntsmen! I looked into the blue sky, the streams of the rocket lockers still floating around. Gods, if you're up there please tell me that the other users are okay.

* * *

The only sound that rumbled through the arena were the cries of my team as we clashed in a two on two fight. My eyes flew all over the arena. My teammate Blake was currently going against Yang, playing a delicate game of dodging and countering against my sister's aggressive assault. Meanwhile, I'm currently eyeing all of the glyphs around me as Weiss bounced all over the place. My chest rose and fell, exhaustion starting to take over me. But I can't let my guard down no matter what. Any bounce from any angle could be the one where she strikes.

What a technique, using time dilation combined with multiple glyphs to confuse and overwhelm anyone going against her. According to my partner, this was her ace in the hole, and it's easy to see why. Weiss was barely a blur in my eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that a glyph would dim a little after she lands on it, I wouldn't be able to track her. And as far as I know, there's no way to predict her movements.

I bit my lip. While she might not be attacking me right now, this does make it hard for me to get to Blake. And honestly, if we want to win this match, we have to knock Yang's Aura into the red before teaming up and overwhelming Weiss. We can't let Yang build up her Semblance. So, how do I escape this? Well, at least without using my Stand. Don't want to over-rely on it, after all.

My hands tightened around the still scratched and unpainted Crescent Rose. An obvious choice would be to just wait it out until she tires. After all, Weiss doesn't exactly have the best endurance on the team, and there's no way she can keep this up for any longer than a minute. But a minute is forever when it comes to fighting, and in the minute I wait her out is a minute Blake has to defend herself against Yang.

Hmm… What if I fold up my weapon and throw my cape over my body as she's approaching me. She won't have any idea of where I am, and I can dodge and counter in the seconds she can't see me. If only I could predict where an attack was coming from… Then I would have an idea of where to throw my cape. Unless… Unless I can force her to come from a certain direction. Everything clicked in my mind. That's it!

Crescent Rose folded into its sniper form before I aimed for a random glyph. I can't believe I've forgotten about Weiss's training as a Huntsman. She might have gotten better at acting on the fly, but at the end of the day, all of her moves are rigid and calculated. Which means she is predictable. And if this is her ace in the hole, then that means this attack must have a certain pattern that she is following, whether it's due to muscle memory or something else. So just watch for a certain glyph to dim and—

A shriek escaped from the heiress as she slowed down to dodge a whizzing bullet. That didn't faze her one bit, as just a moment later she sped up again to one last glyph before pouncing towards me. Perfect!

The clasps clicked open as I yanked my cape off and threw it between myself and Weiss. My partner slammed into it, tangling herself in the fabric before flopping to the ground. Alright! I shifted Crescent Rose back into her scythe form. Time to go get Yang—

An arm with a yellow gauntlet wrapped around my torso and pulled me straight into the air. A choking sound escaped my mouth as precious air raced out of me, forcing me to drop my weapon. I could hear the tired pants of my sister right behind my ear. "Yield, little sis. Blake is down and you're on your own." Really? I glanced around the arena to see Blake sitting crisscrossed on the floor, her chest visibly moving. Well then… I guess I was too late then.

"Alright." I raised my hands high up into the air. "I yield. Freezerburn wins this round."

Yang let out a cheer as she put me down on the ground. "Yeah! I guess that means you owe me a favor! Hmm…" She stroked her chin. "You know, I need to change Bumblebee's oil soon… maybe my little sister will be more than willing to do that for me!"

I groaned, rolling my eyes in a goofy manner. "Anything but that!" Despite that, a smile crawled up my face. It's a nice change of pace. I took a sharp breath moments later. Wow, this fight took a lot out of us. Man, I don't want to do anything except go back home, get a shower, something to eat before burrowing myself in my bed.

"Alright team RWBY!" I wiped the sweat off of my brow as I folded Crescent Rose back into its compact form. The rest of my teammates made their way towards me as they put away their own weapons. Weiss brushed off a bit of dust before handing me back my cape, which I put on in an instant. "I think that's enough for today!" A sigh escaped from my mouth. "Whew, that was a great mock battle! In fact, I think that we're just about ready for the Vytal Festival!"

The rest of the girls gave a tired cheer, bringing a smile to my face. While it's sad that we don't have a chance to go out today, we can still be together as a team when fighting. And while it sucks that we missed out on a chance to find the Cupid, we can always work on something else, like refining our Huntsmen styles. That's going to be important if we're going to corner the Cupid and any users that might get on our way.

A groan of frustration escaped from my sister. I glanced up at Yang, who combed through her hair a lot more than usual. She's being a bit fussier with her hair today. She let out an annoyed scoff at a particularly stubborn lock on top of her head. Speaking of which. We're going to need to find time to practice with our Stands. I mentally groaned. But all I want to do is sleep… But we have to be ready, even if there's nobody attacking is right now. Maybe I can convince Weiss and Blake to sneak out after lights out and then train them. If another Stand user attacks us, we can't be caught by surprise.

"Why. Won't. This. Stay?!" Yang's eyes turned crimson as she went to work combing the lock of hair down with both hands, but no matter what, it never failed to pop back up. "Aw, come on!" She threw her hands in the air. "I just can't this part of my hair down no matter what I do!"

Weiss gave her teammate a weird look. "Isn't that the part of your hair that always sticks up? I don't know why you're being picky about this now—"

"Shut up and let me comb it, will you?!" Everybody drew back at the sudden outburst. And with that, Yang continued to comb through her hair. Blake looked at me before going back to her partner.

"Umm… Yang?" The girl looked up at the cat faunus. Blake cleared her throat. "As irritating as it is right now, I think that we can just comb your hair back at the dorm rooms. You know, where we keep all of the hairbrushes and hair products to help with your hair problem."

"No, but I can't go out looking like this!" Yang started scratching at her head in irritation. "No, I have to make sure that it's perfect! There's no way I can settle for anything less!"

"Yang, as much as you like your hair, at the end of the day it's still just hair." Weiss shook her head at the girl. "We can fix it when we get back. Hell, we can get a shower and get our hair brushed! There's no need to fuss about it." My partner turned around. "Come on, let's go home. "

The fiery blonde didn't say a word, instead spreading her legs out into a wide stance. I bit my lip. That's not a good sign. Who in the world widens their stance for any other reason but to fight? I have no idea why Yang's so angry right now, but I need to step in and diffuse the situation. A sigh escaped my mouth as I started walking towards my sister. "Come on, Yang—"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Yang threw her fist towards Weiss, sending a firestorm of buckshot with an explosive bang. The heiress cried out in pain as it struck her in the back, sending her toppling to the floor.

Blake was on it almost immediately, running over and snatching Yang's arm out from the air. Another shotgun round went off, sending a cloud of concrete dust into the air. "Yang!" the girl yelled. "What's wrong with you? You just shot Weiss in the back!"

"Yeah, and why are you trying to stop me?" My sister started twisting her arm, trying to get out of Blake's grip. "Just let me pump a couple more rounds of buckshot into Weiss! I need to show this prick of an heiress what for!"

"I can't let you do that!" The faunus girl jerked her head towards Weiss. "Ruby, check on your partner!" I nodded, rushing over to the fallen girl with a brief burst of my Semblance.

"You okay, Weiss?" I glanced over her back. I don't see any bullet wounds. That's good; that means that Weiss didn't have her Aura shatter on impact. The last thing we need right now is putting Weiss in the hospital for something that could really be avoided.

At the sound of my voice, my partner rolled over, giving me a quick nod. "It stings really bad, but it wasn't enough to break through my Aura. I'll be fine." She groaned as she lifted herself back up to a seated position. "The pain wouldn't be as bad if she didn't catch me by surprise, though. But I think that I'll be—" She stumbled.

"Weiss!" In an instant, I snatched her wrist and pulled her back upright. "Are you sure you're okay? What if you got a concussion or something from the whiplash?"

"That's not how Aura works!" Weiss snapped back, causing me to flinch back. She rubbed the base of her forehead before her face softened. "Don't worry, Ruby. I'll be fine. But that's not what we have to worry about right now." She glanced at my sister. "Why would Yang shoot me in the back like that? I mean, she does have a temper, but she's never snapped back at somebody this quickly or this severely."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I—"

"Duck!" The familiar boom of Ember Celica sounded soon after Blake's warning. In an instant I threw myself into Weiss, knocking us both to the ground. A cloud of buckshot soared over us a moment later. My head twisted towards the source of the rounds. The cat faunus quickly regained control of my sister's limbs, but it's clear that's not going to last. We seriously can't let this go on! We got to disable Yang's weapons now!

"Blake!" I yelled as I pulled myself up. "There's an emergency release button on the bottom of Yang's gauntlets! Use a paperclip or something to something to pop them off!"

"I don't have a paperclip on me! Why would I?" The girl in black grunted as she threw herself around the brawler, trying her best to restrain her partner while at the same time avoiding the business end of the shotguns. A groan escaped my mouth. Of course. Who in the world carries paperclips these days? … Well, Jaune does, after that day after we got discharged from the nurse's office. But he's currently at that JNPR meeting at the fountain. I really do hope that they can solve their problems sooner than later. Would be a shame if they fought for a long time like our team.

But enough of that. My eyes roamed around the area. What's something that is short and thin like a paperclip? My eyes glanced at the crown tiara pin Weiss had on. The little prongs on it might work, but I don't think that Weiss would be too happy about me breaking something she's wearing. It's probably something expensive as well. I shrugged. Whelp, I guess I'll just take a segment of my collarbone and straighten it out.

Rose appeared behind me as I ran my finger across the bone. And just like that, my skin peeled away into tiny little petals, leaving a rosy cut at the base of my neck. I covered the marking with the edge of my cape. They reformed in my hand, the white porous material making on a thin, straight form.

"Got one! Blake, hold on for a moment! I'll come to you!" I made my way towards the two struggling girls. "Okay, go ahead and grab her right arm. I'll take the left and get that before moving on to the right."

I twisted Yang's arm over. On one of the seams is a small but distinct hole. It's a good thing I spent some time experimenting with Yang's weapon while I was still building Crescent Rose back in Signal. She'll probably be angry at me for messing with her stuff again, but we can't let her shoot anyone again. One jab of my bony pick and the weapon unbuckled in an instant, falling straight to the ground. I made quick work of the other one as well. With that, I kicked the weapons towards Weiss.

"Hold on to those for a moment, alright Weiss?" I turned to look at Blake as I pushed the bone pick back into my body. "This is weird, though. I've never seen any of Yang's outbursts last for this long. In fact, she isn't the kind of person to get so easily angered by such a little thing. I think it's unnatural. Somebody did this to her."

Amber eyes widened in realization. "You don't think—"

I nodded. "There might be a user in the area. I can't think of anything else that could've happened to get Yang all angry like this. We have to track them down as soon as possible. But first, we need to find a way to calm Yang down."

"Leave it to me." Blake suddenly switched positions, wrapping her right arm around Yang's neck and squeezing. Her left hand pressed against the back of my sister's head. The blonde's crimson eyes widened before she started another struggle, throwing her hands behind as she tried grabbing Blake's head. Choking sounds started to escape from my sister.

A gasp escaped my mouth. "What are you doing, Blake?!"

The cat faunus nodded at me. "One moment." A couple of seconds later, Yang went limp in Blake's arms. The book lover sighed as she lowered Yang to the ground. "It's something I learned in my time in the White Fang before it became radical. Aura protects from anything that attempts to harm the body, such as a sword to the stomach or something like that. However, takedowns like this just cut off the flow of blood to the brain, causing the victim to faint. Assuming you get the chance, Huntsmen can go down just like that." She turned to look at me. "She's going to be out for maybe a minute, so we should really tie Yang down or something. Just in case she's still angry when she wakes up."

I nodded as I dashed towards the door, looking through the window before stopping. "Uh… I don't think we can do that."

"What?" Weiss exclaimed. "Why not?"

My breath hitched as I stared at the complete chaos right outside the door. For some reason, the whole student body is at each other's throats. In a literal sense. "We can't go outside. The whole world's gone insane."

* * *

Normally a staff meeting was a chore to go through. While there's no doubt that these meetings are necessary for society to stay together, I have no doubt that everyone here would rather be doing something better with their lives. And while one might think that having a Councilman in the meeting will make us take it a bit more serious, the mood stayed the same. For the first half an hour, it felt like a usual meeting.

My eyes widened as I sat up in my seat. The boredom in my eyes faded away as I observed the room. Something about this meeting changed in a flash. All of a sudden, the atmosphere in the faculty room became a little too… tense for my liking. I pushed my tinted glasses up as I stared at all of the faculty members of Beacon chatting amongst each other. From the looks of it, they were chatting about budgets and general reports like usual. But I can sense a change. There was an air of tension that didn't exist amongst everyone before.

James sat directly across from me, fingers laced as he gave me an intimidating stare. I narrowed my eyes. Just moments ago he was more neutral. Peach, Bart, and Peter had their eyes turned towards the papers in their hands, but their body language screamed tense. Glynda returned Ironwood's stare with cold hostility. On the far-right wall rested a monitor with the shadowy figure of one of the Councilmen, seemingly unaffected by all of this. Why am I getting a bad feeling?

I coughed into my hand, getting everyone together. "If we feel like we've discussed this subject matter enough, we should move on." I hit a button on the table. "Of course, the biggest issue that we have to discuss today is the Vytal Festival. More specifically, the setup of the carnival stalls for local businesses." I tapped a couple more buttons on the desk, causing the table to illuminate the current selection for the fairgrounds. "We currently have a massive list of all of the companies and stores that wish to sell here on the fairgrounds of Beacon, but we simply don't have space for them all. My current ideas for cutting down the list would be to—"

Peter let out a yawn, leaning back on his chair in the process. "Do we really need to be here for this kind of discussion, Ozpin? I mean no offense, but I'm a Huntsmen, not a businessperson. Organizing this kind of thing isn't my forte. So why bother?"

"I can't particularly disagree with Peter here." Bart took another sip from his thermos. "I don't think any of us here have the qualifications to do this. Maybe we can set the matter aside for now and work on some of the more important aspects such as who should be the announcers. Now I have a couple of candidates in mind—"

"If you don't mind me saying," the shadowy Councilman noted. "This is a particular issue that has to be considered, even without the proper professionals to perform this task. But this is an easy compromise, I feel. If everyone here agrees, I'll have it delegated to one of the committees, and they'll handle it."

"Thank you," I responded, internally sighing a breath of relief. These meetings could get awfully dull, but even I can feel my energy being sapped away. It wouldn't be a surprise that the other instructors are starting to get snappy. At least the Councilman is not meddling with things like his colleagues usually do. He's actually helpful for a change. To my left, Glynda rolled her eyes as she peered at her scroll. "I'll let you do that, Councilman. Well I think that we can move on to—" Her eyes widened. "What the—"

The blonde teacher shot up, starting towards the door. "Sorry for the sudden outburst, but I have to leave. Now." Everybody raised their eyebrows at that.

"What?" Peter let out a chuckle. "And why wouldn't you be here at the mandatory meeting, Glynda? The one everyone is supposed to attend all of the way through?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Our students are fighting each other. I have to deal with this mess now." My eyes narrowed at that. Are they really? Well, it has happened before. The food fight early in the year comes to mind. I had to stifle a chuckle at the memory. What a silly commotion teams RWBY and JNPR made. I shook my head. Even so, I'm not so sure about what makes this one so pressing.

And it seems that Peter agrees as well, seeing the jealous look on his face. "What? That's it? Ah, come on, Glynda!" He flicked his wrist with a chortle. "You don't need to worry about the kids for a moment! We have adult stuff to suffer through— I mean discuss!"

Glynda in a moment slammed her hands against the table, punching a bunch of buttons. "Oh really? And is this!" The display changed, showing the entire school in chaos. From the looks of it, every single student was locked in some kind of fistfight. I winced as one of them swung a chair into someone's crotch. Glynda pushed her glasses up as she let out a huff. "Is that scene something to just ignore!"

"... Yes." Everybody turned to look at the professor in surprise. Peter gave us a cheeky grin. "This isn't that big of a deal, Glynda. Students get cramped in here on a vacation day, they have to let out their energy somewhere. And they are Huntsmen, so I'm not surprised it would end up like this. I mean it could be worse. They could be breeding all over the streets like rabbits."

"Peter!" Bart shot up from his seat.

"What? It's not like I'm lying. But in all seriousness." Peter narrowed his already narrow eyes. "You're not going anywhere. Move any closer to the door, and I'll make sure that you'll stay here until the end of this meeting."

My administrator scoffed, brushing a lock of her hair to the side. "I'm not going to even respond to that. Peter, they're destroying the school, and I won't let that happen!" She started towards the door.

"Oh no you don't!" In an instant, Peter pulled himself onto the table and tackled Glynda down with a yell. "You're not getting away from this! We're in this together!"

"Peter, get off!" A burst of purple caused the rest of us to shield our eyes. The portly man let out a yelp as he flew across the room. Glynda stood up, riding crop in hand.

I started out of my seat. "Glynda, calm down—"

"No!" She pointed the weapon at me. "Sit down, Ozpin. I'm not going to say this again, but this is where I draw the line! You let me go deal with this threat or I'm throwing you across the room as well!"

The sounds of seats scratching against the floor as everybody else got up. That was quickly followed by the distinct signs of mechashifting. It might be an overstatement to say that I've figured out the source of the tension in the room. I myself reached for my cane as my mind ran. Why would there be a confrontation like this? Peter might act unprofessionally at times, but he never had a problem with Glynda. What changed?

"What in the blazes is going on?!" The Councilman yelled from the speaker. "Ozpin, care to give me an explanation as to why Beacon is in chaos and why one of your colleagues threw another across the room?"

A sigh escaped my mouth as I wrapped my fingers around my cane. "Let's just say that the situation has gotten… bizarre. It isn't going to be a major concern for the Valean Council." I pushed my glasses up. "You know, I feel like this is a good point to hold a break to this conversation. We'll take a break for lunch and come back together around…" I glanced at a clock. "How does one o' clock sound?"

"Say what?" The distortion over the Councilman's voice was starting to strain. "Are you out of your mind? This is a situation that—"

"Good to hear, Councilman. Have an enjoyable lunch break."

"Wait—"

Before he can say anything else, I jabbed a button, cutting the feed and ending the video call. "Well then." I tapped the cane on the table. "That was an unfortunate setback. But I'm going to cut everyone some slack. It's been a stressful day after all. Why don't we let Glynda check on the students, and we'll enjoy lunch? I heard that the chefs were experimenting with a new kind of dish—"

Peter's broadaxe flew through the air moments later, moving directly towards Glynda. With a sigh, the weapon started glowing purple as it slowed down in the air. The woman growled as the weapon started spinning in the air. "I warned everyone!" My eyes widened. I got to dodge now. But where do I jump? Do I jump on the table? Or move towards the ground?

Without another thought, I threw myself straight onto the ground. All of a sudden, I was seeing double: a reality where I was lying on the ground and a reality where I slammed against the table. From the corner my vision of both realities, everybody else was jumping out of the way of the flying blade.

My mind raced as I considered my choices. It's interesting how my ability of superpositioning works. At a moment's notice, I'm at two positions at once. I can do two actions at once, I can see multiple branches of reality I can go through, but eventually have I to collapse back into one position. Seeing that I don't die on the table, I crumbled the reality with me on the ground while focusing on solidifying the leftover reality.

"What are you doing, Ozpin?" Glynda waved her spinning axe blade. I blinked as my double vision disappeared, placing me firmly on the table. "I'm not going to say another thing. Stay back!" Something tells me this has to do with the recent awakening of another Stand user…

"Ozpin!" James cocked a gun from somewhere behind me. "Don't interfere! Try anything, and I'll gun you down!" The rest of the teachers grunted as their stares burned into my back. Definitely the effects of a Stand user. As shaky as our relationship is, James and I aren't antagonistic: at least not to the point where we'd kill each other. And from the looks of it, everybody else was being affected as well. The only one not affected so far is me. But that means I have to knock out all of them. But which one do I choose? Glynda? James? Peter? Bart? Peach? I can't choose.

This time I saw five different visions, each with me focusing on a different person. Four alternate 'me's' were stacked within each other as we faced against all of our opponents. All of us launched at once, each aiming our canes at various parts of the head. Glynda and Peach went down with strikes to the temple. Peter and Bart fell once they were hit in the side of their necks. James sidestepped my shot towards his carotid artery. I know which position I'm taking. The rest of the superpositioned Ozpins dissipated, leaving this current reality of me fighting against the Atlesian Headmaster.

Reality split again as three different versions of me aimed their canes at all of the pressure points at his head. This time he took a blow to the temple, falling like a log soon after. I sighed. We really didn't need to have one of the Councilmen see this happening. It's not going to be pleasant to explain to the man. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Now I have to figure out who hasn't been affected by the Stand user and how to stop this from happening.

I punched a couple of buttons on the table, bringing up the view of every camera in Beacon. Just like in Glynda's example, everybody's fighting each other. Hmm… I'm thinking that the Stand user can control the emotions of people around him or her. No, not control. Influence would be a better word. If they could control the emotion of the masses, why make everyone angry? Why not choose a select few individuals and get them to accomplish the task? No, the ability must be influencing everyone in a certain area.

But there have to be exceptions to this rule. If not, I would be fighting everyone else right now in a mindless rage. But why would I out of all people be chosen? Maybe I could figure it out if I can find somebody else who isn't affected by the Stand. But without that, there's too little information to work with. I'm not sure if it's possible to find to Stand user based on— wait a minute. My gaze flickered to the leftmost monitor. What was that?

My eyes squinted as I focused on the scene in question. The street between the school fountain and the hero statue was full of berserking students in a straight up brawl. While the majority of the students were striking each other using just their fists, a few of them came at their fellow classmates with their respective weapons. I winced at the sight as I looked through the crowd.

A mop of blonde hair escaped from the sea of students, catching my attention. My eyes narrowed. That's Mr. Arc, all right. I almost lost him for a second due to all of the flailing bodies trying to swallow him up. But there's something curious about him. Unlike the others, he didn't seem to be actively trying to kill his fellow peers. I watched as he pushed through the student body. If anything, he was trying his best not to harm them. One of my eyebrows rose up as I spotted the chasm he carved through the sea of bodies. Everybody he touches flopped to the ground and stayed there.

I hummed. So he isn't affected by the Stand ability. While that's a relief to see that another Stand user is okay, that doesn't uncover a lot of information. What do we have in common that could reveal how this rage-inducing Stand works? I flipped to another screen to see most of Team RWBY in a tight-knit circle, whispering something amongst each other while they looked at the entrance of an air vent. The only exception to this was Yang, who was a couple of meters away. She screamed in rage as she struggled against some sort of restraint. Hmm… So Ms. Rose, Ms. Schnee, and Ms. Belladonna are okay as well. I tapped my finger on the desk. And they're… also Stand users. Hmm… An idea started to form in my head. Maybe?

I flipped through the footage, looking for more confirmed Stand users. Where are they… Aha! I stopped. I found them: Mr. Porfirio, Ms. Darcy, and Mr. Alistair. All of them scrunched up behind a table as thousands of machine gun rounds chewed into the wooden barricade. Ms. Adel let out a loud roar as she fired her minigun all over the library.

"Coco!" A wire human Stand appeared in front of Mr. Alistair as he nudged himself close to the edge of the table. "Come on, snap out of it! This isn't you! You need to get yourself together!" His Stand tried to dart out, only to fade away the moment the table gave way. A grunt escaped the boy's mouth as the bullets pierced through his shoulder, splattering blood all over the area. Mr. Alistair darted back into cover, nursing his wounded shoulder as he muttered a curse. A pang of guilt washed over me. I can't do anything to save them while keeping the teachers in this meeting room.

But at the same time, this proves my theory right. None of the Stand users are affected by this ability. An image of the enemy Stand user formed in my head. Everything is clear now. Whoever we're going against, the Stand user was going to be somebody we never confirmed to be a Stand user, yet is somebody who isn't directly involved in the fighting. That's who I need to look for.

With that in mind, I flipped through all of the cameras yet again, trying to look for someone who falls into that general description. Look for a student who isn't fighting mindlessly, but isn't known to be a Stand user. I let out a sharp breath, resisting the urge to groan. This is just like reading a book of 'Where's Wapi.' It's difficult to find somebody who meets those requirements in this sea of movement. And with the wide-angle shots these cameras were designed for, it's hard to make out a single individual in a massive group of—

Wait a minute… I leaned closer to one of the displays. It was currently focused on the area around the Dawning Hero statue. There was a makeshift stage built in front of it. Considering the mountain of instruments, tools, and other knick-knacks, there must've been some kind of performance or talent show the students came up with to amuse themselves. All of the students in the area were bashing their equipment into each other. Seems like the performance didn't work out.

But that's not what I'm interested in. Sure enough, I could make out somebody sitting on the edge of the cliff the concrete heroes stood on. The student had their chin rested on their hand as they stared at the fighting almost impassively. I felt my lips pull up into a small smile. Whoever that person is, they're not fighting. I don't quite recognize them as any Stand user I've talked to. They must be the one who's causing this.

I hit another button on the table and pulled up a contact list. My eyes glanced back at the screen with Mr. Arc, who was in the middle of scaling one of the windy trees as the crowd threatened to swallow him up. It's not ideal, but he's the closest one to the Stand user. He needs to hear about this.

* * *

Sweat dripped down the side of my face as I finally hoisted myself into the branches, just slipping out of the grasp of one of the taller students. All of the leaves rustled around me. The rest of the crowd snarled as they started smashing their fists into the tree, forcing me to tighten my grip around the branches. I gritted my teeth. I might've bought myself some time, but this isn't going to last long. For some reason, the closer I got to Beacon proper, more people would stop fighting each other and start chasing after me! What gives? I was hoping that I could sneak through the school, but now I feel like a piece of meat dropped into a swarm of piranhas!

Somebody stepped into my view and pulled out a gun. Oh no. A shriek escaped my mouth as I curled up and unfolded my shield. Submachine gunfire riddled my only source of cover just moments later, sending several clanging sounds into the air. I have to get out of here now! We may have surprisingly resilient trees, but my safe spot was bound to fall with so many students surrounding me. And when it does… I shivered. One bullet and I'm going to die, just like that.

But how am I going to get out of here? Maybe if the leaves are sticky, I could stick them together and make a paraglider! … No, that's a stupid idea. The sap isn't going to stay together like that, even if I made myself as light as possible. However, these leaves are pretty big… The size of my hand—

Rumbling from my pocket pulled me out of my thoughts. Is somebody calling me from my scroll? Wait a minute… who could be calling my scroll? Everybody should be enraged. But if this call is happening… that means somebody isn't affected by the Stand ability! Hope bloomed within my chest. Maybe we do have a chance after all! I yanked the device out and answered the call, attaching it to my shield soon after. "Hello?"

Professor Ozpin popped up on my screen. "Mr. Arc? Is that you?"

I gasped. "Headmaster! You're okay!" My mind raced. My gods, I can't believe it. The Headmaster is fine. Maybe there's a range on this thing after all? His tower is high up, it being taller than the diameter of the school. Was it? I might be mistaken. But nevermind that. It could be possible that the Stand can't affect him from that high up!

Meanwhile, he let out a chuckle. "I am. And I'm glad that you managed to find a safe place to have this conversation. Although I'm not too sure if that tree can hold up."

My face paled up. "How did you—"

"Schools always have safety measures, Mr. Arc. Beacon is no different. But let's not delve into our academy's security. All that matters is that I've discovered where the Stand user is right now."

"What? Really?" I sat up, only to duck down again at the sight of a handgun. "Oop! Where?"

"He's currently right next to the Dawning Hero statue. You're the closest Stand user to it, which is why I called you first. I'm going to inform Ms. Rose and her team about this fact as well."

"Ruby's team is fine?" My eyebrows furrowed. Everything just became confusing again. There's no way that they could've been outside of the Stand user's range. So how did they not get affected by the bloodlust in the air?

"Well, most of them." The Headmaster shook his head. "Ms. Xiao-Long had to be restrained, but the rest of the team's okay the last time I checked." Oh. But Yang's the only one affected? How does this make any sense? This seems like too much of a coincidence. How is it that all of the Stand users remain unaffected— Oh… I let out a groan. I just answered my own question. That has to be the exception to the rule.

Still, I nodded my head towards the screen. "Thank you, Headmaster. I'll get over there as soon as possible." With that, I ended the call. So the Stand user's somebody who isn't fighting everyone without a care in the world. Got it. Now the question is how to get out of the tree. What was my last thought before I received the call? It was something about the leaves I think… Oh yeah! I plucked one of them off. It's going to be a delicate process, but if I do this just right…

The leaf started to grow and flatten out in my hands. It's a difficult process for sure, trying to increase the volume while adjusting for mass. Then I have to make sure that the surface area is all perfect so that it can support my fall. How do parachute makers make them? I sighed as I looked at the leaf, now the size of my arm. The flat parts of the leaf were already trying to flop. If it wasn't for the leaf stem, it would most likely flop around. I can't believe it. There's no way to increase volume anymore without making mass effectively zero. Well, that was a waste of time. Not getting out that way. Oh, come on… How do I get out? I swung the leaf in frustration.

A giant gust of wind flew out from it, sending a couple of students flying into the air. I gasped. What the— What just happened? I just created wind by swinging this leaf. But there's no way that could actually happen. While the shape looks like a fan, it shouldn't be able to create this strong gust just by waving it around. Unless… just what kind of tree am I in?

My hands plucked one of the unaffected leaves. I held it up to the sun, narrowing my eyes. There was a light green glow to it, similar to glitter. Wait a minute… leaves shouldn't glitter. At least not naturally. And now that I think about it, there's no wind today and the leaves are still moving like there's a breeze— My eyes widened. Maybe I'm onto something… Could it be? I sniffed the leaf. Just a hint of ozone registered in my nostrils. Oh my gods… that's Wind Dust. So that's why I could generate wind! There's Wind Dust in the tree!

Now that the fact's clear in my head, everything else clicked into place. I'm thinking about it the wrong way! Why fly out when I can just make a hole in the crowd I'm in? I recalled my Stand as I swung the leaf up and down as hard as I can. Several cries escaped from the rest of the student body as they the wind caught them and sent them flying across campus. I grinned. There's the opening!

I leaped out from my cover, landed in the opening and made a break for the statue, waving the leaf at the crowd behind me. More furious screams escaped their mouths. Many of them waved their hands in the air like birds trying to flap against the wind. Well, that's most of the crowd problem dealt with. It's so much easier making my way forward with the leaf blowing everybody else away. With this, I can get to the Stand user in no time!

And before I knew it, I found myself entering the plaza where the statue was located. The stage looked different than when I passed it a few minutes ago. Several instruments sat abandoned on the edges of the stage with clear signs of wear and tear. There were also magic props, stage sets for what looks like a play which lay snapped in pieces. I think there was a giant target for what looks like archery ripped apart, the fluff coating the ground like snow.

Like most of the places I've been at Beacon, there were people beating each other up without any restraint. Unlike the other locations, however, I saw somebody sitting on the statue. The boy himself had his body rested between the legs of the guy hero. His arms rested on said hero's feet, each hand holding a wicked dagger with a Dust cylinder filled to the brim. He had his legs hanging from the edge of the cliff, kicking it around as he looked down at everyone else. The mohawked-haired kid looked up and spotted me.

"Jaune…" Russel Thrush called out. Everybody in the plaza stopped fighting and turned to look at me. "What are you doing here? Don't you see we're having a performance right now? I know it's spontaneous, but these people put a lot of effort into making this a fun day for everyone."

"What the—" I shook my head. "What are you talking about? Don't you see the fighting going on?"

The boy shook his head. "You must be mistaken, Jaune. You've just walked in and interrupted the dancing everyone's been having. Nobody's fighting."

Okay, what? Is Russel delusional or something? How is he not seeing the fighting in front of him? "You're wrong. Russel, the whole school's beating each other up! There's no way you couldn't have noticed that from right here."

The boy in the mohawk stared into my eyes. His brown eyes were glossy and hazed, like he's not completely there. "Seriously, Jaune. This isn't funny. Everybody's just having a bit of fun. Right guys?"

"Yeah!" The whole crowd roared, pumping up fists with glowing Aura. At this point, I can see thin lines zig-zagging across their glowing bodies. I winced at the sight. Everybody's Aura is going to crack. And if it does… Oh gods, I have to stop this!

"See, Jaune? Everything's fine." A Stand appeared behind him. Unlike the others, this one didn't freely float, but instead wrapped itself around his head, like a sloth wrapped around a tree. It reminded me of a robotic toddler, but with a face of a TV screen. Two windmill blades spun around on each hand. It's almost like the Stand's controlling him instead of him controlling the Stand. "You see this crowd? We are all part of **「** **FEEL GOOD INC,** **」** got it? And if you say otherwise—" Everyone took a step forwards. The Stand cackled as a robotic face appeared on the TV screen. It spoke in Russel's place.

" _We'll just have to remove you._ "

 **⇐TO BE CONTINUED= 11/10/2017**

* * *

 **Fun times all around. Well, let's go on to the reviews!**

 **Guest1: Well, the Stand user's identity's out! Not quite Jaune's team, I have to say.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thanks, rabidhandsquirrl! Yeah, I actually modeled Cinder and Ruby's interactions after the interactions between Pucci and Jolyne early Part 6. It's interesting to give the opposing side a more compelling ideology. Anyways, I appreciate the concern for my safety, but I'm fine now!**

 **Darklight of the 0 arcana: Well, I certainly hope that it's not due to the Stand. That would be very bad. But yeah, no bonus chapters this time around mainly because these characters are more active in the main storyline during this arc. I've always said that the bonus chapters are for when those users aren't really pushing the current storyline. And since they're in the thick of it, no bonus bizarre adventures. But don't worry, I never got rid of them. They'll come back.**

 **Guest2: And the Stand user's identity has been revealed!**

 **Guest3: Yeah, I enjoyed writing Cinder and Ruby's dialogue. Their viewpoints, at least in this fic contrast in interesting ways. And Pyrrha's backstory... yeah, it hit hard for me as well. Being so close to a childhood pet and losing them is difficult.**

 **Also, fixed all of the errors you suggested. Now that I think about it, you've been helpful in pointing out errors that me and my betas missed. Thank you for that. I actually thought about offering you a beta position, but as you know, it's impossible to reply to reviews of guests. If you're interested, you can create a free FF . net account and try contacting me, but if you're not, that's fine. I still appreciate all of the help.**

 **doa570047: Thank you for the review, doa570047! Yeah, this is a Survivor-esque Stand, although it wasn't in my mind when I first wrote it. I'll save that discussion for the retrospective, though. As for the Ruby and Cinder talk, it is an interesting dynamic to explore. It's funny that both characters are idealistic in their own way. It reminds me of an observation that caught my attention a while back: those most willing to fight each other are often more similar to each other than they think. Food for thought.**

 **But anyway, that's all for this chapter! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: November 10, 2017**_


	23. Feel Good Inc - Part 2

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure!**

 **Early chapter update this time around. Currently at a party with friends, and I'm probably going to overslept past my normal time. Also if the format looks wrong, my fault. Mobile app doesn't show me line breaks, the Stand name brackets, or proper spacing, so just hold on until I get to a computer. EDIT: Fixed all that now!**

 **Other than that, a** **ll that I have to say today is that I managed to get another beta for the story! Ruby's Knight, one of the readers of this story and a very helpful reviewer is doing the beta reading! Thank you for that, and thank you for continuing to enjoy this story! But otherwise, let's get right into the next chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Beta: Ruby's Knight_**

* * *

A sneeze came out of my mouth as I crawled through the air ducts. I sniffed, scrunching my nose before combing my short hair back. Whew, this place was dusty! I can feel my hand breaking through the thick layer of the fine powder that settled on the bottom of the rectangular metal tube. I can barely make out the dust mixing into the air. How is it possible for this place to be so… unclean? The A/C works, after all. Just using it should blow all of the dust particles out. So how in the world is there a thick layer of dust?

The sounds of banging metal rang through the tunnel every time I moved any of my limbs, making me wince. I know that we're underground; the Headmaster insisted that we were. But at the same time, the last thing I wanted to experience was for one of the segments to fall, sending my team falling into a group of bloodthirsty students. Nope, not at all. I've seen enough movies to know that air ducts can't hold a lot of weight. Even if we are technically underground. And I don't know, it's possible that the sound might attract some of them in our direction. I hope that isn't the case.

"Headmaster," I heard Blake mutter. My ears could pick up similar banging noises coming from the faunus girl and Weiss. At least those two were still crawling behind me. "Are you sure this leads outside?"

"I'm certain," the man replied from my scroll. "I had the architects create this pathway with a clear escape route in mind. The original idea was that should the school ever be under attack, anybody trapped inside the buildings could always find their way outside. At least in the open, you have more options." He let out a hum. "While I originally dismissed it as a redundant emergency system, it's nice to know that this design choice wasn't in vain."

Weiss let out a breath. "Right… But let me get this straight: Jaune is currently chasing after the Stand user, and we're going to provide him with backup. Is that right?"

"That's the idea. Give me a moment…" The Headmaster went silent for awhile. "On second thought, you happen to be getting close to the library. If I recall, I believe Mr. Porfirio, Mr. Alistair, and Ms. Darcy happen to be under fire by Ms. Adel. Doubling your numbers might help Mr. Arc when you make it to the school statue."

"Hmm…" I twisted my nose to try to stifle another sneeze. "Sounds like a good idea. We are going to fight against the entire school, after all."

Weiss let out a hum of agreement. "Plus, Nolan and Gwen both have Stand abilities that are great against crowds. If we bring them with us, we might be able to negate this Stand user's strength in numbers."

"That's true. At the same time, Jaune's going to be fighting alone for every second we spend getting those guys." Blake let out a sigh. "He doesn't have a humanoid figure for a Stand like us, so his options are extremely limited. Plus, I don't like the fact that Coco has a gun. That means that several other students must have their weapons on them as well. If Jaune makes a single mistake, he's going to get shot and killed, we're going to lose the Stand user, and who knows what would happen from there?"

I bit my lip at that admission. Blake's right as well. Jaune's currently the only person who knows who the Stand user is aside from the Headmaster. If he didn't know that was right now, he'll know soon enough. There's no way the Stand user was going to stay still if one person knows where they are. And if that user blends in with the fighting, then the Headmaster might never find them ever again, and we're screwed. All of Beacon's going to kill themselves through in-fighting.

But it might take even longer for us to fight our way through. Team RWBY doesn't have any Stand abilities to deal with a massive crowd. I can go around them, but then what? One wrong move and I'm surrounded. Same thing for Blake. She might be able to go through the crowd, but if she fails in knocking the Stand user out, she's surrounded and done for. Weiss is the only person who has an ability that could take out a crowd, but it's going to draw a lot of attention, making our job even harder. But with Nolan and Gwen… I've seen what **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** could do firsthand to a crowd of people. And Gwen's ability to make surfaces sticky is going to be really helpful. And Fox… I don't really know what his ability is, but whatever it is, it's going to be a nice bonus.

I looked at the branching path in front of me. "Where do we go to get to the library, Headmaster?"

"Ruby?" Blake whispered.

"If we get those guys, we can blaze through the crowd and get to Jaune faster." I turned my head to look at my teammates. "While we can make it through the crowd by ourselves, we also can't guarantee our safety if we get surrounded. Having those guys means we can stop the mob from retaliating against us, limiting this Stand user's strength."

"Make a turn right," the Headmaster replied soon afterward. "From the looks of it, you'll be entering from the side of the library, within Ms. Adel's field of vision."

"Alright." I started towards the right branch. "Here's the plan. Since I can get shot and break myself into rose petals without getting hurt, I'll go in first and get Coco to redirect her fire. Blake, your ability's best for sneaking behind Coco, so while she's distracted, you sneak up and knock her out. Weiss, create a stable Dust wall and bring the others to the air duct."

Sounds of agreement escaped their mouths. The sounds of machine gun fire grew louder and louder as we crawled closer to the library. Not long after, we came across the grate that separated the air duct from the library. I punched it off as I unfolded the stock on Crescent Rose. One look into the chamber revealed that the training rounds were still loaded.

My eyes glanced at the scene in front of us. The area where the tables stood was now in disarray, with almost every single table flipped over or destroyed. To the left of us were the bookcases. Coco stood on a still intact table in no man's land, firing towards the bookcases. That's probably where everyone else is.

Rose appeared in front of me. "Alright, guys. On a count of three. One… two…"

I pulled myself out of our shelter, firing a dummy round at the fashionista. The shot went wild, blowing a hole a foot away from the girl. However, it did exactly what I wanted as Coco turned her head towards me. I can feel the lightning spark between our eyes.

With a scoff she twisted her gatling gun in my direction, dragging the firestorm of bullets in my direction. I gritted my teeth. Come on, Ruby. Everybody needs you to escape this… I'm not going to get gunned down here! One last hard shove popped me out of the vent and onto the floor.

Not one moment after I slipped out of the air duct, I whipped my right hand through the air, sending my pinky flying towards the bookshelf everyone was hiding behind. The rose-petaled stump left on my arm waved in the air in time with the sounds of gunfire, which was actually closer than I thought to my head—! I pushed my body up into the air to the side, just narrowly dodging the stream of lead that swept under me. My fingers twitched back at the heat of the bullet stream. The rest of my team yelped, backing into the air duct to avoid the ricochet.

Come on, I need to get Coco's attention again! I got up with a roll, racking Crescent Rose at the same time. Another dummy round whistled through the air, this time bouncing next to the fashionista's feet with a crack. Coco gritted her teeth. She rolled her neck and her shoulder before sweeping the gun towards me again.

I started making a break for it. Oh gods, oh gods. I can feel the stream of bullets moving closer and closer as I ran across the room. Alright, Ruby. You got Coco's attention. Now just keep her focus away from the others. It shouldn't be too bad. All I have to do is run just a little faster than the bullets. That's all. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** lagged right behind me, face turned towards the projectiles coming towards me. I can make out the sounds of a Dust crystal forming. Weiss should be out. I can't tell for Blake, but she's most likely in the library too.

One look behind me showed my partner ducking behind a bookcase. Weiss turned to look at me, giving me a thumbs up. On the wall nearby was Blake merged with the wall, currently trying to navigate the several pictures hung on the walls. They're both out and safe from Coco. Now just to look for cover—

Another yelp escaped my mouth when a couple of rounds skimmed me, carving shallow wounds across my back. Okay, gotta speed things up again! I'd rather not be shot to pieces! I picked up the pace. Despite that, I can still feel the bullets right at my heels. Should I try punching the bullets with my Stand? … No, that seems like a terrible idea. I'll be punching thousands of rounds a second, and where would they go? I gritted my teeth. Screw it, just jump for cover! And with that, I dove behind the closest shelf to me.

"What the—" Nolan stepped back as I barreled past him, rolling along the ground with a couple of coughs. "Ruby? Man, I thought I heard somebody else, but— How did you get here?"

"I crawled through a web of underground air ducts." Rose petals floated towards my body, reassembling my removed finger. I pressed my back against the bookshelf soon afterward, dismissing my Stand to heal up. As much as I want to peer around the corner, the bits of bullets flying past us is a good enough reason to not try that. "But enough of that. Where's everybody else?"

He shrugged. "Not sure. We all split up when the table we were stuck behind got destroyed. They're most likely still in the library since the girl in the turtleneck is currently in front of the entrance."

A groan tried to escape my mouth, only to be suppressed. Well, that made things a little more difficult. I have to go look for them. And yeah, while it's true that I can survive the sheer volume of bullets Coco is sending at us… I really don't want to get shot. And geez, these bullets sting! Rose flickered back into sight. "Well, okay then. Here's the thing: Weiss is going to summon an orange Dust Crystal and create a bunch of cover for us. The second you see the crystal go up, start running towards it. I'll be right behind you."

Nolan sighed. "How do you get into all of these situations—"

Bullets stopped whizzing past us as a giant Dust crystal appeared out of the ground between Coco and us. It was a wall that shielded all of the bookcases from gunfire. Bits of crystal shards flew as the structure swallowed every round that slammed into its being. "Go!" I pushed out, running through the improvised hallway and towards the rest of the bookshelves. I'm not sure how much abuse the crystal can take. Hopefully enough so that I can warn everybody else. My eyes darted frantically in their search for the rest of the Stand users. They have to be here somewhere. My heart started beating faster as my search proved fruitless. There are only shelves! Where could two people hide?

My feet slid across the floor to a halt. A giant wall of books blocked one of the aisles stacked end to end. Despite how unstable it looks, the books somehow remained upright. "Wait," a male voice whispered. "Someone's in front of us. No… That can't be Coco. She's still firing the gun." He spoke out a little louder. "Who's there?"

"Oh, thank gods!" I wiped my forehead. "Is that you, Fox?"

"Huh? You sound really familiar… The name's on the tip of my tongue." A hand shot up into the air and waved around. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the leader of team RWBY, right?"

I nodded. "Yep! I'm Ruby."

He snapped his fingers. "Right! You were the girl who helped Velvet to the nurse after she had that allergic reaction! It was weird when we learned that she developed a reaction towards carrots. If you want to know, she was crushed when she learned that, but she's getting better. Still, can't believe she just developed an allergy to something she loved so much." He sighed. "Sorry, going off-topic again. But were you a part of the group moving underground?"

"How did you— yes." I scratched my head. He already figured out what we were doing? "There's a way out through the air ducts that is relatively safe."

"Okay then. See, Gwen? It's just like I said. There's a pathway to escape a building underground."

I heard a scoff. "How is it my fault that I can't exactly confirm what you said? We've known each other for an hour at most." She sighed. "Well, at least we can still use this book wall to survive the swarm of bullets."

The moment she said that the trail of bullets flew straight up, piercing the ceiling above them. "And there's Blake with the chokehold." I grinned. "I don't think you're going to need that wall of dictionaries anymore."

"Aww man!" The stack started falling towards me, forcing me to step to the side with a yelp. Instead of falling apart like I expected, it just plopped flat on the ground, staying whole the entire time. Behind the literature were Gwen and Fox. The girl in the purple dress rubbed her eyes. "You guys suck! This wall could've worked, and it would've been awesome!"

Fox sighed. "Again, using books would only stop throwing knives. I've tried it myself, you know. A stack of books won't even come close to stopping one bullet, let alone six thousand rounds per minute. Whatever protection you actually get will be gone in maybe two seconds." He held up his hand when Gwen made to speak. "And before you say anything about your knives and their penetration power, note that you had to modify them to be that good. Sorry, but common knives can't go through a textbook."

"Which is why my knives use Dust for elemental hits! But that's not the point!" My eyes glanced back at the stream of fire. The rounds were cutting a hole in the roof! Granted, the hole's not above us, so that's a relief. Still, it's scary to think about just how much destruction Coco's gun can cause if she didn't have any control over herself. "I'm supposed to hinder the combatants while everybody else runs in and takes them down! Same thing for the wall! It's designed to—"

"Quiet down for a moment." I held my hand out. "The minigun stopped firing." Does that mean that—? "Blake? Is everything good?"

"Having a bit of difficulty," my teammate called out. "I got her to drop the gun, but well… I messed up my chokehold. It's not going to change anything, but it's going to take longer." A silence enveloped the room. "Can you— ugh! Coco, stay still. It's for the best of everyone. Sorry, can you grab her gun and get it away from us? I don't she's going to escape, but I would feel more at ease if nobody else could get access to it."

I started towards the crystal wall. "Is it safe?"

"Safe enough." A grunt escaped from Blake's mouth. "It's going to take a while until she's knocked out."

"Okay then." I stuck my head out from my cover. It's like what Blake said. Both girls were on the ground. Coco waved her hands behind her, trying to pry the faunus girl off while Blake kept her arm wrapped around her neck as she struggled with the weight on her. The fashionista's weapon lay less than a meter away from the two.

There was no time to waste! In an instant, I snatched the weapon… and nearly fell over as I took my first step. Oh gods, this was heavy! What in the world— How does Coco carry something like this around all the time? Even Crescent Rose wasn't this heavy! Just… why? Sweat ran down my face, my arms burned in fury over dragging one weapon away from everybody. "Weiss, you gotta help me!" I cried. "This is ridiculously heavy!"

My partner's head popped out from the air duct, her face with a raised eyebrow. "Really? I thought swinging around that oversized garden tool would make it easy for you to carry heavy stuff."

"Just get over here!" I swear my face was starting to turn red, and I'm not sure if it's from exertion or embarrassment. "Please?"

She sighed. "Give me a moment." With a grunt, she slipped out from her hiding spot and ran up to me and supported the barrel end of the gun. "But Ruby. I swear, if you somehow manage to shoot me while we're dragging this around—"

"It won't happen! I promise! I've already activated the safety mechanism! Plus the trigger's right here on the top! So we just to hold it like we're carrying a box or something and we'll be completely fine!"

Weiss shook her head, rolling her eyes at my reaction. Still, together we managed to carry the weapon across the room and dropped it behind one of the overturned tables. "Whew!" I wiped my brow. "I do not want to be carrying that! Blake, is Coco down now?"

"Woah!" I turned to see Coco on her feet, stumbling around. Blake hung from her back like a backpack, swinging around to drag the girl back down. "Not the right time to— ugh!" The fashionista slammed Blake into a bookshelf. Despite that, my teammate held on. Blake shook her head, slamming her hand against some kind of encyclopedia. It sank into the heavy tome. With a grunt, she slammed it into Coco's temple. And just like that, the second-year student crumpled.

"Huh," Blake noted as she got off of the unconscious girl. The book fell straight to the ground as she pulled out her hand. "Okay, she's down now. Everything's safe."

I nodded. "Okay, it's safe! Everybody can come out now!"

The rest of the Stand users popped out from their hiding positions. "Wow, I thought I was going to be stuck there forever," Nolan sighed as he cracked his neck. "Definitely didn't like nearly having my hand blasted off trying to direct **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** towards her."

"What?" My face twisted in confusion. "But I thought your Stand can sense emotions."

He shrugged. "Yeah. But it kinda went haywire since everybody around us has this spicy taste of anger."

It was Weiss' turn to make a face. "Did you just describe anger as spicy?"

"That's not the point! The point is that **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** senses anger in everybody, including us." The boy scratched his neck. "Thing is, I don't really have a good explanation for why we're not affected by this… anger. It's not really clicking."

"Hmm…" I placed my chin on my hand. What could this mean? "I don't think that's an important thing to worry about. Here's the thing: the Headmaster found who is causing all of this. My team and I are going to meet with one of the other Stand users to try and stop the person. The problem's the crowd outside. It's going to take way too long for us to get over there with the crowd in the way. But you guys." I glanced at the three users. "All of you guys can help us with your Stands. I know you guys don't want to be part of this Arrow hunting thing, but could you guys do a favor for us?"

Nolan sighed. "Hmm… maybe? Alright, fine. It's either this or sitting here until something happens." The other two nodded as well.

"Great! Then we're going through the front door!" I started towards it. Everybody else followed close behind on our quest to backup Jaune. A small part of me hopes that he can survive long enough for us to get over to him.

* * *

I gripped my wind leaf tighter as the crowd started to surround me. Okay, I'm really not liking my odds right now. A dull rumble escaped from everybody's throats as they picked up various items lying around. This… really isn't going to go well for me if I stay here. Yeah, my Stand power can pin all of these guys to the ground, but with so many people here, I'm going to get overrun!

While I still have the wind leaf, I'm not sure how long I can use it until Russel— no, until **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** figures out my plan and puts a stop to it somehow. Maybe I could stall until I can get team RWBY over here… But then again. I looked back where I came from. My Stand ability isn't going to last forever. I don't know when, but they're bound to get back up and follow me here, putting me in a pincer attack! Plus, the students on the other side have their weapons on them. There's no way I could pull out my Stand without getting shot in the back!

No, I have to take care of this Stand right now. I leaned down and snatched a fistful of pebbles to the left of me. This should be more than enough to take down Russel. The biggest problem with him is that he has a giant army that's willing to rip me to shreds. However, I saw the size of his Stand. It's so small! While it might be possible for other Stands to punch away a projectile, **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** is in no condition to defend itself or its user. All I need is a clean shot and nobody jumping to intercept it! … All while avoiding the giant crowd coming to rip me apart. It sounds a lot harder now that I actually think about it.

 _"What's wrong, Jauney boy?"_ I gritted my teeth as the cheeky Stand moved its mouth in mock laughter. _"Desperate enough to use stones against this massive crowd? Couldn't use your sword like a real man?"_

My face didn't change. I held my leaf out, glancing into the eyes of each and every student here. I managed to find CRDL in the crowd. As much as I didn't like them, they had gotten better as people in general. It's so sad to see them act like this again. "You're cowardly enough to get other people to beat me up. That seems like an unmanly thing to do, if I say so myself."

The toddler Stand chuckled. _"Well, there's a difference, Jauney boy. You see, I'm not quite a man. I'm an ethereal being beyond the comprehension of most Remnans."_

I shook my head. "Yeah, I can see that. But here's the thing, **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** I'm not above doing whatever it takes to save everyone I love." My eyes dipped towards a stone-faced Cardin. "Back during the Forever Falls field trip… I put my life on the line for my partner. I then killed an Ursa Major to save your leader's life. The thing is, I could've let him get hurt. He did deserve it after all he put me through. However, I didn't. Instead, I gave him a clear message."

 _"Oh? And what's that?"_

"Don't ever mess with my team - my friends - ever again." I readied a pebble, increasing its density. "Guess what? You decided it was a good time to mess with my teammates. My friends are in danger because of you. And you know what that means."

A pixelated frown grew on the Stand's face before it let out a fierce static noise. _"Get him!"_

A uniform roar escaped from the crowd right as I swung the leaf. The sea of students split into two. Several Huntsmen-in-Training let out yelps of surprise as they found themselves being blown away. There was nothing but a clear line of sight between me and Russel. Bingo. The pebble let out a whistle, splitting through the air in a direct path towards the statue.

Both **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** and Russel let out a grunt as the mohawked boy jerked out of the way. Instead of striking the boy's chest like I intended, the shot collided with his arm, passing right through. A small spurt of blood escaped from the open wound, dripping down Russel's pale skin. _"Agh!"_ The Stand looked at the wound before taking on an emoji frowny face. _"You… little, insignificant piece of human garbage!"_

With the Stand's words, everybody got back up. Pure hatred radiated from their eyes as they gripped their improvised weapons even harder. _"Kill him! He's going to kill us all if we don't kill him!"_ With that, they charged me with abandon. I felt my mouth go dry. There's no way I can survive against this. I have to retreat to a new position before trying this again. I poured a few pebbles into my pocket before throwing the rest of the pebbles. The rest of the crowd crashed into the buckshot, stumbling or straight up falling. This is my chance!

I swung the leaf again, blowing away most of the crowd. They didn't go as far as I hoped they would. Only ten or so meters away from their original location. But hopefully knocking them over will be enough to buy me a couple of seconds. My hands snatched the pocket pebbles and fired them off, all heading towards the boy with the mohawk.

 _"No!"_ Russel's daggers flew out from his sides. My eyes widened. Wait a moment… is that a Dust cylinder on each of his— With a flick of his wrist, an ice barrier formed in front of him. The pebbles landed soon after, digging deep into the makeshift dense, but not quite piercing it. I grit my teeth. Of course the Stand is going to do its best to protect itself. Should've expected that to happen. But why would Russel have his weapons on him? Maybe it was to do a performance. But what can someone do with twin daggers? Blade dance?

 _"Argh!"_ The face of **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** was absolutely livid. _"I'll kill you! You three, shoot him!"_ His words gave me pause. Shoot him? But nobody has a gun except for the people I passed earlier. … Oh gods! I twisted myself around, increasing the density of the leaf and held it in front of me. The unmistakable sound of discharging Dust boomed milliseconds later. Little pockmarks dented the leaf moments later, coming close to bursting, yet my cover didn't fail.

I withdrew my Stand for a moment, taking a peek above the leaf. The emerald eyes of Pyrrha stared back, pointing her rifle at me. The friendliness I used to know in her eyes were gone, replaced with a murderous glare. She must've been one of the people who called for her weapons earlier. But if that's true, then what happened to Ren and Nora? Did they— I almost choked. Did Pyrrha—?

The leaf flew back up again when I saw a green and pink flash dash past my partner. Stormflower's submachine rounds made several more dents within the leaf before I heard the familiar thump of a Nora special. A couple of blinks later I found myself drifting in the air, soaring across the plaza. I crashed into the ground moments later, knocking the air out of my lungs as I was sent rolling. Holy— they're alive! The plaza didn't kill them after all!

My face hardened up as I rolled myself back up to a standing position. But if they're all here, then— Oh gods. The sick monster! Is he really planning on making me fight against my team?

 **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** cackled. _"Oh, so you figured it out, Jauney boy."_ The toddler clapped its hands. _"That deserves a round of applause! Team JNPR is all here again! Now it's time to break them apart for good this time. It would be pretty funny to see you get crushed by the very people that you claim to defend, wouldn't it?"_ I shot a glare at the cheeky Stand. _"Oh? Why the long face, Jaune? Is it hard, seeing your teammates stand against you? I thought you wanted to come at me. So what are you waiting for?"_

"You… little!" I stuck my hand into my pocket, only to find nothing inside. I paled. Did I already use all of the pebbles I took earlier? … Oh gods, this isn't good. I gritted my teeth as I stared at the trio in front of me. These guys were the fighters of the team. People who could take on Grimm in several different ways. A group of people I was honestly jealous of back when I first started. I've always wanted to be powerful like them. I'm still trying to. And I have to fight against all of them.

I tightened my grip. No. I'm not going to fight them today. Not just because these guys will kill me if I do. They matter too much for me to even think of doing that. I swung the wind leaf to blow them away, only to have them stumble only a couple of steps. Huh? What's going on? Why didn't it work? It should've sent them flying away!

 _"Hehehe… HAHAHAHA!"_ The toddler Stand giggled at my plight. _"Did you really think that I wouldn't try to do something about that leaf? To be honest, I didn't expect you to find a leaf that could make a current in the air. It was a major pain to see my people fly away with a single swing, so I made sure that it was no longer perfect at compressing air. Look at its surface."_ I did. Wait a minute… the pockets made by the bullets! He tricked me into blocking with the leaf with my teammates, and when I did so, he made my strategy ineffective! My stomach twisted as I stared at the useless plant in my hands. That's not good… I gotta end it as soon as possible!

He let out a snort as I turned my head towards the decorative pile of gravel. _"I can't let you try a stunt like that again."_ Nora loaded another round into Magnhild. What in the— what was she doing? Is she going to fire another round at me the moment I make a break for the pebbles? But if I stay still, I'm surely going to get shot or attacked by either Ren or Pyrrha! I have to figure out a way around that. The hyperactive redhead turned around and aimed the grenade launcher directly at the pile of gravel. A gasp escaped my mouth. She's going to—

 _"Do it."_ Nora fired a grenade round soon after those words left his mouth. A yelp escaped my mouth as I watched the grenade soar across the plaza, landing right dab in the middle of the pile of rocks. I held the leaf up to my face right as the grenade went off, shielding me from the debris that came flying towards us. No way… did the Stand just—? I looked up. Dread climbed up my throat as the pile of pebbles was blown up into unusable powder. And just like that, all of my hopes have been blown to pieces. Literally.

 _"HAHAHAHA!"_ At this point **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** was laughing nonstop. _"You should see the look on your face! There was this hint of desperation and hope when you were— hehe, when you were looking at the stones and it's so funny watching the hope die in your eyes!"_ Everybody else stood silent as the Stand continued having his fit of laughter. _"Don't you see it now, Jaune? You're screwed! There's nothing left for you to use against me! I win! Me! To think that you even had a chance is just too— HAHAHAHA!"_ I felt a vein swell up on my forehead. My gods, was he ever going to stop laughing?

 _"But Jaune, Jaune."_ A windmill-esque hand wiped against the Stand's nonexistent brow. _"You wanna know the best part about all this? You're going to die to your teammates! Your last memories on this world won't be of Grimm ripping your insides out or you dying alone, but it's going to be the image of your teammates, your friends breaking your body to the point of no return and then past that. Agonized screams will escape your lungs as the people you love hack, blast, and smash you into pieces. It's over."_

I felt my breath hitch. He might be right. I couldn't hold my own against any of my teammates in a fair fight. How am I going to win against three of them at the same time? Without hurting them no less. It's clear that the Stand can pick up things quickly, which means fine-tuning is out of the question. I need something that works well and works immediately. Hmm… I might be able to buy time if I just increased their density again. Just one problem: they all have their guns out. Crocea Mors can block Dust rounds well. It survived a Nora grenade, after all. But there's no way I could reach one of them without somebody shooting me.

My fist clenched, causing the leaf within it to tremble. I can't use the leaf to blow them away either, not that far anyway. Now that was a surprise to me. Its specific shape is important to how it can generate powerful gusts of wind, even with the Wind Dust inside it? What kind of tree did we have at Beacon that can do that? But with the little dents within it… there's no way this thing could do anything about my teammates!

There's one thing I'm relieved about though: the rest of the crowd isn't attacking. Instead, they're mainly congregating at the exits, reveling in the battle to come. **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** is more arrogant than I thought. On one hand, just Team JNPR is more than enough to take me down. On the other hand, I don't have to be worried about getting overwhelmed by hundreds of people. Now I can just worry about being overwhelmed by three of them. At this point, it might be best to stall until Ruby and the others get here. I don't have any other options to stop Russel's Stand.

Something stirred inside of me as I glanced at the leaf. Wait a minute… maybe I do. It's just going to need a little bit of preparation. I flipped the leaf around, holding it more like an ice-pick. My other hand reached for my sword, causing the TV screen to display a disturbing smiley face. _"So you've settled on your fate? It's as I planned. You're no better than the rest of us, hypocrite."_ I ignored his smug gloat, unsheathing my sword and pointing it at my partner. He scoffed. _"Well, if you're not going to respond, then let's just get to your death!"_

I held my blade in a guarded position as I watched my partner step forwards, her spear transforming into its sword form. It might be better going against Pyrrha than any of the other guys. Months of training on the roof with her taught me most of her moves. I can at least predict what she will do. That should buy me enough time to do what I need to do. Let's just hope that her anger isn't going to affect her fighting style in any way.

With her lips pressed together in a tight line, she bounded towards me, opening our duel with a lightning-fast strike. I gritted my teeth as it clanged against my sword. So fast! It's like I got struck by an Ursa, if the Ursa was hopped up on caffeine! In an instant, I backed away to avoid the follow-up strike. I don't think she's holding back this time. She's actually going to kill me if I make a single mistake. A bitter taste sat on my tongue. I knew she was holding back whenever we trained on the roof, but I didn't think it would be that much!

Whelp, time for the actual plan. I charged in, letting out a hoarse yell as I raised my sword up high. Seeing this, Pyrrha widened her stance and held her sword to the side. A counter. I've never been able to successfully get past one of her parries. But at the same time… she's only used a single parry on most opponents, preferring to either dodge or block incoming attacks. I grinned. Perfect.

Right as I reached her, I switched hands, swinging my leaf right at her instead. Normally something like this would surprise Pyrrha. Instead, she swung her sword despite my action, slicing through the leaf and towards my face. My head jerked back, allowing the sword to fly above my face in exchange for some hairs. Ahh! Geez, I swear that Pyrrha could become a barber considering how much of my bangs she's sliced off with her counters.

Pyrrha immediately followed through, forcing me to block with the leaf, losing another part of it. Bit by bit the green foliage fell away, cutting down my protection even further. I kept a straight face through all of this as a rounded corner started forming along one of the clear parts of the plant. A sweat drop fell down my face. How long do I have until the Stand figures out what I'm trying to do? Not much, most likely. I have to finish this up real soon.

Right as my partner was doing an overhead swing, I parried at an angle. It was… ineffective, to say the least. Milo sank into my leaf just like that, only stopping right before it hit the stem. With a growl, I twisted my weapon in an attempt to disarm her. It didn't work too well. Instead of ripping the weapon out of her hands, Milo slipped out, slicing out a major chunk of the leaf and slamming into my left arm.

I let out a howl as I felt Milo cleave through my tricep before stopping close to the bone. The burst of pain nearly made me drop the leaf in the process. But still I held on to the plant. My Stand started reducing the mass of Pyrrha's weapon, and with a grunt I twisted my body, bending the blade into a half spiral. I kicked her off me a moment later, freeing my arm from the sword. Everything started to blur at the edges of my vision. How much blood was I losing? The drops of blood started collecting near the ground. A lot, most likely.

Good news: I think I rendered Milo useless for now. Pyrrha might have a Semblance of polarity, but she isn't capable of twisting metal back into its original shape. At least I've never seen it used that way. I might have lost all sensation in my left arm, but I also bent Milo to the point that it's useless. The edge alignment was messed up now that I bent the blade, and the mechashift mechanisms must've been damaged enough so that she can't use it as a gun. She isn't in any position to kill me.

Ren and Nora stepped forwards. But the other two are. I looked at the leaf in my bloody hand. At this point, all I had was the stem and a length of the body in the shape of an open angle finder. That's good enough, I guess. I took a couple of steps back, using Crocea Mors to round out the sharp corners of the leaf before slicing the stem off. A smile crawled up my face as I tossed aside my weapon and picked up my cut-out.

 **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** let out a hum of confusion. _"Huh? What was the point of all that? You allow your partner to slice up your best defense, have her nearly cleave your arm off… just for a funny shape?"_

"Oh, not just a funny shape." I felt the leaf cut-out grow dense. "It's this funny shape!"

I threw what remained of the leaf towards Russel. His eyes widened at the wide, sweeping arc my weapon took. _"What the— You were planning this the whole entire time?! You were making a weapon out of the leaf?"_

"That's right!" My left thumb pressed hard against the leftover stem as I jabbed my hand towards him. "And you let my partner carve it out for me!"

 _"You—! I'll just—"_ **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** made Russel flick through the Dust cylinder, ready to light it up… and then my weapon missed him by a wide margin. Oh… I bit my lip as the both of us stared at the leaf flying off to the side. The Stand blinked once, then twice before bursting into laughter. _"What the— You missed! You spent all of that time creating a weapon to throw at me only to miss? HAHAHAHA! Jaune, you're stupider than I thought! That is true naivety to go through all this and—"_ A rumble escaped my throat. **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** stopped gloating. _"Huh?"_

His response, as well as the dumb face he made, was just too much. I broke out into laughter. _"What the— Why are you laughing?"_ He made a pixelly angry face at me, which did nothing but make me laugh even harder. _"Hey! This isn't funny! Why in the world are you laughing? You're going to die, and you think this is the perfect time to laugh?"_

"No!" I wiped a tear from the side of my eye. My thumbs were cutting up the stem in my laughter induced insanity, creating a bunch of tiny cylinders in my hand. "If anything, I won! Did you pay attention to the shape of the thing I just threw at you? Have you ever heard of a boomerang, **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** It's an ancient tool used for hunting back before Dust rounds were created. You know why? They can return and hit a target from behind without them noticing."

 _"What the— liar!"_ The Stand made Russel stand up. _"That's impossible! It's a clear day without any wind! Boomerangs only work when there's wind to carry it back!"_

"And what do you think the boomerang's made out of?" **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** froze in place at that. I jabbed a finger towards the figure on the statue. "You said it yourself! The leaf can create its own current! It's going to return no matter what!"

The Stand displayed a furious face. _"Why you—It's not going to matter if I can just stop it with ice Dust!"_ It turned around as it made Russel thumb the activation mechanism. _"I'll just freeze it with another ice—"_

I condensed all of the cut up stem pieces before firing every single one of them into Russel's back. A gasp escaped from both Stand and user as the majority made their mark, ripping through the skin with little effort. Each hole I punctured into their back released a small fountain of blood, staining the famous statue red. Russel stumbled, falling to all fours. I took a sharp breath. Did I do it? Is that enough to knock them out?

Both the Stand and him twitched, causing me to flinch. Dread filled my chest as they looked at me with pure fury. _"You…"_

The sounds of submachine gun fire registered in my ears. A second later, I coughed out blood as several rounds entered my body. I collapsed to the ground, withdrawing my Stand in order to heal my wounds. My golden yellow Aura surrounded me, causing me to wince as it forcibly pulled my flesh back together. Gods, why did I forget about the rest of my team? Still, I have a fourth of my Aura left, although that's decreasing. The second I can use my legs again, I'll just get up and—

An explosion sent me flying, shattering my Aura in the process. Another bloody cough escaped my mouth as I landed hard. I can feel the last droplets of Aura fade away, leaving me without any protection. Ooh… agh! I wasn't finished healing my wounds… My hands pressed against the flesh wounds. They're a lot more shallow though. Can I still move? I lifted my arm before pain made its greeting. I winced. Yes, but not nearly fast enough to get away. I lifted my head to see Nora walking towards me, loading another grenade round into the chamber. My fingers ran across the chipped ground.

 _"I'm going to enjoy watching you explode into a paste,"_ **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** hissed as Nora shoved the barrel of Magnhild into my face. _"Got any last words before your teammate decorates the floor with your guts?"_

I turned towards Russel to give **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** one last defiant stare. If I'm going to die, at least I'll die on my own terms— Oh wait. A smile crawled up my face. "Yup. What goes around comes around." I tapped the barrel of the grenade launcher. "Boop."

The Stand squinted in confusion. _"Okay, I have no idea what you're even trying to—"_ He couldn't finish his sentence as the boomerang smashed **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** in the back of the head, cracking his TV face. I made a face of surprise. What the— A grunt escaped from Russel as a similar crack formed on his face. The toddler Stand faded away right as the mohawked boy fell to the ground, landing on the stage with a plop. The rest of the students started collapsing right after that. I stared in amazement. It's like watching loggers cutting down a ton of trees at once!

Nora herself started wavering, dropping her weapon before falling forwards. A muffled groan escaped from my mouth as she landed on me, pinning my body to the ground. Oh gods, help! That wasn't supposed to happen! I wanna get out now! I relaxed though. Then again, the fact that Nora is unconscious means I won. **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** won't hurt any more people. I glanced at the boomerang that helped me win the battle. Wow, I expected the boomerang to come back, but not to hit the Stand. I was hoping it would come back the same way and hit Nora, buying me enough time to shoot again. I released the concrete pieces I slipped into my hands.

Hmm… I guess the wind effect was stronger than I thought it was. It worked out in the end. Also what just happened was totally according to plan. No one can and will say otherwise. I grunted, pushing against the unconscious girl on top of me. Now if only I can get Nora off of me—

"—It's surprising that everybody just fell down like this." My head jerked up at the sound of the voice. I could make out a group of six standing within the fallen crowd. Ruby combed a lock of her hair from her face as she looked at the crowd. "Do you think that Jaune managed to get the Stand user in time?"

I stuck my hand out and tried waving to them. "Over here!" I yelled, before coughing out a healthy amount of blood. Oh gods…

Everyone turned to look at me. "Huh?" Fox cocked his head. "That sounds a lot like—"

"Jaune!" Team RWBY rushed towards me, each with a look of relief on their faces. The other three took a bit more time to make it over to me, but it's clear that they're happy to see me as well. Ruby had a happy smile on her face as she kneeled down. "You're okay!"

"Yup. I managed to stop the Stand user. But before we can go on, can somebody get Nora off of me?" I pointed to my teammate. "I'm really weak right now."

"Oh! Give me a moment." I felt the weight of Nora's body lift off of me. A cough escaped my mouth as I sat up in an upright position. Ooh, my muscles are tight! I think I'm going to need something to help with the healing. I let out a sigh of relief. To think that I was that close to dying.

"Oh wow." Nolan gave me a quick glance as he came up to me. "You don't look good, Jaune. You look like your Aura broke or something. I think we should get you some medical attention, and soon."

I chuckled. "Even if I do get to the nurse's office, I don't think she's going to be available for a while. She's probably like everybody else right now."

"You're still bleeding, though," Blake noted. "We're going to need Aura boosters right now." She hummed to herself as she looked around. "Does anyone remember where they kept the first-aid stuff around here?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know, but I can rush to the infirmary and just grab a couple! It's going to be a quick trip with my Semblance!" She started stepping back. "It'll be a quick trip, so just stay there guys! I'll be back before you know it!" Before we could say anything, she zipped away, leaving behind a trail of rose petals.

Everybody stood silent for a moment before Gwen coughed into her hand. "Uh, while it's nice to know that the girl's got this, shouldn't we stop the bleeding first? Just in case the boosters take longer than usual to work?"

Fox snapped his fingers. "I remember Yatsu telling me about how villagers outside the kingdoms tend to cauterize their wounds whenever they got hurt. Bleeding stops almost immediately, and the burn wounds will quickly fade away once Aura kicks back in." He muttered under his breath: "Would've been nice to know when I got my scars."

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" I tried backing away. "You're saying you guys are going to burn my wounds away? Isn't that going to hurt?"

"Very much." Fox turned his head in the general direction of the group. "Does anyone have any fire Dust to heat up a piece of metal?"

Weiss stepped forwards. "I do."

I paled at the sight of my former crush. "Please, Weiss! Can we do something else? I'm sure we can find something to use for bandages! Do we really have to burn the wounds?"

Myrtenaster glowed a dazzling orange once Weiss sent a wave of red Dust down the blade. "Nothing personal, Jaune. I'm trying to save your life after all." I swallowed as the red-hot blade inched closer and closer to me. My eyes clamped shut as I bit my lip, praying to every conceivable god on the planet for help.

* * *

I zipped through the school with ease. Whew! It's a lot easier to move through the school when nobody's trying to kill you! A yip of cheerfulness escaped my mouth as I hopped over several fallen bodies. Good thing Jaune managed to stop the Stand user fast enough. I don't think anybody's Aura broke, considering how there's no blood on the ground. But I should hurry. Bleeding from several wounds isn't pleasant, and who knows if that's going to affect Jaune's recovery?

The first thing I noticed about the nurse's office is that there's a clump of people surrounding the front door. Granted they were all unconscious, but it's pretty annoying how they're blocking the door from opening. I shrugged. Oh well… I guess I have the time to just pull them away. No need to destroy something this time around.

It took awhile, but I managed to get to the point where I could get one of the doors open. "Alright, now just to figure out where the Aura boosters are. Hmm… would a receptionist have some boosters in their cabinets for easy access? That would make a bit of sense if somebody's having an emergency." I let out a hum as I walked towards the receptionist desk. "It's sure to be somewhere behind— Oh my gods!"

"What the—" A mop of mint green hair jerked up, revealing Emerald's crimson eyes and a revolver-kama pointing directly at my face. "Ruby?!" She drew back the hammer. "How did you get in here with everyone banging against the door?"

"Whoa! Don't shoot!" I raised my hands up as I backed away. "Whatever happened to the other students ended a couple of minutes ago. Everybody's on the ground unconscious."

"Oh, really?" She stood up, glancing at the pile of unconscious people. "Huh. I did not expect that." She holstered her weapon. "Again, huh. That explains why it's been quiet for the past couple of minutes. I thought that everybody wizened up to me and tried to trick me into opening the door."

I let out a chuckle. "No, it's nothing like that! But anyways, what are you doing here?" She froze in place as I asked the question. I tilted my head in confusion. "I mean it's kinda weird that you would happen to be in the nurse's office on a holiday, so—"

"—Mercury has some kind of foot fungus!" Emerald bit her lip after she said that. "Oh, whoops! That didn't— I really shouldn't have… um… well this is awkward." I gave her a weird look. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Okay, so don't tell anyone else, but my team happened to be in the Emerald Forest when Mercury had to wade through some kind of wet bog. Uh… he had to take off his boots while doing so, and I guess he managed to get the fungus through that. I was going to… go get him some topical cream to deal with it!"

A hum escaped my mouth. "Oh… huh, that is really awkward. Kinda sucks how Aura doesn't really help against sicknesses and infections. Would make life a whole lot easier. Granted, we normally wouldn't get infections, but that's really bad luck on Mercury's part. Did you find the cream?"

She shook her head. "Kinda got occupied by the angry students before I could get the cream. But seriously, it was pretty disgusting. I thought Mercury's feet smelled, but the fungus made it so much— ow!" She winced, stepping away from the desk.

"Are you okay?"

Emerald kicked back against something. "Sorry, weird spasm. Just gotta… shake it out! Okay, maybe I should stop talking about Mercury. What are you doing here?"

"Well, there were some people hurt in the plaza, so I'm grabbing Aura boosters to help them."

"You mean these?' The dark-skinned girl held up a couple of autoinjectors.

"Yes!" I stared at the syringes. "Where did you get those?"

"Right under the desk. I didn't know what they were for, but it makes sense, I guess." She held out the tubes of medicine. "You can have them. I'm not hurt in any way."

"Hey! Thanks, Emerald!" I snatched the Aura boosters from the girl. "Anyways, I gotta go now! See ya later!" I zoomed away, leaving Emerald alone in the infirmary. Alright! Hold on Jaune! I'm coming for you!

* * *

Mercury let out a groan as he rubbed his head. "Ugh… Is the coast clear, Emerald?"

My servant nodded. "She's gone. You can come out Mercury. Cinder." I combed my hair back as the both of us emerged from our hiding spot beneath the desk.

The gray-haired boy winced, rubbing the swelling mass forming on his head. "Ow, geez Emi! You kick way too hard!"

"Oops." The girl shrugged. "I guess I forgot that it's just your legs that are prosthetics, not your head."

I decided to intervene then, stepping forwards. The two of them stopped bickering almost immediately. "I personally find it interesting that the girl happened to still be up even when all of the students are unconscious. It does confirm an important detail: she herself has been chosen by the Cupid. The question is does she have the ability that we need?" I turned towards the file cabinets on the opposite side of the room. "Likely not. We would've heard about it in the underground rumors if that was the case. But the Cupid chose Beacon for a specific reason. The person we're looking for is here somewhere. We just have to wait for the Cupid to find them and activate their Stand ability if they don't have them already." I let out a sigh. "Do we have a copy of the medical records?"

Mercury nodded, pulling out two stack of files and dropping the bigger one on the desk. "Everything we could find on every student and staff member here. Recent medical trips, personality tests, all that stuff. We kept the records for all of the confirmed users here," He waved the stack in his hand. "But we know that none of these people are who we're looking for."

My hand took the records in his hands. "I'm aware of that, Mercury. But we can still make use of this. It's Ruby and her friends that are a concern to the plan. They might just stop us in our tracks if they manage to find the Cupid. However... At the same time, I think we can take advantage of them. We know those naive fools will run towards any new Stand user. If we pay attention to their movements and get our allies to watch them, we might be able to find the person we need." I let out a chuckle as I flipped the cover over, revealing the image of Ruby on the first page.

"And once we find our person, we'll be that much closer to making this world whole again." I looked at my two companions. "Everyone, start getting all of these files downloaded. It's a lot of data to get through, and we're going to need all we can to find our person of interest." I turned to look at those smiling silver eyes. "Ruby… you might not be who we're looking for, but you just be the person we need to bring justice to this broken society."

 **TO BE CONTINUED= 11/24/2017**

* * *

 ** _Stand Descriptions:_**

 **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** **\- User can influence the emotions of everyone around him. With enough of a push, the user can galvanize a crowd into acting on their emotions without any awareness of their actions. The stronger the emotions, the harder they'll act. However, as emotions get stronger, the user starts losing control of the crowd.**

* * *

 ** _Song References:_** **Russel Thrush's** **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** **was inspired by the band Gorillaz's Feel Good Inc. It's an alternative rock/alternative hip-hop song originally released in 2005. Now I chose this song because of its beat. It feels mellow, hopeless and despairing in a sense while getting erratic and manic at times. The music video, in particular, was something that stuck with me, especially the scene with 2-D walking through the crowd just basking in pure carnal desire. One review by TheSetupMage, in particular, noticed the leitmotif between the Stand and the actual song, and yeah. The Stand's ability is inspired by the rapper on the screen in the Feel Good Inc music video. The actual actions of the crowd were inspired by the church scene in Kingsmen, but I'll talk about that later in a retrospective.**

* * *

 **Well... That's not ominous at all. But hey, it's about time the clock really starts ticking. Anyways, retrospective in two more chapters. But now that I look at it, the first anniversary of this story's coming in about three chapters. And I don't know how to celebrate it. Honestly, I'm probably going to go clean up my title page and add something to it. Might get some artist to do a rendition of Ruby doing a JoJo pose. It would be nice to have more than just a logo for the title page. Or maybe not. Again, it's something I'm not too sure of myself yet.**

 **Time for the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thanks, rabidhandsquirrl! And to answer the Semblance or Stand question, I'm going to remain hush on the matter until later in the story. But do note that I deliberately left it vague. Yes, he might have the ability to superposition himself, but is it a Stand ability of a Semblance ability?**

 **Darklight of the 0 arcana: Yeah, while it's true that it would probably be easier if I made an OC to be the Stand user, I've always stated that only named characters/characters with lines in the show will be Stand users. It forces me to work within constrained limits and also helps with the worldbuilding. And for your other statement, don't worry. Jaune's got this. Even if he got gunned down by his best friend.**

 **Guest: Thanks, guest!**

 **Ruby's Knight: Again, I have to thank you for both mentioning the error in the last chapter and helping me with the errors in this chapter. It really means a lot that you're supporting this story in your own way.**

 **But yeah... sometimes I think I'm kinda weird for thinking about how to use every single article of clothing for fights. When I was writing the disarming scene, I was thinking about what would be a decent pin, and somehow landed on Weiss' tiara. It would be funny to see how she would react to that. It wouldn't be that out of place in the story. But I couldn't come up with a good reaction, so the idea was scrapped. As for Ozpin's ability, again that is a question I'll leave unanswered for debate until the time comes.**

 **TheSetupMage: Thank you, TheSetupMage! I do have to admit, Russel initially felt like a weird choice even to me. He really did come out of nowhere. It was when I was drafting out the actual scene when I realized: 'Wow, Russel can work as a parallel to 2-D in the Feel Good Inc. music video.' And to answer the Survivor question, not initially. Like I said in the song references section, it was first based off of Kingsmen. Then I read the manga and realized the connection. But I like to think of it as getting the same end result, but the means of doing so is different. Survivor uses neural stimulation to get its results, while Feel Good Inc. relies more on the ideas of mob mentality. Different enough, I hope.**

 **doa570047: Oh yeah. That scene in the movie was straight up unnerving. For your next question about whether it's automatic or not, I'd say it's a Holly situation, except everybody gets hurt instead of just one person. But maybe one day Russel will find the strength to use Feel Good Inc. right.**

 **As for your points on the Ozpin scene, you're definitely right in saying this would be a rushed Stand ability reveal. Stating outright what Ozpin can do with his Stand seems out of place, and I myself would be picky with such a scene for being so obvious and not respecting the audience's intelligence. But I do think this is something somebody can piece through with time. After all, I never said what type of ability it was, did I? All that needs to be known right now is that how I wrote it is deliberate.**

 **Anyways, that's all this time! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 ** _Next Chapter Update: November 24, 2017_**


	24. From the Inside

**Hello everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA! There's nothing much to say, so let's get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for looking through this chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

"AAAGH!" I yelled as I felt the side of Weiss' sword press against a bullet wound on my thigh. My leg started flailing at the hot object on me. The blood leaking out from the hole sizzled and boiled, and I swore I could feel my flesh charring.

"Jaune, hold still!" Nolan let out a grunt as I tried to wiggle myself away from Weiss' rapier. He held my legs down, preventing me from moving anywhere. "Look, we don't want to cause more damage than we need to. Just bear with us right now. There are still a couple of bullet holes to deal with!"

"But it hurts so much!" I bit my lip, taking deep breaths as Weiss pulled her sword away. A tear ran down the side of my face. My hand reached for the already scorched sword slash on my arm. Oh my gods… How do survivalists muscle through this process, even if it's just for a couple seconds? Just how?

"Sorry Jaune," Fox sighed. "Wished we had some painkillers to help, but there's nothing we can do to stop the pain. But look at the bright side. I don't think we're going to need to cauterize any more bullet holes. I can sense your Aura starting to pick back up. Not enough to heal all of your wounds, but enough that Aura boosters can jump start it. Ruby should be coming with some any time now." The boy nodded. "That's surprisingly fast. Most people would need more time to recover their Aura."

"I guess I have my massive reserves to thank. But whew." My head plopped back to the ground as I let out a long sigh. "Thank the gods. I do not want to go through that again." My mind wandered as I stared at the wispy clouds. "It doesn't make sense. Who would have enough courage to burn themselves just so they could stop the bleeding?"

Fox plopped down right next to me. "Well, it's a dangerous world out there with the Grimm hunting us down. Maybe burning yourself is like a tool to increase morale. You show to other people that you're not willing to die, that you'll hurt yourself to show that determination. I've been to the villages outside of the kingdoms before, and morale is one of the most important things a small town needs to survive. If enough people doubt their ability to stay alive, well you can say goodbye to the village."

"Hmm…" I mulled over what Fox said. In a way, he's right. In any Grimm attack, it's more important to believe you're going to live than how prepared you actually are. Several Huntsmen, people trained to counter the Grimm, have fallen in battles because they ran out of willpower and just gave up. And for the villagers, they don't even have combat training on their side! All that's going for them is their will to live. And if that wavers…

A voice screamed through the air. "I'm back!" Moments later I was hit by a cloud of rose petals. I coughed and wheezed, brushing the petals away from me. Ruby reappeared out from the mass of rose petals, looking at the tubes in her hand. "Okay, I found the Aura boosters. They're just emergency doses, but that might be enough to heal the wounds."

The blind boy nodded as he stretched his arm in the general direction of my friend. "Thank you, Ruby. Can you hand one to me?" The reaper girl nodded, pressing one into the palm of his hand. "Okay, let's see if I remember how to use this." He clicked his tongue a couple of times as his fingers fumbled against the tip. "Take off the cap." I heard a popping noise. "Locate the thigh— the uninjured one, of course. Okay Jaune, this might be a little awkward, so bear with me for a moment."

I yelped as I felt his hand tap against the side of my leg. Fox was being a bit rough with feeling my leg for the ideal location of injecting the boosters. He muttered to himself: "Was there anything important to note about the thigh? Hmm… I think I just need to hit the major muscles. This feels muscular enough." He pressed the injector on the side of my leg. "Alright. I'm going to press this in and hold it there for five seconds. Don't remove the syringe even after that count, okay?"

Before I could say anything, he jabbed the Aura booster into my leg. I gasped as I felt my Aura flared up. I felt energy surge through me. Whoa… I winced moments later. The exposed bullet holes started shrinking, sending waves of pain swimming throughout my body as my Aura worked overtime. I can feel new skin growing over my burn wounds as well. Fox tapped me in the face a couple of times. "Keep taking deep breaths, Jaune. Relax. You're going to be okay now."

"Whew… okay." I groaned as I sat up. My Aura's still really weak, but at least the bullet holes were fading away. I looked at my hoodie, causing me to wince. Aw man! It's all ripped up and full of holes! What other hoodies could I wear under my armor? Man, maybe I should take Ruby's suggestion to keep designs of my clothing and buy in bulk. Maybe I can go to get it patched up, now that I think about it. But oh man… this was a really comfortable hoodie.

"Hey, Jaune?" I looked up. Blake kneeled at the body of my partner, leaning over her. "I think everyone's starting to wake back up. Pyrrha's stirring right now."

"Really?" I hopped back up to my feet and staggered forwards. The injector jerked around, wiggling the needle within my thigh. I grabbed the canister and held it in. "Did anything serious happen to her?"

"No, it looks like her Aura held up the entire time." The girl in black stood back up, turning to look at me. "No injuries that I can see." Internally, I let out a sigh of relief. People most likely got injured while **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** was active. It's a good thing to know that at least Pyrrha wasn't one of them.

I looked at the rest of the group. "And the rest of my team?"

This time Weiss answered from a distance. "Ren's fine. But aren't you next to Nora? Couldn't you see for yourself?" … Oh yeah, that's right.

"Ugh… Jaune?" I turned around to see the hyperactive redhead sitting upright, rubbing her head. Her face twisted in confusion. "How did I get here? I mean I remember standing by the water fountain with Ren and talking about how you were late, but then everything started getting all narrow and dark and I couldn't focus and— and I can't remember how I got here. It's like there's something missing from my memories." Nora rubbed her forehead. "What happened, Jaune?"

"It's… complicated." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't really have a lot of time to explain. But the short answer is that— um… Okay, I can't explain the short answer. That's also too complicated. But the point I'm trying to make is that you didn't get the chance to apologize to Pyrrha yet."

She paled at that. "What? I didn't? Oh gods, then what am I doing here right now? I have to do that right now!" Nora shot up to her feet. "Where is she? Oh my gods, I can't believe I didn't apologize for her for my mistake!"

A soft cough escaped from my partner. We both looked over to see Pyrrha pushing herself up to a seated position, rubbing her head as she winced. "... Huh? Blake? Is that you?" The girl in the bow nodded. The Mistralian girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What in the world? How did I get over here? I swore earlier I was at the fountain talking to—"

"Pyrrha!" The hyperactive redhead stumbled towards her teammate as I followed close behind. "Pyrrha, I have to tell you something!"

"Nora…" My partner pushed herself up. Her legs wobbled a bit, straining to support her weight. "You don't have to. I've said some really bad things to you yesterday, and I'm willing to take responsibility for what I've done—!"

Before Pyrrha could say any more, Nora clamped down on the girl, bringing the two together into an embrace. "Shh… That doesn't… It doesn't excuse what I did. I didn't mean to destroy your only reminder of your dog." A big sniffle escaped from the valkyrie. "And while it's really hazy, there's some stuff that's— that's popping into my mind right now and I— I said some mean stuff myself back at the fountain. I don't even know why I was saying it, but I get that your dog was really important to you and I didn't mean to disrespect that and—"

"It's fine, Nora." Pyrrha awkwardly wrapped her hands around the girl, reciprocating the hug. "Luna meant a lot to me, but that didn't excuse me hurting you. I didn't want to push away my best friend for something you did by accident. So I'm sorry as well, and— and I hope this doesn't affect our relationship as friends."

Another sniffle escaped Nora's mouth as she buried her face into Pyrrha's shoulder. "Thank you. I'll make it up to you, Pyrrha, I promise. Once we can go back to the city, we can go down and get some art supplies to fix up your dog's shrine."

My partner smiled. "That would be nice."

"I can also make you apology pancakes right now! We'll go to our room and I can pull out the secret pancake mix that I've been saving for so long! Let's settle our issues with some apology food!" I paled at the thought of that. Isn't that the one Ren said was…? I turned to look at the boy, who was blinking his eyes rapidly. I think he just woke up recently. "Hey Renny!"

The boy snapped to his friend almost immediately. "Huh— I mean yes Nora?"

"Are you ready for the biggest pancake cook-off Beacon has ever seen?" The two girls let go of each other as Nora wiped the tears away, bouncing towards her partner. "Oh man, this is going to be the best! Pancake towers piercing the heavens above! Hey Ruby. Is your team up for pancakes today?"

"Of course!" The girl smiled, not knowing of the horrors that were about to hit her. "I would love to get pancakes with the rest of— Oh my gods!" She slapped the sides of her face. "I forgot about Yang! She's still probably tied up in the training room!"

Pyrrha arched her eyebrows in confusion. "... What?"

"I have to get her out!" Ruby's face flushed as she paced around. "Sorry guys, but I need to untie my sister and deal with all of that. We'll see if we can make it in time. Bye!" She zoomed away yet again, leaving her teammates behind.

Blake and Weiss sighed. "What a dunce…" Weiss muttered. "Well, we're going to chase after Ruby now. So if you don't mind, we'll be going now."

"Wait!" I stuck my hand out. "You can't just leave us here!"

"Sorry, Jaune." Blake shrugged as she walked away. "But we need to deal with our problems first. We'll see you later, then."

The monochrome duo walked away, leaving Team JNPR, Nolan, Gwen, and Fox standing around. Nora cupped her hands. "If you want to come, we'll be in the kitchen close to our dorm rooms! I'll see you guys later!" She let off a big grin as she turned back towards us. Now I wish I was still being burned. The redhead gave us a smile. "So who's ready to make a masterpiece?"

* * *

"Headmaster Ozpin." I stared at the Council before me on the screen within my office. Even with the blurry outline of the three individuals sitting around the table, I could still feel a sense of… confusion and hostility within each of the individuals. The leader amongst the three coughed into his hand. "Our colleague here described an extraordinary scene that occurred on your premises not one hour ago."

The sun started dipping towards the horizon as we had this emergency meeting. I sighed. So soon after the rest of the Stand users stopped… I believe they said it was Mr. Thrush from accidentally destroying the student body. The poor boy. Out of all of the students that could be affected by the Arrow, I didn't expect him to be chosen. But then again, he's very persistent whenever it comes to fighting when he really puts his mind to it. So it does make a bit of sense to a certain degree. But back to this conversation… I knew I was supposed to expect this, but it's never a pleasant feeling actually going through it.

All three of the shadowy figures shifted their weight in their seats. "Now, according to him, during your meeting with him about the Vytal Festival, Ms. Goodwitch started acting oddly, insisting on leaving the meeting to deal with some troublesome students. Within a few minutes, all of the staff members started fighting each other, including General Ironwood: a representative of Atlas. You were the only one with control over your senses, but when my colleague asked for clarification on the situation, you simply shut off the screen."

He leaned forwards. "Now, while I understand the necessity of regaining order above anything else, I think this is a scenario that must be talked about immediately. The last thing we need is the public finding out that Beacon, the academy that produces our world's protectors and guardians, went out of control and impulsively attacked each other. And so close to the Vytal Festival too… I'm sure you above everyone else understands the implications this could have on the safety of Vale."

I nodded. "Yes, I do."

"So you understand that trying to hide secrets now is going to cause every living being here to suffer under the Grimm."

Another nod of my head. "I am aware of what is at risk. To be quite frank, I didn't expect this to get quite so bad, so let me give you as much information as I can possibly give at the moment." My eyes glanced straight at the camera recording me. "I do have to warn everyone in this room one thing, though. The contents of this meeting must never be disclosed. Panic will ensue if any word of this leaks out to the media. As far as everyone is concerned, this information is off the record."

"… We'll make special note of that." The Head Councilman held a hand out towards me. "What do you have to say?"

I swallowed as I prepared my crafted out story. "As you see, Beacon suspects that there's a new kind of Grimm that has emerged within the past two weeks or so. There is reason to assume that this new type of Grimm has abilities beyond what we currently know. On campus, our students reported being attacked by an unseeable creature. This initially led us to believe that a Grimm taking on aspects of a chameleon has attacked us for the first time. However, with this attack, we will have to adjust our current theories."

The Councilman I was in contact with earlier this afternoon stood up. "So you're saying that there's something more to this kind of Grimm? Something so dangerous it turned every single Huntsmen against each other? Is that why everybody was fighting within the meeting room earlier?"

"That's my current belief. Gentlemen, the reason why I didn't mention this earlier is that this particular Grimm is breaking every single known rule about Grimm that we know of. Previously, the Academies believed that Grimm took on animals and monsters that Remnans were historically scared of, things that would appear in fairy tales. However, this Grimm shatters everything we thought we knew about them."

"Hmm… that is quite troubling." The Head Councilman laced his fingers together. "With a Grimm that can do something like this, this puts a lot of concern over the security of the civilians when the Vytal Festival comes around. If something like this was to happen during the festival—"

My hand flew up, cutting his words short. "I wouldn't worry about that. I can say with confidence that the Grimm has been stopped. As we're having this meeting, Beacon staff has been putting in a lot of effort making sure that one: there are no other traces of the Grimm that could potentially affect any citizens, and two: there is no possibility that more Grimm can enter the school premises. I can promise you without a doubt that Beacon will be secure for all visitors during the Vytal Festival."

The three individuals sat back in their seats, letting out a collective hum. "That… is great to hear, Headmaster Ozpin. It does ease the mind a bit hearing that there's something being done about the situation. However, it does concern us that something like this has been wandering around Beacon for half a month without our knowledge. It puts the Huntsmen-in-Training through a lot of unnecessary danger. And yes, while it is noted that there is an inherent danger in going to Beacon Academy that we have accepted, something like this is unacceptable in our books. This is negligent behavior that endangers these future Huntsmen."

I sighed. I guess that means we're going to go through this again. The Head Councilman continued: "We'll keep this event in mind when we do our evaluation after the school year ends. As great of a Headmaster as we consider you to be, maybe you've finally reached your peak as a teacher. If the safety of the future guardians of Vale can't be guaranteed, we will have to look at other candidates for your job."

I heard the ding of the elevator, followed quickly by the door opening. Out emerged James Ironwood with a look of fury on his face. It quickly shifted to confusion when everyone turned to look at him. "Ozpin, I have to ask something— Oh. My apologies. I wasn't aware that there was a meeting going on." He started to step back into the elevator. "I'll return at a later time."

"Not to worry," one of the Councilmen noted. "We were just about done. Do keep what we said in mind, Headmaster Ozpin. Keep up the good work." And with that, the screen darkened as they ended their call.

I turned back to face my fellow colleague. "Well, that was an… eventful meeting. But I digress. Hello, James. I didn't expect you to be up here. What brings you to my office? You said you had something to say to me?"

"Right, I did." The general started towards me. "Do you remember the conversation we had about a rumor you wanted to keep secret? A tale about a mysterious Arrow that gave the person hit with it paranormal powers?" I nodded my head. He continued: "I've always wondered why we had a conversation about such an artifact. It was such an odd mention in our talks about the other… heirlooms we guard dearly."

My eyebrows raised up as he continued talking. "But after what happened earlier this afternoon, I'm starting to think… does this have to do anything with the Arrow?"

"Yes," I said with a sigh. "It did, James."

His eyes widened before he furrowed his eyebrows. "Then— Ozpin!" James slammed his palms against my table. "Why aren't we dedicating more resources into looking for it? If something as powerful as this is within the city, then the paranormal users can potentially wreak havoc within Vale! And if something like this isn't contained, this could potentially send shockwaves across Remnant! Our entire civilization is at risk if this Arrow gets into the wrong hands! Why don't you just give me permission to use my army to look for this artifact?"

"I'd like you to know that I do have people looking for them. But not in such a big group, and undercover as well, so that they don't draw too much attention. But to answer your question, I have two reasons." I sat up in my chair. "One. Sudden army movements are going to unnerve the populace. As much as you like to pretend it's not the case, the majority of the city is fearful of the massive armada floating in the sky. It gives off the pretense of a military occupation. If they notice that your troops are moving in order to look for something, they are going to come up with irrational reasons why. And before we know it, there is civil unrest that can attract the Grimm."

"Ozpin, let me remind you that the Vale government itself invited me to bring my armada here." James tapped the glass screen with one of his fingers. "They've approved of the protection I brought to the kingdom. If anything, it's a good idea to use these men to keep them sharp."

"The Council might know the truth. I might know the truth." A sigh escaped my breath. "But are you prepared to go to every citizen's house and tell them of the situation? Of the reason why your ships are flying above the city of Vale? Of why an entire army's mobilizing? Do you think they'll believe that the army's just looking for one Arrow? No, that's ridiculous, no matter how close to the truth that is."

I pushed my shaded glasses up. "Besides, that brings me to reason two. Somebody's looking for it as well."

At that, my fellow Headmaster staggered back. "What? Are you sure about that?"

"Unfortunately, I am. You should take a seat. This might take awhile." I walked over to a coffee machine and started refilling the mug with coffee as my peer pulled up a chair. "You see, the Arrow isn't just lying around, waiting for somebody to stumble upon it. It's being carried by a… by a monster. For all sakes and purposes, we'll call it the Cupid."

"Cupid?" James raised his eyebrows as he sat down. "That's an unusual name to call a Grimm."

"It's more than a Grimm, James." I blinked as I watched the mug fill up. "The Cupid is unique in the fact that it takes on the form of a baby human. Despite this, it has the intelligence of a man who's lived a century. It's this thing that carries the Arrow with it, which is why it's called the Cupid."

"Alright. I see. So you weren't lying when you said that there was a new type of Grimm. Just… not the one I read about in the reports." I squinted at the man. He's been reading the reports I send to the Council? And he's been listening into my meeting even before he came in? James waved the thought away. "But that doesn't make any sense. It would be easier to find the Arrow then, right?"

"Not quite. The thing is the Cupid isn't alone. I suspect that there are criminals that are protecting this thing right now. Are you aware of Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan?" He nodded. "They've disappeared off the face of Remnant in recent memory. Normally I would attribute that to a criminal just laying low if it wasn't for this piece of news." I tapped a button on the table, displaying a news article: **MAJOR DUST OPERATION BUSTED IN DOCKS! MASTER THIEF NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.** "VPD found tons of stolen Dust, money trails that lead back to several laundering sites that have been since shut down, an itinerary of Dust shops and when to hit them. Even a list of potential safe houses. All verified."

I picked up the mug the moment the coffee machine chirped. "And with all of this… I found something quite interesting." I made my way back to my desk and pulled up another file, displaying a bunch of writing on printer paper. "This was the confession note left by Torchwick and Neopolitan before they somehow escaped. It detailed their robberies, how they robbed the city, the usual confession stuff. It also had this on the back." I switched to another photo, showing a crude drawing of a Valentine's Day Cupid holding an ornate arrow. A stick person was hit by the arrowhead, and an ethereal figure formed behind him. "This is the process of forming a Stand user. These two know how it works, and the spirit they gain from it."

Ironwood furrowed his eyebrows. "That means…!" His eyes widened again. "So the two most wanted criminals in the city are—!"

"Them and a few more. But I need to make this point: whoever these individuals are, they're hitting random students with it. Which explains what happened earlier. If we throw more people at it, the group gets closer to finding what they want."

James raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "And what do they want?"

I gave the man a haunted look. "They're looking for a Stand user with the right abilities. Someone who can bring back a certain vengeful person. A person who will erase the existence of Remnans as we know it."

* * *

"Ow…" Yang moaned as she rubbed her wrists. Two dark bands swelled around them, with skin starting to peel back. "Aw man, being tied up sucks!"

I rubbed the back of my cloak nervously as my sister walked next to me through the hallways. Blake and Weiss sandwiched the two of us, generally keeping their silence as they listened into our conversation. Yang let out a sigh. "Thanks guys for letting me out. But man! Those rope restraints really bit into my wrists bad. I haven't had skin chafing this bad since I had to do those long cross-country runs with Dad. Remember, Ruby?"

"You mean the days when you would sit in a tub of oatmeal just moaning and groaning about how painful everything is? And how everything from your torso and your arms to your hips and your thighs and your groin would be all peeled up and red?" The blonde nodded, turning pink as she remembered everything.

"Can we… go back to the chafed wrists and not talk about our private parts?" Weiss sighed, rubbing the base of her nose next to me. "That's way more information then I wanted to know about my teammates. But speaking of which… I do have some aloe vera on me right now. I prefer petroleum jelly for this kind of thing, but I don't have some on me right now." She pulled out a small canister filled with a clear-ish liquid. Actually, the canister didn't have a lot left. Maybe half an ounce of it left at most. My partner held it high into the air as a frown formed. "Oh… I might need to get more eventually. But this might do for now. You want some, Yang?"

"Oh, yes, please! Anything to soothe my skin!" Yang caught the tiny bottle with little effort. I watched as my sister squeezed out almost all of the moisturizer into her hand.

Weiss gave my sister a weird look. "What the— Yang!" My partner let out a scowl. "What are you doing?"

My sister raised her eyebrows in suspicion. "Uhh, what does it look like? I'm rubbing aloe vera into my sore wrists."

"I get that! I'm asking why you're using so much of it!" The heiress snatched back the bottle. "You don't need that much aloe to moisturize your skin!"

Everyone else on the team raised our eyebrows. "Really?" we all responded.

"Wha— How does nobody here know about this?" Weiss drew a small circle on her palm. "You only need a small dollop of any kind of moisturizer, like roughly the size and shape of an almond! Any less and the substance won't cover everything; any more and you'll have greasy, slimy skin! What, don't you have anybody who could've taught you something about makeup— no, basic skin care? Seriously, Yang, you just said you had oatmeal baths for skin chafing!"

An 'eh' escaped my mouth. "Dad heard that from one of his coworkers back at Signal. Otherwise, he has no idea about skin care. I don't think anybody in our family knows or cares about that kind of stuff in the first place."

This only caused Weiss to narrow her eyes. "What the— how do you two have perfect skin, then? There's no way Huntsmen can have good-looking skin without some knowledge of skin care!"

We both shrugged. "… Good genes?" I offered. "Aura?"

My partner gave me a look of disbelief. "Please tell me you're being sarcastic. You seriously don't believe that Aura takes care of skin complexion just like that, right?"

"Well, I don't know, Weiss!" I threw my hands up. "Aura is so weird and unexplainable that I'm pretty sure it can be used to explain everything!" I dropped my hands and shrugged my shoulders again. "But honestly, I don't really know why we have good skin without moisturizer. It's not really a big deal anyways."

"Yeah Weiss," Yang smiled. "Besides, you said something about having to get more aloe later? This is the perfect excuse to go out and get some more. You know, as soon as the school lets us go out to Vale again." With that, she started slopping the gel all over her wrists. My sister let out a pleasurable moan, rubbing the squishy jelly all over her sore skin. "Ooh, wow. This stuff is actually pretty good! My skin's feeling all tingly and numb! Did they add something to the aloe to make it feel so good?"

Weiss nodded. "I think there are trace amounts of ice Dust. Not enough to encase anything in ice, but enough to give that nippy ice feeling when applied."

"... Nippy isn't how I would describe it, but whatever. It's really, really nice!" Yang let out a satisfied hum. "Makes me feel bad for using this much all at once. I think I might keep a bottle of this around for later. How much does a bottle of this cost?"

"Give me a moment. Don't exactly remember the price." My partner pulled out her scroll and did a bit of searching. "A regular bottle this size is maybe five lien, but with the ice Dust it goes up to maybe ten lien."

"What?!" We all backed away at hearing the cost. The blonde shook her head in disbelief. "A bottle that small costs ten lien?"

"Yes. The one I'm looking at is actually on the cheaper side. It isn't the brand that I have on me right now. Oh! Here it is! This bottle's actually around twenty lien. Not a bad deal if I say so myself." Weiss blinked at our lack of a response aside from the squish of the gel being rubbed onto Yang's wrists. "What? I mean twenty lien isn't that much— Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot that you guys don't have so much money. Twenty lien must be a lot for some moisturizer." A silence rolled over us as we continued walking. "Well, this is awkward… So, what do we do now?"

I hummed. "You know, didn't Nora mention something about having a pancake cook-off? I'm feeling a little hungry after all of the fighting we did today, and I wouldn't mind having something to eat. We can go there if you guys want."

A rumble reverberated through the hallway. What the— I turned towards Blake, who had her hand on her stomach. "That's a good idea. I wouldn't mind getting something to eat. I didn't really have anything to eat since this morning." She brought her hand to the chin. "If I remember correctly, I think they said something about having the cook-off nearby the dorm kitchen."

Yang let out a confused hum. "Our dorm has a kitchen?"

"It's in the same room as the lounge." The faunus girl raised an eyebrow. "How did you not notice it?"

My sister's face wrinkled for a moment, thinking about it. "Oh… oh! You mean those cabinet things on the side? That's a kitchen?"

"Yeah," Blake nodded. "I mean, it does have a stove and an oven."

"… And to think I thought that it was just a convenient place to keep all of the snacks." Yang brushed a lock of hair back. "Huh. You learn something new every day. I'll go to the cook-off."

"I guess that's settled then!" I gave the rest of my team a smile. "If we hurry, I think we can make it in time to see them finish cooking!" I threw my arm straight into the air. "Go, Team RWBY! Onwards to pancakes and glory!"

"Yeah!"

It was a fairly short trip back from there. Around us, several students started pulling themselves back up. The entire student body had looks of confusion on their faces as we passed by without a word. I bit the inside of my mouth. For something this bad to happen to all of the students… I wonder what they're thinking about now? Do they even remember what happened to them while they were under control of Russel's Stand? Maybe the rest of Team JNPR doesn't remember, but that's them. Maybe other people have some idea of what happened.

But enough thinking for now. I smiled as we entered the dorm building, taking a long whiff. "Mmm… that smells heavenly! It's really nice, don't you think guys? The sweet, almost toasty smell of pancakes. I wonder if the others have strawberry jam. That would be perfect! If I remember correctly, the kitchen should be around…" Chatter was right around the corner. "... Here!"

"Hi guys!" I chirped as I stepped through the door. Everybody in the lounge looked up quickly and gave me a quick wave before going back to their activities. From the looks of it, both Jaune and Ren were manning the stove, churning out pancakes as fast as they can. Ren was on a roll, taking a calm, calculated approach to cooking every pancake to perfection even at his current speedy pace.

Jaune… was actually doing pretty well. Granted, he's not as fast as Ren, but he's doing a pretty good job staying on top of making every pancake. Both of the men threw their finished pancakes on a random plate to be taken by a grinning Nora, and she would bring them to Pyrrha for her to sort out by size.

I glanced at the lounge part of the room. It looks like the sister teams of NDGO and BRNZ were sitting in a circle in beanbags having a chat with each other about… something. Something about relationships? Eh, it's not my thing. Fox and his team were resting on the couch, occasionally glancing between the work being made on the pancakes and the animated talks that the teams from Vacuo were having.

"Oof! Nearly burned that one!" Jaune slipped another pancake onto the plate placed at his side before turning towards me. He wiped a bit of pancake batter on his apron. "Oh hey Ruby! I thought you were going to get your sister."

"This sister's here now!" Yang strutted right in, giving everyone a wave before flicking her hair back. "Oh wow, this place is really crowded. There are like, five teams in this place! Are you really making that much pancakes for everyone?"

"Sorta!" Nora cheered. From the corner of my eye, I can see Jaune and Ren give each other shifty glances. The blonde boy pulled at his apron nervously. "We're going to make the largest pancake stack known to Remnant ever! And everyone's going to help eat it afterward!"

My sister gave everyone a grin as she rubbed her hands. "Ooh, nice. I didn't even know there was a world record for largest pancake stack. What is it?"

"Uhh…" Jaune scratched his head. "Just above a meter. What was it, around one hundred and two centimeters?"

I heard a whistle escape from Blake. "That's pretty big. How high are you going to make it?"

Nora grinned. "My team wanted to play it safe and add only a centimeter to the world record, but beauty must overcome practicality at all costs! Before we're done, this pancake stack is going to have ten extra centimeters, making it a masterpiece! This is what I'll be known for in Beacon! Well, besides being a Huntress of course. But still! Future students will remember my name for years to come if we manage to pull this thing off!"

"That's awesome!" I bounced around with joy. "I can't wait to see the results! Man, and when we get the chance to eat them— Oh, they are going to be so, so delicious." My eyes flew over to the mound of pancakes already on the island table. "So… When are you going to stack the pancakes?"

"As soon as Ren and Jaune are finished with the batter they have left," Pyrrha noted after she finished organizing the current pancakes. "Granted, we have a lot of pancakes to stack already. We already have around two hundred of them."

"Okay…" I tapped the side of my cheek. "So that means that every person here has maybe… ten pancakes. That's more than I usually have, but it doesn't seem like that much considering that I usually have my pancakes with a ton of other stuff." I turned towards my team. "You guys can eat that many pancakes in one sitting, right—"

"And done!" Jaune groaned as he threw his spatula in the sink. "That's all of the batter! Whew, that was hard! But we're finally done!" He started untying his apron. "So, are we going to wait a couple of minutes for everyone to catch a break or do we want to—"

"Just do it already!" Coco yelled from across the room with a cheeky grin. She rested her chin on her hand. "We're starving to see this!" I bit my lip. It's kinda strange having Coco act so normal after she tried to gun everyone down in the library not too long ago. But she recovered quickly for having a book smashed into her head. Maybe it was because of her Aura? I shrugged. The fashionista continued: "I thought we were going to see a pancake stack, not some freshmen slack around with a bunch of pancakes! Come on, time for the good part!"

"You heard the lady!" Nora grabbed the stack of the biggest pancakes and sets it firmly in front of her. "I've set the foundation! Ren, Pyrrha, Jaune. It's all you guys now."

Everyone nodded. "I'm not the most coordinated when it comes to these kinds of things," Jaune noted to Pyrrha and Ren. A brief glow appeared from him for a moment before fading away. The rest of his team didn't seem to react to the change. "How about you two stack and I'll straighten them out as you guys go?" I hid a grin on my face as the realization hit me. Oh, sneaky Jaune. I wouldn't expect him to do anything else.

There was a hum of agreement, and from there everyone started working. The room was dead silent now as Pyrrha and Ren took turns building up the pancake tower with Jaune helping to "straighten" it. To most people, this must be really tense. There's no way that a tower made out of nothing but pancakes can stay upright for so long, right? No matter what, it's bound to lean and fall. But there are two things JNPR was using right now to make sure that doesn't happen. One: they're making it so that the pancakes get smaller and smaller as it goes higher up. Reminds me of Atlesian skyscrapers and their tube-like shape. Then they have Jaune reducing the density of the upper pancakes. I don't how by how much, but it's gotta be enough to keep the tower stable.

Team RWBY gawked in awe as Ren placed the last pancake on top. It was such a tiny one, the size of the inside of my palm, maybe. But with that, the pancake tower was complete. Yang let out a whistle. "Wow… you guys actually did it. That is the biggest pancake tower I've ever seen." She looked down at her chests. "And I thought I was stacked. Eh?" She pointed finger guns at everyone. "Ehh?"

The entire room let out a groan. "Oh, come on!" Nolan yelled. "Just… why?" Every single member in CFVY was cringing. Even Yatsu, who was normally calm and composed had two fingers rubbing against his eyelids.

"Oh, come on! That wasn't nearly as bad as you think it was! I thought it was pretty witty!" My sister crossed her arms in a huff. She quickly gave the rest of us a smile. "But seriously, something like this needs a name! So Nora, what are you going to name this beauty?"

"Hmm… Umm… Huh." The hyperactive redhead shrugged. "I don't really know. How about something like Butter Top Tower?"

Yang shrugged. "Butter Top Tower… I like it!" She pulled out her scroll and snapped a picture of the tower in question. "May Beacon remember the glory that is the Butter Top Tower!" With that, everyone in the room clapped and pulled out their scrolls to snap pictures. She waved her hands at our sister team. "Come on! We gotta get you guys a picture before everybody digs in!"

Team JNPR nodded, quickly adjusting their clothes and hair before positioning themselves in front of the island table. My sister held her scroll up high. "Alright, say cheese!" A flash of light briefly illuminated the group. "Ooh, that's a good one. I'll send it to your scrolls."

With that, Nora started grabbing plastic plates out from a nearby cupboard. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? It's pancake time!" The hyperactive girl started passing them out to everybody while the rest of the team in the background started separating the tower down to four decently sized stacks. "Go ahead and take whatever you want! On the house!"

A thought hit me right as Nora handed me my plate. "Oh yeah! Are there any strawberries or any toppings or something?"

"Pretty sure there were," Ren hummed. "You can look in the cupboard or something and see."

"What? But they're so high up, and I'm like this close to the ground!" I gave a pout. "Couldn't you check to see for yourself, Ren?"

Yang let out a chuckle. "I'll go, little sis. This won't be nearly as bad as the cupboards at our home. Remember Ruby? The ridiculously tall ones that even Dad couldn't reach without a stool? Heheh. I wonder why he decided to build them that big." She rubbed the top of my head as she passed by me. "Don't worry about your height. You'll hit that growth spurt sooner or later."

"Please don't talk about my height," I whined, combing my hair back to its original position. That only got Yang to laugh even harder.

"Here you go, Ruby." A yelp escaped my mouth as a big jar of jam just fell into my hands. "I don't see any strawberries, but I don't think you'll mind that much."

"Thanks!" With that I dashed towards the pancake stacks and started piling them all on my plate, slathering a thick amount of jam between each slice.

"Um… Ruby?" Jaune pulled at the collar of his hoodie before letting out a cough. "That's a lot of pancakes. I don't recommend having that many pancakes at once."

"Huh?" I looked up at him after my eighth pancake. "Why?"

The blonde boy scratched the back of his neck. "Well, have you ever wondered how we managed to get so much pancake batter in such a short time? On the one day where we can't get to a store to buy all of the ingredients?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe you bought them some time ago? I mean Ren's really big on planning and all that. Maybe Ren and Nora planned to do this for awhile?"

He shook his head. "Nora came up with the idea yesterday. We had absolutely no time to prepare for it. All of the pancake mix we used came from an old batch Ren sealed up since… what was it, since before the first day of school?" I paled upon hearing that. Jaune continued: "He did say that it doesn't look like the seal broke and the mixture itself didn't look rotten. Still, I wouldn't eat a lot of them just to stay on the safe side."

"Well… um…" I scratched the side of my head. "Why don't you tell everybody else about that then?"

Jaune didn't say anything, instead keeping his silence. "Well, it's not like we're going to throw the whole thing out after we made something like this. Plus, Nora's going to be eating all of the leftovers. She has a gut of steel, but there are only so much one stomach can take after all. Plus, I don't want to let these guys down after Nora promised them pancakes afterward. Didn't feel like the right thing to do."

"I mean… that's true, I guess. You gotta give people what you promised. At least Huntsmen aren't going to suffer that bad if we do get food poisoning. Whelp, bottom's up!" Before he could say anything else, I scooped up and shoved a decently sized portion into my mouth. "Mmm… yum! For pancake mixture that's nearly a year old, this tastes pretty good! Ren really nailed it!"

"Wait, really?" Jaune's eyes widened. "There's no weird aftertaste? No nothing?" I shook my head. The boy snatched a nearby pancake and took a bite out of it. "Huh… nothing is wrong. So was I worrying for nothing?"

"Yup," I nodded. "These taste like perfectly fine pancakes to me. By the way, do you know when we're talking to Russel about the Arrow?"

He shrugged. "I sent a message to Cardin about Russel. Russel's out of the infirmary already, so we can meet up with them and talk about all of that stuff."

"Mmmhmm." I swallowed another helping of pancakes. "Wouldn't it be kinda awkward meeting up with the team that used to bully you?" I kicked at the ground. "You did make up with them a while ago, but still. I wouldn't be comfortable talking with the people who bullied me either."

"Hey! We haven't done that kind of stuff in forever!" Everybody turned around to see Cardin leaning on the side of the door with his arms crossed. The rest of team CRDL stood right behind them, looking a bit nervous. "What? I heard that there are free pancakes being made, so I brought my team over for some grub." The room remained silent. "Well, this is awkward… We brought lemonade." At that Sky held out a couple of jugs.

"Oh! I can't believe we forgot to get refreshments!" Pyrrha barely managed to grit out of her teeth. Her hands tightened around the edge of the island counter. "Thank you for that! You can leave them on the table. We'll grab some cups from the cabinet and serve them out. But anyways, go ahead and enjoy the food!"

"Alright, thanks for that. Come on, guys." Cardin leaned towards us as his team passed by. "I don't know why you needed to speak to Russel specifically, but he's all yours, Jauney-boy. Take it easy on the guy, okay? He's still winded even after his wounds have healed."

Jaune nodded back, turning towards the mohawked boy as he walked up towards us. "Hey Russel, you don't mind if we stepped outside and had a talk, right? It won't be long, I promise."

The boy nodded, a bit of disbelief flashing through his eyes before that quickly faded away. "Okay… That's fine."

We didn't even close the door when Russel started fretting, rubbing the back of his head as he paced back and forth. "Is this because of what happened earlier this morning? Look, it was an accident. I didn't have control over my body, and that spirit thing just took over and made me do whatever it wanted. I didn't want to mess with your team, I swear!"

"It's okay, I get it. I'm not going to hurt you or anything." Jaune raised his hands up, palms facing Russel. "Ruby and I are going to explain everything. About the spirit thing. Ruby, if you will?" With that, I brought out Rose. Russel's eyes widened at the sight, backing away a couple of steps. "This here is a Stand. That's the spirit thing that took over your body. These Stands have abilities that basically defy logic. For example, Ruby can break her body down into rose petals. I can change the density of anything I touch. From what I can tell, you can influence the emotions of all non-Stand users around you."

"Huh… I see." The boy with the mohawk stared at his hands. "And why did my Stand takeover my body?"

I sighed. "We're not too sure. Stands are controlled by willpower, so maybe the Stand appeared and you weren't ready to control it, so it took over your body."

Russel stayed quiet for a while, glancing down at the floor. He let out a snort. "Heh… I guess that makes a little sense. A freak accident. It makes me wonder if I can control it the next time it happens."

"All it takes is willpower," I noted, waving the fork around as I continued eating my giant stack of pancakes. "Then you can easily summon it whenever you want."

"Maybe…" He shook his head. "Not likely, though. I don't want to try again. It's best… I think it's best if I just didn't try to summon it and just go back to life with my team. It's a lot easier that way."

Jaune nodded his head. "Okay, that's fine. Just one more thing before we're done here. So me, Ruby, and a couple other people happen to be Stand users, and we're currently searching for the source of the Stands: the Arrow. Whenever it cuts somebody, it gives that person a Stand. However, if it cuts somebody with weak willpower, it could potentially kill them or send their Stand out of control."

"Like me," Russel sighed.

"Yeah." Jaune cast his eyes down to the ground. "Like you. But there is this Grimm creature that carries the Arrow that looks like a Grimmified human baby. Try to remember as much as possible. Did you see anything like that recently? Or did you feel something jabbing into your skin?"

At that Russel hummed. "Did I? There was somebody doing archery trick shots during that impromptu talent show, but from a quick glance, all of those arrows were pretty normal. Nothing that stuck out in my mind. And hell if I know when I last felt a cut. Just that I started feeling dizzy roughly an hour before my part, but I attributed that to stage fright more than anything else." He shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I got nothing for you. Sorry for wasting your time."

The blonde boy sighed. "Well… it's fine. Any bit of information helps. We're done here. You can go back in."

"Sure, thanks." Russel opened the door before looking back at us. "And to you two… good luck with your search. I don't want to see another me happen on this campus again." He entered the lounge, leaving the two of us alone in the hallway.

"So what now?" Jaune groaned. "Even after all that, we still don't have anything! How are we going to find the Arrow now?"

"Hmm… I don't know," I shrugged. Another fork full of pancakes entered my mouth. "There has to be a pattern to all of this— A thought struck me. "Oh my gods…"

"Huh?" Jaune turned towards me. "What is it?"

"I was thinking about who is a Stand user. For the most part, all of us are students here at Beacon except for two: Torchwick and Neo."

The blonde raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? What about those two?"

"Isn't it weird that all of these students are being targeted, and then there are these two random criminals? Criminals who set up a trap with their Stand to get us killed off?"

Jaune's eyes widened. "Right! Why would they specifically target us with Stand users unless they knew from the start that—"

"—That we're Stand users. And we know that they're working with the White Fang because of their appearance in the rally from earlier this year. Torchwick works for other people, which means that he's been sent by somebody who also knows about the Arrow to kill us. Which means the White Fang must've known about it, if not used it on certain members."

"My gods…" My friend whispered.

"It gets worse. Everybody targeted by the Arrow was hit either in Beacon or extremely close to Beacon. So… for some reason the Cupid decided this was a perfect place to create Stand users. Why could that be, though? What's so special about Beacon that draws it here?"

"Maybe it's all of the Huntsmen here," Jaune shrugged. "Because we have to fight against the Grimm, we'll naturally have a lot more people who are strong-willed. There's no way that a weak-willed person would be accepted here. So that could be a thing."

"Maybe… But there's still something off about this situation." I let out a long sigh. "It can't just be because we happen to have a lot of willpower. There have to be strong-willed people in the city as well. But we have no news reports of a Stand incident in downtown Vale or anything. It has to be something else." I glanced at the door frame to the lounge, listening to the lively conversation coming out from the door. We need to figure this out before yet another person falls victim to the Cupid. We need a clue.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 12/8/2017 **

* * *

**Gwen's Bizarre Adventure - Act 1**

"Mmm…" I hummed as I took a bite of the pancake. My eyes widened. "Oh wow. This… this is delicious! It's so beautiful." Tears started rolling out of my eyes as the flavors washed over me. "This here is nothing short of a masterpiece." I slammed the dish onto the carpet floor, causing my teammates to look up in surprise. "Guys. I have to know this guy's recipe, right now. This is an opportunity of a lifetime! A flavor like this needs to be sold back at our academy. I'm sure it'll sell like hotcakes back in Vacuo! We'll be filthy rich!"

"Okay Gwen, calm down. Can we just go a month without another get rich quick scheme from you?" Nebula sighed. "I mean, I have to admit, this is a good pancake stack. But I don't think the cook would be happy if we decided to take advantage of his recipe for our own gains."

"Don't think of it as exploitation, think of it as an opportunity! I mean we can give that guy a cut if that would help." I stood up. "I'll ask him right now."

Octavia tried to speak up. "Gwen, I don't think that this—"

I ignored my friend and walked right up to the man with the pink highlight in his hair listening to a redhead blabbering about… ninja ghost sloths? Well then. "Hey there," I waved. The hyperactive girl stopped speaking as the two of them looked at me. "I like your pancakes. You must've spent a lot of time learning how to make those pancakes to perfection."

"You won't believe it!" That girl stepped close to the boy, almost protectively in fact. "Renny here worked on this formula for years before he found the perfect combination! It's one of his most valued things in the world!" Her eyes narrowed at me. "Something really, really important to him."

The man sighed. "Nora, you don't have to be that dramatic." He turned towards me. "What do you want?"

"Oh! Well, I hope you don't mind because my question's kinda dumb now that I think about it." I rubbed the back of my head. "Well you see, I'm interested in learning the recipe so that I can make some for myself back in Vacuo." I lowered my voice. "And maybe sell it for money."

"What?! No way! Not in a million years!" The girl hunched back, squeezing Ren. "This is worth more than gems, more than diamonds, more than anything else in the world! This is a secret that will never leave Ren's mind! I would rather have you pry it out of his cold, dead hands. Except if you hurt him, I'll break your legs!"

"Nora, you don't have to be that harsh. Look, the recipe has sentimental value to me and my friend Nora here. I'm flattered by your offer, but I can't accept. I hope you understand."

"No, no. I get it." My hands flew up as I slowly stepped away from them. I paid special attention to Nora, who may or may not be reaching for a frying pan right now. "You two have a great day now."

The rest of NDGO had to hold their mouths in laughter as I slunk back towards them. "So," Dew noted as she swallowed a giggle. "It didn't work out?"

"Shut up." I slumped back down on the ground. "It was worth a shot. I don't see you guys trying something."

"Why bother?" Dew rested her head on one of her hands. "It's not like we're not getting paid. We do get a portion of whatever the mission reward is. We're making lien just by studying here. Why make more money than that?"

"You can never have too much pocket money," I winked. "Think of it as keeping my options open." I glanced at my partner, who had her back pressed against her girlfriend's back. Both of them were on their scrolls texting. Probably each other. I've never seen a more awkward couple than this. "Hey Octavia. Whatcha doing?"

"Hmm?" She looked up. "Oh, just chatting with May. Nothing much."

"Don't wanna be rude, but aren't you right next to her? Couldn't you just talk face to face?"

"We like to keep our love private. We're both not much for acting in public." I had to stifle a laugh. Yeah, that's pretty apparent. She glanced at her scroll. "Oh, you don't say."

"Huh? What is it?" I asked, leaning over to look at my partner's scroll.

"For some reason, all of the students Beacon have a betting pool." My eyes raised up. A betting pool? "Right here they list troublesome teams. Each team has a set of odds that they will get into trouble with the authorities next. Team RWBY has 1:10 chance, for example for their actions at the docks and their fight against the White Fang."

"Really?" I couldn't believe my ears. "What odds do we have?"

"1:50 chance, on the lower side." My partner hummed as she scrolled through the page. "Apparently it's all due to that incident at the Cafe a little while ago."

"Hey! It was honestly just a prank!" I yelled as I waved my arms. "And I paid for all of the damages, too. However… Ooh, this is good." I rubbed my temples, letting out a hum. "I feel an idea brewing in my mind."

"Oh please no," Octavia groaned. "If this is another one of your money ideas, count me out. These never go well."

"Oh, you're gonna want to stay on board, because I'm bringing Team BRNZ into this one." A smile grew on my face. "We need steel cables, an attachable pulley system, hooks, several weights totaling two tons, my Mystique— I mean Semblance, balaclava masks with matching turtleneck sweaters— This is perfect!"

Nebula swallowed a giant mouthful of pancakes. "Okay Gwen, this is actually a bit scary. What are you planning to do?"

"Why, rig the betting pool in our favor, of course!" I leaned forwards. "Tell BRNZ to pool all of their money with us and bet on team NDGO. We're going to make a bet, cause some trouble that will be the highlight of this year, and come out a fistful of lien richer!" I gave my team a bright smile. Everybody looked frightened at what I was going to do. "So let's start. Who knows if there's a teacher with a car?"

 **=TBC=**

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 **And with that arc out of the way, we're back on our regularly scheduled Beacon's Bizarre Adventures. Actually, that's a good name. I should call my side stories that for now on. Anyways, retrospective next chapter focusing on Feel Good Inc. It's an interesting experience writing this arc. But o** **n to the reviews!**

 **Ruby's Knight: Thank you for betaing for me, and thank you for your suggestions! But yeah, in hindsight I liked the mental back and forth between Jaune and Feel Good Inc. When I first wrote this arc, I didn't like the idea of introducing the wind Dust tree. It was such an odd thing to have in the story, and I thought it was overpowered. Then I thought about how someone would counter that, and the back and forth battle made this way more enjoyable.**

 **And I guess I can see why this arc seems really fast. I'm bouncing through a lot of characters, each who will take up a lot of time. So it seems like the arc should be a lot longer than it actually is. But also it's not supposed to be that long. The path from the mountain to the Hero statue is basically a straight line. Jaune was going to get to the battle fairly quickly no matter what. Still, I would probably have this arc be much longer if I had to do this again. Two chapters isn't a lot to work with, even with a streamlined plotline like this.**

 **Guest: Thank you, Guest! And yeah, what is Cinder doing...**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! But it is an interesting question, figuring out what kind of Stand user Cinder is trying to find...**

 **TheSetupMage: Thank you for the Stand idea suggestions and names. I love seeing fellow JoJo fan's Stand ideas and how creative they can be. But I should say again that I've already locked in the Stand users I'm using, what their Stand names are, and their abilities. I'm not currently looking for any suggestions, although I do appreciate the creativity put into them.**

 **Hell, the Stands [WE ARE BROTHERS],** **[HAPPY TOGETHER], and [THE PAINKILLER] sound pretty cool. Independently acting Stands are awesome in JoJo, and I like the idea of dabbling with shared Stands. But I'm not looking for any suggestions for this story. Still, love the effort you put into these Stands!**

 **Zorrodx: Thank you for the review, Zorrodx! Although I do have to ask: who is this fellow FF writer? It's just a passing curiosity.**

 **doa570047: Thank you, doa570047! Yeah, I've grown to love how the fight was written. The boomerang idea was pretty good, especially since I came up with that while I was thinking about straight up reorganizing the arc. But oh man, out-of-context statements. The day I get good enough to get those in naturally is a day I long for. But yeah, I can't wait until I reveal even more Stand abilities!**

 **And Gwen's book fort is awesome. I can't remember when or why I decided that should be a thing, but man, I'm glad I did. We wait for the day the book fort will become relevant again.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: December 8, 2017**_


	25. Secret Journey

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter! Just to let you guys know, retrospective today, so you guys will see that below. Other then that, I don't have much else to mention. Thanks again to my beta for their input! Without further ado, on to the chapter!**

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 _ **Beta: Ruby's Knight**_

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A little bit of downtime is always necessary, no matter what you're doing. It's important to have those moments in your life where you can put masterminding, planning, and other worries to the side in favor of relaxing. A lot of people don't realize that we need to have a dedicated time to clear our minds off work, and instead focus on what's most important to us. And what's important to me? Making sure I make a change in this flawed world.

I let out a long sigh as I stared at Beacon's fountain, combing a lock of long black hair behind my ear before adjusting my leather vest. Most of the students walked through this area without a care in the world, chatting about anything that was on their minds. Most likely forgetting about the incident that happened about a week ago, instead focusing on the first year simulation. After all, today's Wednesday, I believe. Something was bound to happen anytime now. A hum escaped my mouth as I watched the water cascade down the fountain. I wonder what complication the world will throw at me this time around? What task would Beacon have me do—

"Oh, hey Cinder!" I looked up, snapping myself back to reality. Ruby Rose stood in front of me in her normal clothes, brushing what looked to be crumbs off of her face before waving with a smile. "I didn't expect to meet you here! What are you doing here? Where's the rest of your team?"

"Good evening, Ruby. Mercury and Emerald are most likely in their dorms sleeping or something," I said, glancing at my ungloved hands. She doesn't need to know what they're actually doing. I hope their visit to Vale will be fruitful in the end. But no matter what, I can't let this girl catch on to our plans. "As for me… well, I wanted some time to myself. And this fountain reminds me of home."

"Mistral, right?" I nodded my head. She let out a hum of contemplation as she plopped down right next to me on the bench. "I didn't know that. About the fountain, I mean. Which fountain are you talking about? The big one in the main city?"

I chuckled. "Actually, it's this unusual, unorthodox kind. It's actually a square fountain in this garden I've basically lived in my whole life. Far away from the city." My fingers drew out a rough description in the air. "The idea is that there are these slopes forming a hollow square so that there's also space for plants to grow. What I liked about this fountain was how the water looked like it was flowing up the slope, before falling and flowing up the next ramp and so on. This fountain right here's more traditional, but I always like imagining what it would be like to see water flow upwards against gravity instead of with it."

"Huh." Ruby scratched her head in confusion. "Okay, then. That's… unusual."

"Mmhm." I nodded my head. "It is. There's something special about that fountain, that's for sure. It defies the current rules to create something beautiful and inspirational. Regular fountains have this nice appeal where everything just seems to flow naturally. Seeing water seemingly break that trend is just awe-inspiring. Flowing against the current to create something new. I like it when expectations are defied like that." I brushed a lock of hair back and looked at the girl. "But let's talk about you. What are you doing here right now?"

"Oh yeah! The second-years are going on their last mission for the year, and I wanted to say goodbye to a particular team before they took off. Apparently, my team went ahead of me, so I'm trying to catch up with them right now." The reaper tapped the side of her cheek, nodding her head before snapping her fingers. "You know what? Why don't you come with me to see them off? You're not really doing a lot right now, and I wouldn't mind continuing our chat."

Hmm… I rubbed the base of my chin. Should I? This might be a great opportunity to learn if there are any other Stand users that have the ability we need to continue our plans. And I also get to get a little closer to Ruby, which means that she'll be more likely to give up some valuable information. Information that we can use to find our target. It would serve me best when it's time to put down all of the cards and reveal everything. And to think that I originally intended on just taking her out of the picture before they could become a problem. Ruby… what a great asset.

I nodded to the girl as I stood up. "Alright, then." We started on our way. "So, do you remember that simulation thing that was supposed to happen today?"

The young girl nodded. "Yup! It's kinda scary how nothing's really happened yet. I don't think anybody wants to go out today. Who knows what could happen? So I kinda feel jealous of the older year students. At least they don't have to worry about this simulation and instead do actual fun stuff. You know, Hunting and all that." The girl let out a long sigh. "What I wouldn't give to jump on one of the Bullheads and just fly off to fight off the Grimm invading a local village. Although it's going to be hard to convince Weiss and the others to leave. And Team RWBY does need their team leader, no matter what."

A sigh escaped my mouth. "Responsibility. Something that everybody needs to bear, but something everyone hates to have. It's hard having responsibility, especially when that means holding other people's lives in our hands. When your failures will affect them negatively, or get them killed outright. But the burden of such a task serves to drive us as well. It's such an interesting thing—" I blinked. "Oh, sorry. I don't really know why I decided to say that. It just— came out of my mouth just like that."

"Nono, that's okay," Ruby shrugged. "I mean, I think about it, too. It's something I don't like to think of, but…" The girl tugged her cape closer to her body. "Once we graduate, we become Huntresses, and we have to consider the lives of the people first and foremost, including our loved ones. My team, the villagers outside the Kingdoms, the people inside the Kingdoms… There's a lot at stake the moment I step out into this world."

Ruby squeezed the cloth, creating ripples across the cape. "And it's going to be hard. It's a burden almost nobody takes, and that's lonely. But that's why Huntsmen exist after all. We take on the responsibility others can't possibly take. Isn't that right?" I nodded. The child gave me an almost bittersweet smile. "The kid in me wants to run away and Hunt, but the leader part of me wants to be there for my team and for all Remnans. I guess that proves you right in how responsibility drives us, huh?"

I gave her a nod as I delved back into my thoughts. Hmm… so that confirms my suspicions. Ruby seems to be the loyal type. Dedication to her team, dedication to her cause, so on and so forth. She's willing to bind herself to responsibility if it meant protecting others. It could be a reason why she's going after the Arrow, now that I think about it. A smile crept up my face. Perfect. So that means she's not going to see the bigger picture at least until it's too late for her to act. I've already praised myself once for this, but I'm really glad that she's still around. It's not every day a person like her acts in such a predictable manner—

"—Hey, Cinder!" I snapped back to her. "Are you okay? You kinda zoned out there." My eyes narrowed for a moment. Did I really zone out next to the girl who could potentially stop my plans?

"I'm fine," I said. "Like I said, it's a thing I do at times. I like thinking to myself, but sometimes I forget that I'm supposed to be talking to people. It happens."

"Okay then." The girl in black and red fiddled with the side of her hoodie. "Well, do you want to talk about something else? Actually, hold that thought. We're here." The whirring of Bullheads on standby caught my attention as we approached the launchpads in question. It still amazes me sometimes that Remnans managed to figure out how to fly like birds. To think that even just six years ago I wouldn't have imagined of getting anywhere in the world that isn't by land or by foot. A lot has changed since then, but luckily the amusement hasn't. At least not yet.

Several upperclassmen stood nearby what I can only assume would be their assigned Bullhead, talking amongst each other and their teams. Most of them faded away from memory as soon as my eyes hopped towards another group. None of these guys are going to be important for the plan to come. If they were, I would've expected another incident erupting from their ranks like what happened last week. No, these individuals are less important than the pawns on the table. As far as I care, they are civilians. And considering how complacent they act these days, they basically are.

"Hey Cinder, could you help me look for Team CFVY?" Ruby chirped. She held a hand up to her brow and squinted. "It shouldn't be too hard. Just look for the gigantic East Mistrali in green and a giant bronze sword right next to a rabbit faunus."

A smile crawled up my face. "If it isn't so hard, wouldn't you have found the team by now?"

"Well… yeah." Ruby tapped the tips of her index fingers together as she let out a nervous giggle. "It's kinda embarrassing that I'm failing at this."

Luckily for the girl, a feminine voice spoke up. "Oh, look at this. Isn't that the leader of Team RWBY, Velvet?" The both of us turned around to see a girl in a turtleneck and shades strutting alongside a brunette with prominent bunny ears sticking out.

The woman I assumed was Velvet nodded her head before giving the young girl a wave. "Hey, Ruby! It's great to see you! Your team was wondering where you were the whole entire time."

"Yeah, about that." Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "I kinda took a detour for breakfast. Then I guess I just forgot about time and all. But I'm here now!"

The girl in the turtleneck gave the girl a smirk. "Oh really? Anyways, whatever. Let's meet up with the rest of the guys." She turned towards me. "But I don't really recall meeting you before. You a friend of Ruby?"

"Of sorts." I hesitated for a moment before offering my head. "Cinder, leader of Team C.M.E.N."

She scoffed as she took my hand. "Oop—! Sorry about the laugh. I just got the acronym. But really? Your Headmaster must've really been bored or desperate enough to name your team that. I mean, really? He's got some issues. I'm sure you're still a good team leader in spite of the name. I'm Coco Adel, team leader of CFVY. If you're a friend of Ruby, you're a friend of mine. But let's get a move on, shall we? Don't want to keep the team waiting for when we take off!" Everyone else nodded, and with that, the four of our started our trek into the mass of Bullheads.

Coco gave me a quick glance before letting out a hum. "Huh. You're not afraid of showing some skin, that's for sure. Just a leather vest, some strategic sarashis, and some tight pants." The girl whistled. "Simple, yet effective. I don't really like that sensual survivalist look, but you do you, Cinder. Oh, wait a minute." She walked towards me and took one of my arms, inspecting my skin closely. "Now I didn't expect this. You dabble in Mistrali Dust weaving?"

My jaw almost dropped upon hearing that. "Oh, of course. How do you know?"

"Hey, I'm a fashionista. I would be embarrassed not to know about this kind of stuff." Coco took her sunglasses off and seated them over her beret. "But for a quick explanation, your skin glitters just a bit in the sun. Not much, but to a noticeable amount for someone with a keen eye. See?" The upperclassman twisted my arm in the air. Sure enough, I caught a faint red sheen flickering once in a while.

Coco let out a relaxed chuckle before releasing my hand. "Funny story about how I first learned about this. So my family's company used to have this clothing line inspired by the movie 'The Girl on Fire' where the main character uses fake fire in her outfit to enamor a crowd. We tried Dust weaving to try and get the same effect, and it did for the most part. But all of the models complained about how Dust residue would build upon their skin and give them that slight glittery look. They looked like shiny disco balls by the end of the shoot! Took them forever to get the substance off!"

"Huh… I didn't know that was a thing," I noted, trying to keep the bitter taste on my tongue down. "Dust weaving was just a tradition my village always kept alive. It never occurred to me that there were side effects to doing so. But then again, everything does make a bit more sense now that you mentioned the residue. We were known for the unusual shine on our skin."

The upperclassman smiled. "Don't mind helping a freshie with a bit of my knowledge. Gotta teach the younglings about the facts of the world, after all." I resisted scoffing. Oh please. I'm likely older than you by three years. I know things that you wouldn't— no, couldn't even comprehend. You looking down at me when you don't even know anything close to the truth is laughable. If I was me six years ago, you would be lying on the ground, blood gushing from the beating I would give you.

I hid my distaste from her though, giving her a small smile. But I can put this aside, just for now. "Thank you, Coco." It's just a little annoyance in the bigger scheme of things. A passing detail in the bigger picture. Let her believe what she wants to believe. Keep not understanding the plights of other people. You'll learn to understand soon enough. I continued: "I'll keep that in mind for now on."

Ruby jumped into the conversation. "But forget about clothes! You have to tell us about your mission! What is it this time around? Are you performing a search and rescue for an overrun village? Hunting down a beast plaguing the outskirts of Vale? Come on, you guys. I can't take all of the anticipation!"

"Oh, it's nothing so heroic," Velvet sighed. "There's a Grimm nest that burrowed itself close to an often traveled road close-ish to the old destroyed Valean colony. We're supposed to meet up with some local villagers then work with them to destroy the nest."

"That sounds really cool though!" The young girl raised her eyebrows. "How is that not heroic?"

Coco chuckled. "I can answer that. It sounds cool until you actually think about the situation. The thing is we can't fight any of the Grimm. Because we'll be so close to a popular travel route, there will be travelers and merchants passing by. And they'll panic the moment they hear fighting so close to them."

"Bringing more Grimm to the area." Those silver eyes widened.

"Exactly. This can go wrong so quickly, so we can't just uproot the nest on our own. That's why we're working with the villagers on this. They have to work to divert the travelers, account for caravans currently on the path, make sure that no one catches on to what's actually going on and all that." Coco flipped her sunglasses back on. "And until they get that done, we're either doing nothing or searching for the nest without the ability to fight back. Not fun at all, but if it'll make sure that we don't get into an absolute mess, we just have to put up with it."

"Better bored than dead," I noted.

"Mmhm." The fashionista let out a yawn. "Oh, we're close to CVFY's Bullhead. Just turn right at this platform and done!" Close to the back of the launchpad stood the rest of Team RWBY leaning on one of the Bullheads alongside two guys. They most likely finished some kind of conversation some time ago, considering how they generally ignored each other in favor of doing their own thing. Blake was flipping through a book, Weiss and Yang were on their scroll. The giant Mistrali boy Ruby talked about and a short dark-skinned boy with scars stared off into space, although that might actually be the case for the latter due to his milky white eyes.

But something was… off about the boy. Not by the fact that he might be blind, no. I've seen many people lose their sight outside of the Kingdoms, more than one will ever believe. No, but for some reason it feels like he's staring at me intensely. Like he's trying to observe me or something. Even though I know he's not doing it to be rude, it still was unnerving. Like he can see me in a way that I can't even comprehend. I don't think he's a Stand user. The Arrow never came close to him. My eyes narrowed. I might need to keep a watch on him, just in case.

The giant of a man pushed herself off of the Bullhead the moment he saw his team leader. "Coco. Velvet. Ruby." He nodded to each woman as he said their names. Then he turned towards me. "And I don't believe I've met you before."

"She's a friend of Ruby's," Coco chuckled. "Meet Cinder."

"Hmm… an interesting name." He waved my hand away as I offered it out, instead giving me a bow. "Forgive me for the rudeness, but I don't shake hands. In my culture, it's more polite to bow to strangers."

In turn I shook my head. "I understand. There's no offense taken." My eyes flickered to the other boy. "May I ask for both of your names? You and the other boy over there?"

"The boy over there is Fox. As for me, I'm Yatsuhashi, but everybody prefers to call me Yatsu. Either name is acceptable to me."

At this time the rest of the RWBY girls snapped up to look at us. Yang in particular. "Wha— Oh, hey guys! Glad you could finally make it, Ruby!" Within moments she bounded over and pulled her sister into a hug. "Couldn't resist a last minute cookie raid?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wha— no! I'm not a crook! You have no proof of that!" Her eyes flickered to her teammates before zooming towards me, begging to get her out of this situation. I shrugged back at her as a response.

Yang's smile, on the other hand, became more vicious. "Yeah, right. I can smell the chocolate chips wafting from your mouth. I'm less sad about the fact you decided to eat cookies in the first place and more about the fact that you didn't bring any for the rest of your team, or even Team CFVY. They're going to leave anytime now, and no parting gift?"

The young leader groaned, turning red in the face. "Now you're trying to make me look bad, Yang! Of course I brought them a gift!" The leader of Team RWBY pulled away from her older sister. Reaching behind her back, she pulled out a small tin box the size of her fist. I blinked. I honestly haven't noticed that tin whole entire time. Was that on her the whole entire time? "See? I bought them one of those cookie bites tins! So, uh, here you guys go!" She shoved the tin into Velvet's hand.

"Oh, thanks Ruby." Velvet held the tin up for a moment before pocketing it. "We appreciate it." She checked her scroll time. "Coco, it's about time."

The leader of Team CFVY nodded her head. "Gotcha." She turned towards Team RWBY and me. "It's great having you guys come over to watch us leave for our mission. Oh yeah, isn't that simulation thing happening today?" Everyone nodded. "If there's any advice I can give for that, basically just stay calm and let everything catch you by surprise. Worrying about what might happen will have you thrown off your game, and a scenario like that will suck for your team. I would know. It happened to my team last year. Whatever happens happens."

Ruby and I nodded. "Got it," the girl chirped. "We'll keep that in mind. Have a safe trip!"

"Thanks, Ruby." Coco turned towards the rest of her team. "Come on everyone, on the Bullhead! Those villagers aren't going to be waiting for us forever!"

They nodded, piling into the aircraft the moment it opened up. The Fox kid kept his gaze on me for one more second before feeling his way into the airship. So he is blind after all. I relaxed a little. So he wasn't actually staring at me, but just happened to be looking in my direction for the longest time. Well, I didn't need to put myself through so much worry like that. It meant absolutely nothing in the end.

Coco was the last person to step into the Bullhead. The moment she sat back down, she turned towards the rest of us. "Well, we're off! Good luck with whatever's going to happen today!"

"Thanks!" Ruby waved back. "Happy Hunting, Team CFVY!"

In response, Coco gave us the thumbs up before tapping on the side of the Bullhead. The passenger doors closed up a moment later, and with that, the Bullhead started levitating upwards. The five of us watched in silence as the rest of the Bullheads zoomed away from the launch pads to wherever they will take the rest of the second year teams. Before we knew it, we were the only people still there.

"So Cinder…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Well, my team and I are going to go back to our dorms now. If you don't really have anything else to do, you can come over and hang out with us—"

"I think it's best for me to check on the rest of my team," I interrupted. "Make sure that they're still there. I mean, the last thing I need to worry about today is them getting into trouble when we start the simulation. So, no thanks." I turned around and started back for the 'dorms.' "Maybe another time."

"Alright then. See ya later, Cinder!" I let out a hum at that. We will be seeing each other again, I assure you, Ruby Rose.

As soon as I managed to escape from Team RWBY's sight, I pulled out my scroll and started typing up a message. _Progress on trip?_

A message popped up several seconds after I sent it. _Found several hits within the city. Around seven. None showing symptoms at the moment. Returning home now and waiting._ I smiled. That's good. Seven might be enough to find what we need. Now all we have to do is wait and watch Ruby and her friends come after them. And with that, I put my scroll away and continued walking. This was a relaxing moment, indeed.

* * *

It felt like time flew after Jaune's battle with **「** **FEEL GOOD INC.** **」** One moment we were having pancakes with all of our friends. And before I knew it, a week has passed. The sun had just set, allowing the cliffs of Beacon to be shrouded in darkness. I laid in bed, already in my sleepwear. A bit of drool escaped my mouth as I flipped through the newest issue of Hunter's Weapons Monthly. Actually… the issue came out last week, but I've never really gotten a chance to read through it properly until now. It's a great thing I have time now, because these parts are top notch! I adjusted the headphones on my ears as I stared at the pages in awe.

I snatched a highlighter laying nearby and started circling images of various bolt mechanisms. Just recently they came out with slam-fire bolt action mechanisms, which means I can fire my baby as fast as a semi-automatic weapon if my arm could take it. Realistically, there's never going to be a need for slam-fire. It's going to wear down the mechanism like crazy, and it'll suck if rounds don't get seated correctly. But if I ever get into a fight with, say a giant Beringel or something fast like that… It might just be what I need to keep fast creatures at bay without getting overwhelmed.

"Hey…" Somebody's muffled voice tried to reach me over the electric guitar from this alternative-rock song playing in my ears. I shrugged. Maybe it's not important. A hum escaped my mouth as I continued circling the mechanisms that interested me. The sounds of somebody knocking against the side of my bed caught my attention. Huh? I looked over to see Yang making a motion of pulling something out of her ear. Oh—

"Yes, Yang?" I asked as I slipped the headphones off. The heavy pounding of rock disappeared, replaced with the mellow and calmer sounds of the Achieve Men.

My sister adjusted her tank top as she gave me a beaming smile. "Hey, so you know how the Achieve Men released a new album recently?" I nodded before hearing my partner shift on top of her bed.

"You've been playing it nonstop," Weiss moaned from below me. "I mean it isn't bad or anything, but it's weird that you wouldn't play music out loud for the whole entire year, and then all of a sudden it's just nothing but R. Lazer singing about love and relationships over and over again!"

Yang shrugged. "What can I say? I love these guys ever since they first debuted six years ago. They're a timeless band!"

"You also had the biggest crush on Little J for the longest time." Lilac eyes flickered to me in shock as a wide grin formed on my face.

"Ruby, don't you dare—"

"I guess it's about time I got revenge for all the times you teased me, huh?" I sat up, rubbing my hands with glee. "Weiss, you should've heard the things Yang told me about her love for Little J. Yang said how she wanted to squeeze him tightly on the shoulder and give him little kisses on the neck. I remember how she asked me to read this story she had written back then, and it was a little fantasy about a self-insert character interacting with the entire band."

At this point, Yang started trying to climb my fortress. "Ruby!"

A snort escaped my mouth as my bed started swinging around. The heiress beneath me let out a scream. "Yang, don't! I'd rather not die here!"

"Hold on, hold on, let me finish. Yang wrote how she wanted to have the whole entire band take off her clothes and lick her body like a bunch of dogs. And best of all, she wanted to slap Little J's butt while he's touching her butt!" Crimson eyes flared within my sister's eyes. "Oh man, twelve year old you had absolutely no idea how sex worked!"

"Ruby! I'm going to— I'll—" Her eyes turned back lilac. Yang closed her eyes as she took a long breath. "Deep breaths. Calm breaths." She hopped off my bed, taking a couple of steps back. "There's no need to kill your sister, Yang. She'll suffer in more ways than she'll ever imagine. I will remember this, and I will get my revenge." A low, rumbly laughter escaped from her throat.

I paled at that. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I don't know." Yang put on a smirk as she leaned on a side of the wall. "Maybe there are other… crushes that you yourself don't want to be revealed."

My jaw dropped. "No… Yang no!"

"Yang yes!" The blonde's smile grew even larger. "Maybe Weiss won't mind hearing about how you loved Uncle Qrow and that you wanted to marry him once you became old enough. Three years to go, Ruby. I don't Uncle Qrow's the kind of guy to date someone way younger than him, but who knows? From the way you've been growing, I think you might have a chance with him—"

"No!" With a yell I leaped off of my bed, tackling Yang and knocking her to the ground. "You will not say another word! I grew up! It's gross now that I'm older! I was a dumb kid who didn't know any better!"

My sister was having a laughing fit as she tried to push me off of her. "You know how we used to joke about how Qrow looks more like your biological dad then Dad?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Three more years and he'll actually be your daddy, if you catch my drift—"

"Stop it!" I whined. "Nonononono that's disgusting! Just stop!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll stop it!" Yang laughed as we tussled on the ground. "Come on, Ruby! I'm joking!"

"Hmph!" I got up, crossing my arms as I ballooned my cheeks.

"Aw, don't be like that Ruby. Besides, I have an announcement to make to all of Team RWBY!" My sister looked around the room. "Where's Blake?"

We all looked at each other before shrugging. Yang sighed.

"Man, and I thought she would be here by now. She hasn't been answering my scroll, either." My sister sighed. "I should go after her, but I'm already so comfortable." Yang pouted for a moment. "Oh well. I can tell her when she comes back. But basically the Achieve Men had a raffle for anyone who bought their new album. Up to four people can come to a first-peek concert where they unveil some new songs that they might play during the opening of the Vytal Festival Tournament!"

"That… makes no sense at all." Weiss raised her eyebrow up. "Wouldn't it be more of a surprise if they just chose a song in secret and played at during the opening? Why would they play a series of songs to an exclusive audience?"

Yang shrugged. "Eh, I don't know. It's probably just an excuse to hype up their upcoming tour to a ton of people. But that's not the point!" The girl pulled out her scroll and showed it to us. It was displaying a message with a bunch of streamers surrounding the word, 'Congratulations!' A giant grin grew on her face. "I've won! There are probably hundreds of thousands of people who ordered their album, and I happened to be one of the winners! We can go to this concert!"

"Oh Yang! Congrats!" I clapped my hands with glee. "That's awesome! So you are you going to bring?"

"That's easy! I need my partner to come with me, 'cause partners always stick together! Then I couldn't just leave just my baby sis!" A yelp escaped my mouth as she wrapped her arms around me. "Which leaves one more spot for one more person. Hmm… Who could it be?" Yang tapped the base of her chin as her eyes flickered to the ceiling. "I don't think anyone on Team JNPR likes the Achieve Men… Team SSSN is out for sure… Oh! I'll take Ice Queen along with me!"

A scowl appeared on my partner's face. "Why is it always me who gets singled out with the nicknames? And stop calling me Ice Queen! I'm not that harsh of a person!"

"Ooo, still a bit prickly there, Weiss. Feel like you need to… chill out for a moment!" Yang self-fived herself. "Nailed it!"

Before Weiss could say another word, my scroll started buzzing on the bookshelf. "Hold on, I got it." I picked it up and unlocked the phone. "Hello?"

"Ms. Rose?" The clear voice of the Headmaster escaped from the speakers.

"Headmaster!" I stumbled a bit, causing everyone else to look at me. "Sorry," I whispered to them, covering the microphone. "I'm fine." Raising the scroll back up, I answered: "Yes?"

"I'd like to have a talk with you in private. I know it's a little late at night, but I feel like the subject matter is important enough to be discussed. I'd prefer if you came here as soon as possible, so grab something that can keep you covered up and come over to my office whenever you can, alright?"

I nodded my head. "Okay. Goodbye." I hung up and slipped the scroll into my pocket. "Sorry guys, but I have to go see the Headmaster right now."

They nodded. "Sure thing, Ruby," Weiss said as she slipped back into bed. "So when is this concert?"

"Tomorrow! So a couple of days before the Vytal Festival starts! … Okay, now that I say it, it really does sound like a bad idea. But anyways," Yang waved at me as I threw on my cape. "Bye Ruby! Stay safe, okay?"

"Sure thing!" I locked the clasps into place, fastening the red cloth to myself. "I'll see you guys later!"

A hum escaped my mouth as I walked out of the room and started my way down the corridor. Hmm… I wonder why the Headmaster asked me to come over to his office at this time of day. Did he figure out something about the Cupid? Something so important that it can't wait? I started to break out into a run. I should hurry then. If I don't get this information soon, then the Cupid might get away and render his knowledge useless!

I burst through the dormitory doors when the sudden chill of the night enveloped me. I shivered as I pulled my cape closer to me. Brr! It's cold out tonight! I'm glad I decided to bring my cape. The cold would be a lot worse without it to warm me up. But I should hurry up. I'm not sure how much time I have left until—

My mouth yet out a yelp as I saw Blake coming towards me with a sandwich in her mouth. Her eyes widened as well. I dove to the side, bumping into her shoulder in the process. Her figure faded away into shadows a moment later as she appeared a meter to her left. "Blake?" I asked as I picked myself up. "What are you doing out so late at night?"

She pointed at the grilled sandwich. "I got hungry, so I went to the cafeteria and picked up a tuna melt." Her words were muffled as she said this. "It's nice to have the cafeteria open for late night snacks. But what are you doing here? I thought you were at the dorms."

"The Headmaster called me up to his office." I leaned in towards her. "It might have to do with the Cupid and the Arrow."

Her eyes widened as she heard that. She swallowed her current mouthful. "Then I'll come with you. After all, it's best to have more than two people there to hear what the Headmaster has to say. I'm starting to think somebody's been watching us, and we're going to need to make sure everybody knows this information."

"What— you mean Beacon in general? They have dozens of cameras stationed everywhere! It's… kinda creepy now that I think about it." I shivered as the two of us started towards the Headmaster's tower.

Blake shook her head. "No, I don't mean that. Here's the thing. You know how I was researching the White Fang movements in the city recently?" I nodded. "Well, they ended right after Torchwick's Dust smuggling operation was busted. They haven't done a single thing ever since then. On one hand, that's great for us. We don't have to worry about busting any more White Fang at the moment. At the same time, I've started noticing how every time we visit the city, somebody's been watching us. Sometimes it's a male figure. Sometimes it's a female figure. But they're both faunus. I think the White Fang are looking for the Arrow as well."

I shuttered when I heard those words. A terrorist group with the power of Stand users… even if only a tenth, no, a single percent of the group had Stand powers, there's no way anybody can stop the combined might of so many people. We'll most likely get steamrolled, and then there'll be nobody who will stand in their way. "We can't let that happen," I growled as I clenched my hands. "We'll take the Arrow back before the White Fang does that."

"Right." With that Blake popped the sandwich back into her mouth and continued eating. We continued on our way towards the Headmaster's office without sharing another word. The silence isn't really that awkward. Not like how it used to be. Before it felt like we didn't know what to say to each other. Now… it's more of a comfortable silence, like we were okay with not saying anything to each other. The only thing I heard during the entire trip was our footsteps and the sounds of Blake eating.

Before long we found ourselves in the elevator. The faunus girl next to me finally finished one half of the sandwich and started on the other half. "Mmm…" Blake glanced at me. "Maybe one day we should all go out and get a late night snack. These sandwiches, while simple, are actually pretty good."

"Really? Can I have a bite?"

Blake gulped her mouthful down. Her mouth opened as her eyes flickered between me and the tuna melt in her hands. "Uhh… I mean this is really good stuff, but…" She sighed as she handed the sandwich to me. "Take a bite from the opposite side, okay?"

"Thanks Blake!" I bit into the melt. My eyes widened as the flavor danced on my taste buds. "Wow, these are pretty good. When did you find out Beacon does this?"

"Roughly around the same time I started researching the White Fang. You learn stuff when you skip dinner." I handed the sandwich back to her.

Just then the elevator rang. The doors opened up to reveal our Headmaster looking through his scroll. "Hello, Ms. Rose," he stated, still focused on the text. "Thank you for coming here on a short notice. Please, take a seat." He looked up at the two of us. One of his eyebrows lifted up in amusement. "And hello, Ms. Belladonna. I didn't expect you to be here tonight."

"Oh, that." I chuckled as I rubbed the back of my head. "I happened to run into Blake while I was heading over here. She was doing a… late-night run for food."

"... I see. Anyways, Ms. Belladonna. This is a meeting between me and Ms. Rose only." He laced his fingers. "And since this meeting might take awhile, I wouldn't recommend waiting for your team leader. I'd prefer if you went back to your dorm before curfew comes into effect."

Blake let out a hum. "So there isn't anything about the Cupid?"

The man shook his head. "Unfortunately no. It's more of a… personal issue. Which is why I wish this meeting to be private."

"Alright then. So… I'll meet you back at our room then." The girl gave me a wave as I stepped out of the elevator.

"Bye, Blake." I turned towards the Headmaster as the door closed. "So if we're not here to talk about the Arrow or the Cupid, what are we here to talk about?"

"Take a seat. I wasn't joking when I said that this conversation might be a long one." He set his scroll to the side as I plopped myself into the seat in front of the desk. "Now, let me start everything out with a question: remember when we first talked right after you foiled Torchwick's plan to raid From Dust to Dawn?" I nodded. He continued: "Do you remember my first remark when I first saw you?"

"Um… it was something about my eyes, I think." I hummed as I tried to think back to that day a long time ago. Wow, has it really been that long since I became a Huntress? It's almost been an entire year or so! "But… it was how they were silver, right?"

He nodded. "Now I didn't tell you why I made that remark. But to explain, let me tell you a tale of a people long gone. The tale of the silver-eyed warriors."

I frowned. "The what?"

"The silver eyed warriors. Their story has been lost over the ages, but here's what is known about them. These individuals were a group of people who were legendary amongst warriors many years before the kingdoms existed. They were so revered because they had powers that could purge the essence of the Grimm. In a world before Dust was widely available, this was an absolute boon to the survival of all Remnans. It's said that any person born with silver eyes was destined to become a warrior, a defender of the people. Personally, I don't think this is the case. I feel like the expectations of the people forced these individuals to fight, but who could blame them? Having the silver eyes meant you were their best chance at survival."

"Okay…" I started fidgeting in my seat. "So does that mean that I'm one of them? But if having silver eyes was so useful in the past, why don't more people have them? Wouldn't it make sense that somebody was doing everything they can to keep the silver eyes within the gene pool?"

"As far as we know, both you and your mother are silver-eyed warriors. Past that… we're not so certain." He sighed. "As for your other question, nobody really knows. All I can say is that after the invention of weaponry that took advantage of Dust, the tales of the silver-eyed warriors started just… fading away."

The Headmaster sighed as he leaned back. "I had a colleague who wondered about why they disappeared, and explored several ruins to figure out the answer of why his people started becoming irrelevant. He didn't live long enough to figure out the answer. And before I found your mother and you, I thought he was the last of them."

He clenched his hand, mouthing someone's name. I couldn't make it out. "He… he was an archaeologist initially. Before he got pulled into—" The man sighed. "Now's not the time to talk about my past. I'm not here to grieve a friend long past gone. It's his powers that I need to make you aware of. As a silver-eyed warrior, he was the ultimate destroyer of Grimm. Initially he was able to use his eyes to freeze the Grimm in place. It also destroyed the area around him, making him a giant bomb. Eventually, he figured out how to channel this power through his body in the form of electrical sparks. It's almost like he harnessed the very power of the sun to fight the Grimm."

"Now, the point of mentioning all of this is because I believe that you can use a variation of this power. This… silver eyed power that can send ripples through the Grimm and destroy them from the inside out. While I hope it isn't necessary, it will put my mind at ease if you were able to use this technique. I… have a hunch that the Cupid might not go down with the power of a Stand or Dust weaponry alone. Having one more method can increase our odds of finishing off its kind."

I nodded as I took all of this in. So I have an ability that can potentially destroy the Grimm in a single touch? Or at least I can develop it. But with the ability of the silver-eyed warriors, I can potentially make this mission a whole lot easier! We're currently spending a lot of time either trying to track down the Cupid or stopping whatever Stand is created from the Cupid's meddling. Now that I think about it, the one time we managed to find the monster, it managed to get away because we didn't really have good methods of killing it. Jaune and I didn't have a gun at the time, so we were forced to chase the monster down. That didn't work out too well. We weren't able to get the Cupid either in my team dorm room.

Without a doubt, this creature will be hard to kill even if we find it. But it wouldn't matter in the end if I had the ability to channel this ripple energy through my body. No, not even that! All I have to do is be able to use the big explosion attack, and just like that, the Cupid's gone! I let out a cheer as I sat up from my seat. "That's great! I'll do it! Headmaster, what do I have to do in order to use the power of the silver-eyed warriors?"

He glanced away. "This is where we run into some difficulties. I'm not quite too sure about the exact method. But from what my friend said, he had to come extremely close to his breaking point in order to manifest his powers. Losing his entire family and fortune in a freak house fire activated his." My cheer went away. Oh… That's… pretty severe. I don't know if I can go through that much turmoil and stay sane.

"So that means… somebody I care about has to die in order for my eyes to unlock?"

The Headmaster shook his head. "By gods, I hope not. But the only silver-eyed warriors I knew in my life were your mother and him. I don't know how your mother activated her powers, and you heard what I said about my friend's catalyst." He leaned back in his seat and let out a long sigh. "Sometimes I feel powerless as a mentor. When students come to me, they expect that their teachers have all the answers in the world. Most of the time, we do. But sometimes, we don't. And it eats at us, knowing we can't give a better answer. In a way, it creates a feeling of hopelessness within us, the thought that we didn't do enough to teach our children. This is one of those moments. I wish I had something more to give you."

I nodded my head, putting on a firm smile. "It's fine, Headmaster. If we don't know yet, then that means we just need to find it, right? I'm sure that we'll figure out something to help us take down the Cupid. It's better knowing that there is another path I can try out. It's bound to help us in our quest to retrieve the Arrow." We sat silent a couple of minutes after that. "Umm…" I started. "Is there anything else that you needed to tell me? Like if there are any Stand users we need to worry about, or…?"

"No. All I needed to tell you about is about your potential." A small smile crept up to the Headmaster's face as he took another sip of his coffee. No, wait… the aroma isn't coffee like this time around. Hmm… maybe he switches to some kind of non-caffeinated drink during the night? He continued: "Now I don't expect you to be able to gain this kind of power so quickly. Something like this needs… a lot of planning, to be sure. It would be nice if you were able to unlock your eyes' potential, but first and foremost is the mission to find the Cupid and retrieve the Arrow. It's more important we can figure out a pattern to its movements."

"Alright. I guess this means I can go now." I stood up from my seat, brushing the front of my pajamas. "One more thing before I go back and sleep for the night. Is this something I should tell my teammates? While I don't think they can help me much with this, and it doesn't have too much to deal with us looking for the Cupid, but—"

"It's best if you tell them some general details about it." Ozpin leaned forwards. "I'd rather not mention the part about my friend and all that, but it's best to give them a decent idea of what to expect. I'm sure they can help you figure out a way to find your powers. Aside from dying to unlock your powers, I hope. It would be a shame to hold a funeral for… any Huntsmen."

I nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster. Goodbye then! I'll see you… whenever we have to meet up again!"

"Goodbye then, Ms. Rose. I hope the rest of your evening will go well." I started towards the elevator. "Oh, wait a minute. I just thought of something. Nothing related to the conversation we just had. More of a passing curiosity." I turned around and looked at the Headmaster. He coughed into his hand. "Did Professor Port by any chance start the simulation that was supposed to happen today?"

"No." I shook my head. "Everybody was a little disappointed about how nothing really happened. It's a little boring waiting until class is over and just staying on campus, waiting for nothing to happen. Did something go wrong? Did Port decide to change the day of the simulation and just forgot to tell us? It's a little strange that there was no simulation today."

"Oh really? That's… interesting." I swore I saw a little smile crawl up on the Headmaster's face. "Well anyways, have a good night, Ms. Rose."

"You too, Headmaster." My mind raced as the doors to the elevator closed and started descending. Hmm… What he said about the silver-eyed powers. Although the idea of being able to destroy Grimm with my bare hands sounds awesome, it's kinda weird how he decided to bring this up now. Granted, it's better than if it was brought up later when it's already too late, but choosing now to talk about it… It's almost like he wanted me to learn how to use the powers not just for the Cupid, but for someone else. That sent a shudder down my back. What could be so scary that the silver eyes are needed?

Another chime sounded in the elevator before opening to the big empty square outside. I let out a sigh as I stepped out into the freezing cold. I should hurry up and get back to the dorms. It said on the news that it's most likely going to get colder as the night goes on.

Before I could take a step forwards, somebody yanked me up and pressed a rag against my mouth and face. What the— I started struggling, throwing my limbs everywhere in an attempt to hit the person. Am I being kidnapped? How did kidnappers get onto Beacon? With Ozpin watching the whole entire place, there's no way that he isn't noticing this right now! My eyelids started feeling droopy. Why does the rag smell so sweet… I closed my eyes as I drifted off into slumber…

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 12/23/2017**

* * *

 **Gwen's Bizarre Adventure - Act 2**

My body shivered as I slinked across the roof. Man, it's chilly tonight. Fall is really hitting Vale hard this year. It's so, so different from the always sunny, always warm climate back home. Winter there was always a welcome break from the desert heat. But here— I suppressed a cough. Here, it's so uncomfortable. If it gets this bad here, I could only imagine the weather in Atlas. How do people live on that frozen tundra?

I let out a quiet yawn, touching every piece of equipment on my body to check if they're still there. Steel cables, hooks, pulley system… mhmm, that's everything. Simple enough to find around the school. It's nice having some experience dealing with backstage stuff here. Meanwhile my Mystique **「** _ **LADY MARMALADE**_ **」** had several weights stuck to her back. Hopefully at his time of night nobody would be awake to see or hear a bunch of random floating bags filled with lead balls. It took me forever to stick every single ball to each other to stop the rattling.

But it looks like everything is going to plan so far. I repeated the plan in my head. Professor Port has a giant four-wheeler jeep parked at Beacon for some reason. I'm going to hijack his car, get it all the way to the Headmaster's Tower, set up the pulley system and the weights at the top of the tower, and finally hang the four-wheeler in front of the Headmaster's window like an ornament for a Christmas tree! I mean sure, there are easier ways to get into trouble, but I like to do it with style! This will get people talking for sure!

A sigh escaped my mouth. Oh man, I wished I didn't have to go at this alone. I wanted to have all of NDGO on this mission, but there was that simulation thing that was supposed to happen today. It's weird. Nothing happened during the day. So unless they canceled it, something's going to happen within a couple of hours. I sniffled as I wiped my nose. For once, I have to thank my weak immune system. Getting sick was a stroke of luck, which means I'm grounded from any Huntsmen activities. If my entire team have to be called out into the field or something, I'll be stuck here alone. I just hope that my body doesn't fail me while I'm climbing.

But okay… I glanced at my scroll. There should be a parking lot located behind the school's amphitheater. And that's roughly… two buildings away from me. I let out a sigh before suppressing another cough. Why is there an underground parking lot? There's nothing to drive to on this cliffside! Maybe the professor likes collecting cars. Maybe it's to fuel his ego. That guy does like to talk a lot about himself, so that wouldn't surprise me.

I stopped and smiled. Below me was the entrance to the underground garage. I'm here. With that I leaped down from my place on the roof and started towards the ramp leading underground. Whelp, this is it. I adjusted the balaclava, making sure no one can make out a single feature of my face. No backing out now. I should make this quick as well. Get the truck out, hide it, set up the pulley system, and get this plan in motion. Don't know how long I have until one of the teachers catch on to what I'm doing.

Before I knew it, the darkness took over. I pulled out a flashlight. Alright, so the four-wheeler should be around… My light illuminated a camo green car. There! I smiled as I approached it, letting out a little whistle. Wow… Pretty big truck for a small dude. Think he might be compensating for something. I cracked my fingers. But now that the target's in front of me, time for the fun part. I really hope this prank was worth all of the work reading up on car anatomy and learning how to do car modifications. I swear with all I've learned, I could be a mechanic.

 **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** shot out from my body, driving her hand through the car door without any resistance. Let's see… first things first, I have to find the window regulator. Now, there should be a motor somewhere that allows the window to move up and down. My Mystique waved her arm around. Where is it… I swear it was here somewhere— She brushed against something cold, stringy, and metallic. Bingo! Found you!

I let the cord become slippery. With a single tug of the cord the window slipped down without an issue. I'm in! I leaped into the jeep before getting **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** to close the window for me.

My head looked under the wheel. There should be a box filled with a bunch of wires— and there it is. With a flat-head screwdriver I had in my pocket, I unscrewed it, pulling it away from the steering column. Alright, now I just have to insert a paperclip into a red wire and a blue wire, stick said paperclip to them with my Stand, and boom. The dashboard turned on without any problems. Now I take a spare wire striped at both sides, connect one end to the yellow terminal.

A giggle escaped my mouth. Time for the magic. Let's see if this really works. I tapped the other end of the wire onto the paper clip. The jeep I sat in roared a second later. Yes! I silently pumped my fist. I got it! Everything looks like it's working as planned! Dashboard's on, electronic's on, engine's rumbling. I'm almost ready to take this bad boy for a spin.

But before I could do anything else, I still gotta make sure the steering wheel doesn't lock. **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** stuck her hand through the steering column cover. Normally the key would depress the switch that would cause the steering wheel lock to be disabled. At the same time, I'd rather not destroy this guy's car by shoving a screwdriver into the socket. Good thing I have my Mystique to make sure that doesn't happen. Just press the pin that serves as the lock and stick it in place, and boom! I turned the wheel with no resistance. One hijacked car, coming right up!

I laughed as I glanced around the driver's seat. Behind me the side door opened while the blue-colored Mystique threw the weighted bags into the car. Okay, pedals are there. The left one's the brake, then the right one is for the gas. Okay, then transmission is this lever here. All you have to do is press the side button here and drag it to change. Alright, alright.

The door behind me closed, signaling that **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** finished with her task. And with that, I shifted the car into reverse. Everything's going well so far. Nobody tried to stop me yet. The only thing I have to worry about right now are the security cameras. If they haven't noticed me now, they're definitely going to notice as I drive this out. How long it's going to take them to notice me is the million lien question here. Really, all I can hope for is a distraction that will pull everyone away from what I'm doing.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 _ **Retrospective:**_ **The start of the third arc and the first Stand battle of said arc was what I would best describe as rocky. Originally I intended the Feel Good Inc arc to be fairly quick, roughly three chapters long. That ballooned into four chapters, and then I split that extra chapter into two because there was so much content in it. Yeah, chapters 24 and 25 used to be one until I realized how big it got. It was a lot of extra effort needed for what was supposed to be a really short arc, and writing this definitely wore my patience.**

 **Then there's how close this part of the story was going to be scrapped. When I first wrote this, I had a general idea of how I wanted Feel Good Inc to be defeated. Then while I was writing it, I realized that I couldn't make it work in a way that is satisfying to me. Once that solution was thrown out, that made me wonder whether this arc was actually worth writing. It took me the longest time to figure out how to go at it.**

 **Then Breath of the Wild came out. There was an item in the game called the Korok Leaf that had this ability to create wind from swinging it. Now when I first saw the Korok Leaf, I was currently stuck on the part where Jaune was in the tree, and I had this moment of passion where I was like: "Yes! I'll use a version of the leaf to finish this arc! Why not?" It was only after I came to the confrontation between Jaune and Russel when I thought: "Did I do a good job justifying the existence of the Wind Leaf?" Like I said before, it was something that was out there, I thought it was overpowered and a cheap copout. I was thinking about putting the arc on the chopping block yet again. But then I started thinking about how to counter such a cheap ability, and it snowballed from there into a fight that I'm more proud of having.**

 **Feel Good Inc was an engaging fight to write once I got to the actual fighting. No doubt about it. The back-and-forth between Jaune and Russel turned what I initially thought was a curb stomp into an intense battle of wits that took everything just to eek out a victory. Looking back on it during editing, throwaway jokes such as tiara lockpick and the book fort became so much funnier. Writing this arc was rocky, no doubt about it. But I have to say, I'm proud of what I ended up with at the end.**

 **So let's actually talk about the inspiration for Feel Good Inc. This was one of those Stands that I've always wanted to have in the story. Like I said before, I based this battle on the chaotic church scene in Kingsman: The Secret Service. There's something about the world going mad around the main characters that really appealed to me. And the scene where Russel was sitting on top of the statue above everyone else inspired the name of Feel Good Inc. This was one of those hard but worth it fights, and I'm glad I decided to have this open up the third arc of my story.**

* * *

 **Well then. Two chapters from now it'll be the first anniversary of RWBY BA. Man, time really flies. And ooh, this new arc is going to be interesting, indeed.** **Here are the reviews!**

 **Guest: The side story, I'm assuming? Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting Mission Impossible vibes. Ah, what'll it take to make a boat-ton of money.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thanks, rabidhandsquirrl! I guess now you know why there's a car. Just in time for the Christmas season, I now realize. Getting better with this timing thing, that's for sure.**

 **TheSetupMage: I know I already gave you a bit of advice in PMs about this, and I feel like it doesn't need to be stated again. But if anyone wants some help with figuring out FF . net's publishing system, I don't mind getting PMs. It was confusing when I first posted my story last year, and I'm totally cool if someone wants help with that.**

 **Ruby's Knight: I can't repeat this enough: thank you for betaing for me. I appreciate the feedback. As for all of your comments: I'm surprised myself with how skin care is taken so seriously. Then again, when prices are actually that big for skin products (I've looked) I can see why. But there's such a wholesome feel to that scene.**

 **To actually answer your question, for sure Ruby and Jaune concluded that these guys are a prime suspect. That's who appears in the news, that's the big bad RWBY had to deal with. It wouldn't be surprising for them to think about the White Fang first.**

 **mastergamer14: Ooh, Stand descriptions. I know I've said before that I already know every single Stand ability I want for my story, but I think it's worth thinking through these.**

 **Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, right? Good song/album. Funny thing, the abbreviated name Dark Moon is an old 1950s song. Relaxing and chill. The power of 'reducing everything to zero' is definitely a late game boss ability. So many people are going to get donuted by that. Combine that with the power of 'removing your presence' and it is a scary Stand to face off against.**

 **As for Burning Man, it seems like an interesting ability. Instead of working on a Super Gauge like in fighting games, Yang fights on a combo system, if the combo system boosts her strength. Has a hint of Neon with the 'never miss a beat' attitude. I can imagine Yang doing a controlled version of the Maniac dance as she backs off in order to keep the rhythm going.**

 **By the way, I should make this clear. Me thinking through these Stand descriptions do not mean that I'll use them. I love all of the creativity that all of you guys have, and reading through these is fun for me. But at the end of the day, I've made my decisions on what I'll use. Still, it's amazing how abstract you guys can make these powers.**

 **doa570047: Thank you doa570047! I know I didn't specifically mention what happened immediately after the party, but yes. They did have a stomachache afterwards. Personally, the amends between Jaune and Russel makes sense when Russel had his own Stand take over.**

 **Now that's the best way to describe Ironwood. A good-meaning tyrant. Someone who believes in pure values, but acts underhandedly to achieve them. What he will do next is my secret, though. Like always, it's part of the mystery.**

 **But talking about the events of a volume... I think I've only did that once on this fic, and in terms of volume 4 as well. I've always considered RWBY to be a fighting series, and with the emphasis on weapons (It's also a gun,) it's easy to see why people would consider it that. However, I'm not really upset with the lack of fights. Yeah, I would prefer this season to have more, but I appreciate the bits of characterization that RT gives the characters. They're focusing on what they're good at, and that should be commended. As for fighting, while there are fewer, the ones that did appear were more immersive. Baby steps.**

 **And honestly, RT was always about the long haul. RvB had great story and lore, but they had to build it off of the foundation of a comedy series that didn't care about continuity. And going through the first few seasons of RvB was frustrating for me. I see RWBY like that as well. No matter what mistakes RT makes, I can appreciate them making the efforts to create the best show they can. And if we get something gold from that, well then that'll be wonderful.**

 **Anyways, that's all for today. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: December 22, 2017**_


	26. Escape Route

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA, and happy holidays! Little late this time around, although it was on FF . net's side. Sorry for that!**

 **Man, last chapter of the year, and the next update's going to be this fic's first year anniversary. How time flies... Also, just recently this fic passed 20K views! Thank you guys for this Christmas gift! I can't say enough how much I appreciate everyone reading this story. It means everything to me that you're still enjoying the story almost one year since its first publication. So here's a holiday gift for everyone, and I wish everyone a happy new year!**

 **Anyways, that's really all I have to say. Big thanks to my beta reader again. I appreciate the help! So without further ado, time to get into the chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight_**

* * *

"You know what, Yang?" I said after listening to the Achieve Men's new album for what must've been the fifth or sixth time. I brushed a lock of my snow white hair away from my face. "I think these guys are starting to grow on me. Now that I've listened to them a couple of times, they aren't really that bad."

The blonde girl grinned. "So you get it now? Do you understand why the Achieve Men are such a great band?"

I nodded. "A little. Their instrumental is so-so at best. It's all standard fare for boy band music. Nothing nobody's heard of before. But it's their talent in singing that just pulls you in. You can hear the emotions when they sing, so much so that it comes off as genuine. Their lead singer in particular has a surprisingly large range, so they can do some impressive feats. It somehow turns what normally is boring music into something distinct and fresh. So again, not that bad."

Yang leaned in closer to me as her smile grew even larger. "So you understand why I'm so excited for this concert, right?"

"Could you not lean in so close?" She did so anyway, being only an inch away from my face. "Okay, okay!" I shoved her away as she let out a laugh. "I get it! I'll go! It wasn't like I was planning on doing something else anyways! In fact…" I sat up in my bed. "Now that I think about it, it'll be interesting to see what it's like to be in the crowd for once."

"Wait, what do you— Oh. Oh yeah, right! You used to sing solos before becoming a Huntress. I forgot." Yang hopped into her bed and placed her head on her hand. "But hey. I heard there might be a meet-and-greet after the show. It'll be awesome to see you singing some random pop song with one of the guys. Or maybe a love duet. Ooh, that sounds awesome! How does that one love song go? 'And IIIIIIIII, I want to share, all myyyy looooove with youuuu—'"

"Yang, stop it!" I threw a spare pillow at her face, stopping the tone-deaf wails escaping from my teammate. "You're going to destroy my ears if you keep that up!"

The door opened before Yang could respond, revealing the missing faunus girl. She was stuffing the crust of a sandwich into her mouth before dusting her hands. "Hello," she spoke in a muffled voice as she walked in. "Were you guys singing something?"

"I… don't wanna talk about it." The faunus girl's partner sat up. "But where were you for the entire evening?" Blake didn't say a word, instead pointing at her mouth. Yang raised her eyebrows. "That's it? You just went out for some food? No White Fang business or anything like that?"

The girl in black swallowed. "Yang, I'm not that obsessive. You said it yourself. It's best not to allow something like the White Fang bother me so much. No, I just lost track of time while reading, then got myself some food before returning back here."

"Oh. Okay." The blonde let out a hum. "By the way, did you run into Ruby while you were coming back? She's been gone for some time."

Blake nodded. "I walked with her to the Headmaster's tower. His talk with Ruby was going to take a long time, so he told me to go back."

"Huh. Really— Oh wait, yeah, she did say that." She sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe I shouldn't be so worried about Ruby." Yang flopped back into her bed, throwing my pillow back at me. "I mean, I'm sure that she's going to be fine."

A couple of knocks on the door caused us all to jump. "I got it," Blake called out as she turned around. My mouth curled into a frown. Who could it be at this time of night? Maybe it was somebody who wanted to make a noise complaint or something. I mean, Yang is playing the Achieve Men album pretty loudly.

"Yang, maybe you should turn down the music," I started. "I think somebody's here to complain about the noise so late at night—"

I heard the sound of our door opening, followed by a hum. "Oh, hey Blake. This might be a weird question, but have you seen Cinder?" My eyebrows raised up. Is that… Emerald? I glanced at the door. Sure enough, the mint-haired girl and her teammate Mercury stood in the doorway. Emerald continued: "She went out for a walk an hour ago, and she's still not back yet."

Mercury nodded. "Like, Cinder might be a bit unfocused at times, but even she comes back or calls in when she's planning on staying out for the night. But so far, nothing. It's like she disappeared into the night."

What the— Cinder's gone? And Ruby left to meet with the Headmaster… why do I have the feeling that something's going on? I pulled out my scroll and called my partner. Come on, pick up… **"I'M SORRY. THERE'S NO CONNECTION,"** the automatic voice spoke. **"THE INDIVIDUAL YOU ARE CALLING HAS EITHER TURNED OFF THEIR SCROLL OR IS NO LONGER IN RANGE. PLEASE CONTACT THE CCT—"**

I ended the call and crawled out of my bed. No, this can't be right. Ruby not picking up? That's not right… "We need to talk with team JNPR. Something doesn't feel right about this situation." I started towards the room opposite of us and started knocking. "Hello? Is anyone still awake?"

The door opened after a couple of knocks, revealing Pyrrha with baggy eyes. "Oh, hello Weiss," she yawned. "Is there something you need?"

"Where's Jaune?"

"Hmm?" She rubbed her eyes as she turned around. "He should be in the room with the rest of us— Huh?" Her mouth dropped at the sight of an empty bed. "What? He's gone. But that can't be right… we all went to sleep at the same time."

"Oh gods, no… Pyrrha, get everyone awake. Something's happened to all of our team leaders, and we have to act now." I felt a drop of sweat slip down my neck as she woke up Nora and Ren. What is going on here? Why are all of the team leaders disappearing? What's causing all of this? And most importantly, where are they now?

* * *

Brief moments of clarity swam to my consciousness. One moment I remember somebody letting me collapse to the floor before putting some kind of bag over my face. The next I can see nothing but the seams of some kind of burlap sack on my face. Somebody was hauling me across their shoulder, most likely across campus. I tried to struggle against the man. My arms wouldn't move. I'm tied up, I think. Some kind of— I felt somebody strike me on the back of the head.

After that, the next thing I vaguely remember was the sounds of whispering. Somebody placed me on my side. The whispers faded as they started walking away from me. My vision darkened again.

My eyes shot awake as I felt a dull pain throbbing in my head. Ugh, did they really hit me that hard? I tried to let out a groan. My lips wouldn't move. What the— is that duct tape on my face? Maybe I am being kidnapped. But who would kidnap me? Why would they kidnap me? Are they Stand users? This isn't going to be pretty if I'm going up against a Stand user. And with the fact that I'm bound and gagged—

No, wait. I need to think about it for a moment. The guy started by grabbing me from behind. That part is obvious. However, the person didn't use any kind of Stand against me, but a rag. A rag soaked in chloroform, I think. Definitely smells like it. If they were a Stand user, they would've done something else besides knocking me out, especially if they knew that I'm a Stand user. So it can't be a Stand attack. Could it be White Fang? But I was with the Headmaster the whole entire time! He must've been watching the area right after I left! There's no way he would've let this happen! And how would the White Fang anticipate me being out of my dorm? It doesn't add up.

But maybe I should be thinking about this kind of stuff after I'm free. I blinked myself awake. Now that I think about it, escape is actually pretty easy for me. All I have to worry about is somebody shooting me. Alright, I have to figure out where I am right now, and if anybody's watching me at the moment. Wooden creaks registered in my ears when I adjusted my weight just a bit. But I can still feel the chill of the night on my skin. So I'm outside, but on something with a wooden floor. Well, that's not too helpful. That could be anywhere. What else…

I took a sniff. I could make out the scent of burlap, um… something sweet. Not like chloroform sweet, but natural sap sweet. Am I in a forest? But that doesn't match up with the fact that I'm on a wooden floor right now. Unless… unless I happened to be in one of those outside roof thingys. Or maybe the patio of a log cabin. I used to live in one of those. Hmm… there could be a ton of abandoned cabins within either the Emerald Forest or the Forever Fall Forest, so maybe.

This time I trained my ears to the best of my ability. I don't hear any footsteps, so there's no active patrol. Or at least not one within the area. But what about guards? They could very much be standing still! They might even be the guys who left the area the last time I was aware of my surroundings! Oh man, what I wouldn't do to have Blake's ears tonight! I could've listened to the sounds of their breathing or fidgeting or something like that!

My nostrils flared. Okay, time to start taking chances. My left eye started peeling away into rose petals, floating through the opening of the base of the bag. I closed my right eye right as my other eye formed right on the side of my head, sitting in my ear. The first thing that caught my attention was the shattered moon within the sky slightly covered by the green trees of the Emerald Forest. However, I also got a glimpse of some kind of tarp above us. It was tightly stretched over the metallic sides. Well, I think it's metallic.

But from the looks of it, I can't make out anyone watching over us. With that I transformed my limbs into rose petals, allowing the rope around me to fall to the ground before I put myself back together. Ah, that's much better. My left eye broke down, the rose petals moving back towards my face right after I jerked the burlap sack off of my face. I have to admit, sometimes having Stand powers aren't really that bad. Trying to find something to cut the rope would not be fun at all.

I yanked the tape off of my face. Ow… I rubbed the tender area around my lips. That hurt… I pressed my lips together and wiggled them as I glanced around the area. I'm in some kind of vehicle, I think. Maybe like one of those transport trucks people used before airships were a thing? I looked up and touched the ceiling. Yep. Definitely a transport truck. It's strange. Why would the kidnappers drag me out of Beacon using a car? I mean there's no way somebody cut out a path for trucks to drive up a cliff! … Then again, Beacon does have a walkway going from the harbor at the waterfall all the way up to the campus itself, not to mention the scary elevator. It's possible.

Something soft collided with my foot as I took a step forwards. What in the— I looked down, only for a gasp to escape my mouth. What the— There's nine more people here with me! I'm surrounded by a pile of bodies, each bound and lying on their side. All of them had a burlap bag over their head. From the looks of it, everybody happened to be in pajamas or in some kind of sleepwear.

"Oh my gods…" I whispered to myself. Did all of these guys get kidnapped in their sleep? What in the world's going on? Maybe I should check on them and see who's here right now— Wait a minute. There was a guy wearing a onesie. A blue onesie with bunny feet and a bunny on the front. My eyes widened. That's Jaune!

I crept towards him, wincing as my feet made tiny creaking noises. "Hey. Jaune." He didn't respond. He must've been exposed to the chloroform as well. I rolled him over to his back before yanking the bag off of his head, exposing a messy head of blonde hair. Like me, he had a piece of duct tape slapped across his lips. His eyes were shut in a tranquil manner. The kidnappers most likely got him while he was asleep. I tapped his face. "Wake up. Come on Jaune, wake up."

His eyelids wrinkled as he murmured something under his breath. I couldn't make out a single word he's trying to say, especially with the tape over his lips. Okay. Gotta try something else. This time I grabbed both of his shoulders and shook a little harder. His eyes shot open. Jaune blinked in confusion as he saw me. "Hmm? Rvy, wh goin on?"

"Huh? Oh. Hold on, this is going to hurt for just a moment." I ripped off the duct tape, causing the boy to hiss.

"Oww! Mm, gods that hurt!" He tried to rub his lips, only to be held back by the rope. "Umm, Ruby? Why am I tied up?"

"I don't know for sure," I whispered back. "I'm pretty sure that we're being kidnapped, alongside eight other people."

"Eight other— Oh gods!" His eyes widened as he saw the rest of the bodies. "That is not good. Not good at all. We have to get out of here!" He struggled against his bindings.

"Jaune, hold on for a moment. I can look for something sharp to cut your bindings—"

"Don't worry about that. I'll just use my Stand against the rope." With another jerk, the cord around his arms started to tear. "You should take care of the others. If these guys were kidnapping Huntsmen, this is most likely Aura-resistant rope."

"Is there such thing as Aura-resistant rope?" I asked as I searched the area around us. "How would you make rope that is resistant to Aura when Aura can affect everything?"

The blonde said nothing as he continued to strain against his bindings. "Umm… huh. Is there such a thing as Aura-resistant rope? What was I saying there? I swore I've heard of something like that before…" He shook his head. "Nevermind that! You know what I mean! The kind of rope that's hard for Huntsmen to break out of!"

I let out a chuckle. "Okay, I get what you mean. I was just— Aura-resistant rope? That's just— hehe. That was funny. Anyways, back to getting everyone out of here." As I approached one of the tied up bodies, I let my thoughts wander about the kidnappers. Did they somehow manage to kidnap all of the Stand users? I scratched my head. No, maybe not. If that was true, I would've seen Weiss and Blake's pajamas somewhere in this pile of bodies. But aside from Jaune, I don't recognize the sleepwear of any of these guys.

One of the kidnapped must've woken up, considering how he struggled against his binds. I turned to look at him. Unlike the others, he was shirtless, wearing only what I hope to be really short shorts and not boxer briefs. Maybe I should help him out first. The more people we have awake, the sooner we can find our way out of here.

A tail appeared from behind the boy, it grabbing the bag over his head. My eyes widened.

"Sun?"

The monkey faunus muffled something before realizing the tape over his mouth. His furry tail ripped it off promptly. "Ruby? What in the world? Where are we? Last time I checked, Beacon didn't have a giant forest growing in the middle of it."

"We're in the Emerald Forest, I think." I crept over to him and started untying his binds. "Jaune and I didn't really check the place out properly, but I think we're being kidnapped right now."

"Kidnapped?" Sun scratched his head with his tail. "Who in the world would kidnap a bunch of Huntsmen-in-Training? We can easily kick 'em around whenever we want! And it's not like we're going to listen to them anyways, so there's not really a point in trying to, I don't know, indoctrinate us or something."

I shrugged. "I'm just as confused as you, Sun." I let out a quiet yell of victory as the rope fell away. "Go help out and wake up the other guys. Whoever is kidnapping us, they can't possibly fight back against ten of us."

One by one, we learned the identities of those who were kidnapped. Besides the three already free, there was Cardin in a muscle tank… I think that's Nebula in some kind of pajama top. Is that her name? I wasn't really clear about it. Then there's Brawnz wearing a t-shirt and shorts, Cinder in a cami top and strangely enough gloves, and then three other people I don't know. The boy I don't know wore flannel pajamas. For some reason, he was still wearing shades even in the dead of the night. One of the girls I didn't recognize wore a button down shirt and a beret. I raised my eyebrows at her. She didn't sleep in nightwear? The other girl, a dark-skinned girl with platinum blonde hair, was in a sleeping gown that somehow still looked easy to maneuver in.

Before we all knew it, all ten of us sat together within a circle. Cardin furrowed his eyebrows before clearing his throat. "We've waited long enough. Can somebody tell me what's going on here?"

Most of the people here shrugged. "I'm not quite sure myself," the boy in the flannel PJs sighed. "One moment I was woken up by who I thought was my partner Neon. She likes grabbing a late-night snack and all that. Before I knew it, I'm here in the forest."

"Wait a minute…" Brawnz scratched his head before sapping his fingers. "That happened to me as well! Somebody broke into my room and— Oh boy. The moment I figure out who that was, they are dead! Dead I say!" He started up to his feet.

"Geez, Brawnz. Sit back down." The girl in the pajama top grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. "I get you want to be with your team. I want to get back to NDGO and get our plan off of the ground. But we're not going to get anywhere if we go off and run into danger before we even know what we're going against."

Jaune tapped his chin before letting out a hum. "Wait a minute… something's off. I've just realized something. I'm the leader of JNPR. Ruby, you're the leader of RWBY. Cardin's the leader of CRDL. Branz, Nebula, Sun and Cinder are also leaders."

The girl in the beret tapped her wrist. "Ah, that's an interesting coincidence. One that I can support myself. I am Ciel Soleil of Team CPPR. Although team assignments are unnecessary within Atlas, I am for all purposes the leader of my team."

Flannel PJ man nodded with Ciel. "Same for me. Flynt Coal of FNKI." He turned towards the last unnamed girl. "And what about you?"

"Arslan Altan of ABRN." The girl with the platinum blonde hair brushed a lock to the side. "So we're all team leaders then?"

I sat up. "I guess so."

"But it doesn't make sense," Jaune muttered. "Why would these guys kidnap a bunch of first-year team leaders? It's an odd choice. Who would go through all of that risk to capture us when they can just as easily grab the rest of our teammates?"

"Whatever the reason is, there's one thing we should focus on right now." Sun nodded his head towards the open door. "We should take down the kidnappers while we're still free. We might be able to overwhelm them, but they have sleeping gas or something like that, then we'll just be captured again."

"Yeah, we'll have to deal with that." I stood up. "It's best if I go out first. I'm one of the smaller people here. I don't think anyone will notice me that easily. Plus, if I do get caught, I can easily escape using my Semblance. Somebody keep watch as I look around. I'll knock on the truck twice if the coast is clear."

Before anybody could say anything, I crawled over and leaped off the transport truck. A shiver went down my back as I felt the grass tickle my feet during my landing. I looked around. We were on some kind of open clearing. Actually, we were close to the edge where the clearing and the forest would meet. This looks pretty deep into the Forest, though. Not like the clearing at the edge of Beacon cliffs. Then again, I can't see Beacon cliffs from here. Just how far were we taken?

I looked around the corner of the truck. Huh… there's nobody around. I can't make out any kind of movement, talking, or whatever. Did the kidnappers leave us here? The truck doesn't look like it's broken or anything. I held my breath as I started towards the door. Maybe they're sleeping in the cabin? If that's the case, I could easily knock them out, grab a map, and have someone lead the way back to Beacon!

Should look first, though. I peered into the cabin to see… nothing. Nobody's inside. What? I rapped the side of the truck before testing the door. It opened with little resistance.

"Nobody?" Jaune asked as he hopped out of the truck. I shook my head, pulling myself into the driver's seat. Well, there's gotta be something within this truck that could help us learn about what's going on. Let's see… There are some papers stuck between the sun visor thingy. I snatched them. Written notes on some sticky notes, pictures of a woman— Ooh a lien chip! I lifted it up into the air. Oh wait, it's a one lien unit. Nevermind then. I wonder if there's anything written on these notes.

The yellow squares of parchment stuck to each other while I flipped through them.'Buy milk, eggs, and sugar for cake; decide on candidates for kidnapping at meeting; do standard maintenance for the three planted scrolls within forest for reception.' The fourth page was too smudged to make out what it had in the text. I scratched my head in confusion. What a weird list of notes.

Let's try the glove box and see if there's anything worth looking through in there. I flinched when a fountain of junk exploded out of the compartment the moment I touched it. Oh wow! Empty cigarette boxes bounced around the passenger seat alongside discarded burger wrappers and those fruit drinks in a pouch. I recoiled. That's gross! Who in the world uses a glove box as their personal garbage can? And from what I can see, there's nothing of value within the compartment. No maps, no clues, no nothing!

My eyes wandered towards the side compartment on the inside of the door. And, lo and behold, there was a bunch of maps stuffed within it. I sighed, rifling through them before lifting out the one for Emerald Forest.

"Okay guys!" I jumped out of the cabin. At this point the rest of the group was searching the area, trying to get a general idea of the area. I lifted the sheets of paper in the air. "Look what I found!"

"What is it?" Everybody collectively asked as they approached me. I handed the sticky notes to the first person to get to me, which happened to be Cardin.

"Well, while the notes are being passed, I have this map of the Emerald Forest. I'm no good with these things, but maybe somebody else can figure where we are and how to get out." I started unfolding the folded parchment. "The notes talk about how the kidnappers hid scrolls around the area. All we need to get out of here is to find one of these scrolls and call Beacon to send a Bullhead our direction!" I looked at the sizable group in front of me. "… Maybe two Bullheads. But if I'm right, we should be able to find the scrolls on this—"

My smile dropped the moment I got the map completely open. There wasn't a single marking on it. No indication of where we are, no indication of any hidden scrolls, no nothing. It's just a map of the Emerald Forest. "Oh no…" I dropped the map. "Well, um… nevermind then."

Everybody else leaned in to see the map. "Well, okay," Arslan noted. "Maybe we won't get an easy way to escape. That's fine. After all, we have a map to work with. We can just walk our way back."

"That just gave me a great idea!" Sun went in and snatched the map. "I have tons of experience surveying land! Used to do it all the time in Mistral! So how about this: I climb up the trees and bring everybody back in the general direction of Beacon? We'll all get out of there in no time!"

Flynt shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds pretty cool with me."

"But at the same time…" Ciel pressed her hand against her chin. "Obtaining the scrolls left by these kidnappers would be crucial to discovering their identities. There are no guarantees that the moment we escape, these individuals wouldn't kidnap somebody else. By taking those scrolls before leaving, I can say with ninety-five percent confidence that we can prevent future abductions."

The boy in the muscle tank nodded. "Beret girl has a point there. Sure, maybe we can easily escape from these guys, but what if somebody who doesn't have Huntsmen training got captured? They'll most likely get sold into slavery or something like that. And while I might not be the nicest of people, I don't think anybody deserves such a fate like that."

"Hmm… that's a good point," I sighed. "But how are we going to know where the phones are located? I really, really want to make sure nobody else gets kidnapped. At the same time, it's going to take us forever to find these scrolls if we don't know where to look! Emerald Forest is huge! It's the size of the Industrial District and the Agricultural District combined! How will we find these scrolls?"

"I think I have an answer for that." Branz held the smudged note up. "I thought it was kinda strange that there was a piece of paper with the writing all smudged up. It's such a Nolan thing to do. Something I've learned from his messiness is to basically hold the paper up at an angle, then use light to figure out the general gist of the indentations." His eyebrows wrinkled. "Normally I would also use a camera to get the complete picture, but I could make out a couple of numbers and letters."

"Really?" Nebula asked. "I didn't know you could do that, Branz. What do they say?"

"N 37°20'52.009", W 121°57'15.919" for one of them. N 37°19'55.015", W 121°52'51.423" for the next one. … I think N 37°17'3.961", W 121°56'53.671" for the last one." The boy in the t-shirt nodded. "Yeah, that looks right. Those are coordinates. And if I'm right, that's most likely where the kidnappers placed all of the scrolls."

"Well, okay then!" I started stretching my arms. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go right now! No, wait. Maybe we can get this done faster if we split the group into three and have each one go after a different scroll."

Jaune nodded. "But at the same time, we have to consider that we're in Grimm territory without our weapons." I bit my lip. Oh yeah, that's right. There's still the Grimm we have to deal with. "We need to split the group based on who can fight with their fists or clubs."

"Well, I can fight with my fists," Cinder noted.

Arslan nodded. "So can I."

Branz nodded. "Me too. I'm going to be less effective without my weapons, but I can manage."

Cardin scoffed. "A branch will have to do, but I can fight as well."

"Okay then!" I pointed at a couple of people. "Branz, Cardin, and Flynt can be a group. Then Jaune, Ciel, and Cinder can be another. I'll be with Arslan and Nebula. And Sun, how about you keep watch on everyone? Since you have the most experience with surveying, you should be able to keep watch on everyone else." And with that, every group should have at least two members who can fend off against the Grimm.

The monkey faunus nodded. "So… does anyone have a pen or something? We should write down these coordinates and figure out how to get over to the scrolls."

"I'm sure that we can find a couple in the truck," I shrugged.

"Cool, thanks." I watched as Sun walked over to the truck and opened it up. "Oh wow! This place is a dump!"

"Not my fault!" I yelled back, hiding a grin from everyone else. "I totally found it like this!

* * *

Not much time passed until I left with Ciel and Cinder. Turns out, Sun's actually pretty good at drawing, and soon he made rough copies of the map on every note for reference. A sigh escaped my mouth as I looked at the parchment of paper. If I'm reading this right, we should be going in the right direction. I just wish we didn't have to go through this dense part of the forest. There's not a lot of room to fight, should something go wrong.

"So, Ciel." I glanced at the girl. "That's your name, right?"

The girl in the beret nodded. "That's an accurate statement."

"I don't remember seeing you in class. Did you arrive recently?"

She kept her eyes on the trees. "My team arrived in the winter months. We've been here in the city of Vale for fourteen weeks and three days." Ciel held a hand up as I tried to say something. "I believe that you didn't see us because Atlesian teams work differently to the traditional Hunter team system. If memory serves correctly, you're assigned to four-member teams for four years, right?" I nodded. "In Atlas, we often don't assign teams for that long. If anything, we switch up our teams every other week."

A hum escaped my mouth. "Huh. But wouldn't that make team bonds weaker?"

Ciel nodded. "At the same time, there's a more intimate connection between every Huntsmen within a certain year. We live in an area that would otherwise be considered inhospitable. It's important to realize that our lives could easily be taken away, whether it's due to the Grimm or due to the environment itself. Being attached to a collective as a whole is more important to our survival than a strong sense of trust amongst small groups of four."

"That's… pretty interesting, I guess." I scratched the back of my head. "So what about the Vytal Festival Tournament? You guys are put into groups of four."

"We're assigned a group that would be considered our "battle group." It's the composition that we'll use during the Vytal Festival. It's based on the traditional Huntsmen team assignment system. Otherwise, we keep doing what we always do, and train within the airships instead of within a school campus. It gives the Atlesian military access to us to whenever we need to be deployed right away, and we don't need to explain to others about how we normally operate."

"Um…" A small whine escaped my mouth. "Okay… Why didn't you just say you guys trained within the airships instead of going into that long talk about the Atlesian Hunter System?"

"Hmm?" Ciel turned to look at me. "You wanted a straight answer? I'm sorry, I thought this was supposed to be small talk done to pass time while we make our way to the next objective. To be frank, I'm not really adept at catching these kinds of social cues, so you'll have to forgive me if I make this kind of mistake again."

"It's okay, I guess?" I rubbed the back of my neck. "It wasn't a complete waste of time, I think. Is there anything else about Atlas that's radically different from the other Academies?"

"Well, there's the idea that solo Huntsmen missions can be assigned to Huntsmen-in-Training." She rubbed a part of her wrist that had a watch tan. "The question of which missions is strictly classified, and I can't reveal anymore without compromising myself."

"That's fine." We continued on our way towards the scroll location. "Well, what about food? I was surprised to hear that Atlas even has cuisine when the land there is—"

"Wait." Cinder held her hand up. The entire group stopped in place. "Be quiet for a moment. I think I heard something." I held my breath as I tried to listen for any signs of movement, like rustling leaves or snapping branches. Something that indicated Grimm. We all stood silent for what felt like a solid minute. Nothing. "Hmm… I must've been imagining it," she stated. "I guess it's fine if we just continued on—"

A howl escaped from the leaves, causing me to flinch. A shadowy black figure burst out from the woods, teeth and claws bared towards us as it soared into the air. I let out a yelp, backing away as I brought my Stand out to fight. A fiery punch soared through the air, nailing the attacking Beowolf in the face and sending it careening back into the woods. My face flew towards Cinder, who still had tiny embers flickering off of her hand.

"Hmm… we better hurry up," Ciel noted as the launched Beowolf got back up. "Where there's a Beowolf, there's a pack. And it's unlikely that you, Cinder, will be able to fight the entire pack with nothing but your fists. I don't mean any offense to your combat skills, but understand that—"

"I get it," Cinder growled as her amber eyes flickered through the trees. Several beady red eyes started appearing through the foliage. "Thank you. But we don't exactly have a choice on the matter if I'm the only person who can fight."

 **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** enveloped me for a moment. "Not quite. I might not be that useful in fending off the Grimm in hand-to-hand combat, but I still have my… Semblance to work with." I snatched a couple of blades of grass, splitting them into several small pieces. They grew heavy in my hands as my Stand went to work. "I can make things really dense and fire them off like Dust bullets." To make my point, I flicked a piece of the plant matter at one of the pairs of red eyes. A howl escaped its mouth as the blade of grass drilled through it, shutting off its lights forever. I could barely make out ichor splattering on the other side of the tree.

"You could do that all this time?" Cinder scowled, punching another approaching Grimm to the side. "Why didn't you say something about it earlier?"

"Because I never expected something like this to happen! I was thinking we might run into one of the bigger Grimm like Ursa or something. Something easy to fight one-vs-one. But who knew that there was going to be a massive pack of Beowolves hunting at night?"

"... I'm not even doing to address the error in logic of that statement," Ciel chirped up. "Beowolves, while more active than other nocturnal creatures during the day, are still nocturnal. They're willing to travel during any time of day if it meant that they can find their prey unaware, which at the moment is us."

Cinder jabbed a thumb at the girl. "What she said. Out of all of the reasons you could've possibly picked—" She took a deep breath in, allowing her scowl to disappear almost instantly. "My apologies. It's the lack of sleep talking. I shouldn't let my tiredness get to me, and venting on you won't help matters. However…" The girl in the cami top gestured towards the other Grimm. "If you're able to do that, you should be able to shoot all of them, right?" I nodded.

"Yeah." A hum escaped my mouth. "How about this: all three of us back up towards that tree over there. You stand in the front and take on any Grimm that charges us, Cinder. Ciel, you stay in the back and say whether there are any Grimm approaching. I'll stick in the middle and shoot them down one by one until we're in the clear. Got it?"

The amber-eyed girl frowned for a moment before nodding. "That'll work. We'll make it out that way. I'd rather not have to be on the defensive, though. It's better if we just— Well—" Her eyes flickered at each of the Grimm before swallowing. "I don't like the thought of making a mistake we'll all regret. One wrong move, and everything will fall apart."

"Well, we can just run away if you're worried about having your Aura broken," I shrugged, firing another piece of grass the moment one of the Beowolves rushed forward. It couldn't even get out a howl when the plant pierced through its throat, sending it into a tumble. "Travel by jumping through the trees, grab the scroll, and run back to our meeting spot."

Cinder glanced at Ciel. "On second thoughts, let's back up into that tree. Taking it slow is a better idea. We'll whittle down the Grimm eventually, if you're careful with your shots."

I nodded, backing up with the rest of the group. "Trust me, I know what's at stake, too."

By the time we got into position, several Beowolves revealed themselves out from the forest. Dripping black saliva stained the grass as they circled around us. They seem to be holding back instead of rushing towards us. I raised my eyebrow. That's weird… I thought Grimm were supposed to be dumb, acting completely on instinct. Or maybe… do they realize that I have a weapon and are staying back for the sake of safety? Do Grimm even have a sense of self-preservation? Well, the older ones do. Port always said that the younger Grimm are more reckless, but it's the Emerald Forest! It's regularly cleared by the Huntsmen! Did we get unlucky and run into an elder pack?

Okay, Jaune. Calm down for just a moment. Think this through slowly. There's roughly around… seven pairs of red eyes still visible. Two Beowolves fizzled into smoke on the ground, mouth wide open in surprise. Alright, if I keep a cool head and not fire randomly, I can easily deal with them as they approach us. Even if these Beowolves are older than I think they are, they still go down with one good shot. We can afford to wait this out. I thumbed one of the blades of grass. Just wait for something to lose patience and pounce at— Wait a minute. I looked up. One of the glowing red eyes are in the leaves. How did a Beowolf get up there—

A high-pitched screech escaped from the canopy, getting my blood to run cold. Oh gods no. It can't be. The Cupid emerged from the green leaves a second later, aiming the Arrow right at my face. My eyes widened. Oh— I threw myself to the side the second I recognized that bronze Arrow, firing several grass bullets at the creature. It tittered, swinging itself lazily over the grass before landing on the ground.

Ciel let out a gasp. "What in the world am I looking at? Is that a Grimm baby—" The Cupid lunged towards the girl.

"No!" I increased the volume of the grass before firing it at the girl in the beret. Instead of piercing through her, Ciel coughed as the shot knocked her over.

"Jaune, what the hell?!" Cinder turned her head towards me. "Why did you shoot Ciel?"

"Not the time to mention it!" I ripped a bunch of grass from the ground. "Guys, listen to me! No matter what happens, do not let that Arrow cut you! We're all going to die if that happens!"

Cinder narrowed her eyes. "And how would you know something like that will happen—"

At that moment, the crowd of Beowolves must've thought it was a great time to attack, because a series of howls brought my attention back to them. I bit my lip seeing all six of them rushing towards us. What the—! I staggered back, firing a few blades of grass into the crowd. Most of them missed, sending small patches of dirt into the air, although I managed to get a couple of grazing shots. "Cinder! They're coming!"

She swung right around, slapping a pouncing Beowolf in the face and knocking it aside. I put a hole in its head a split second later, splattering the black oily substance over the floor. My feet started tapping the ground. What should I go after? The Beowolves, or the Cupid? If I focus on the Beowolves, the Cupid might transform either Cinder or Ciel into Stand users, and who knows what would happen? But if I focus on the Cupid, Cinder might be overwhelmed by the Grimm, and then I'm going to die, and then Ciel will die!

I glanced at the Cupid. It was making its way up the tree we were backed against, letting out a small giggle as it stared at us. I gotta drive the monster away first. That's my main priority. I'll then thin out the crowd for Cinder so that she can fight on her own. Once that's done, I'll try to chase after the Cupid— No. I'm not sure if I can find it after the battle ends. But I should call Ruby as soon as possible and tell her about it. Yeah, I'll go for the scroll and call everyone else. They'll find their assigned scrolls easily and then we can make sure everyone keeps an eye out for the Cupid.

With that in mind, I raised my hand up and fired several blades of grass at the climbing Grimm baby. A shriek escaped its mouth as it slammed the Arrow into the trunk of the tree. All of my shots missed the moment it swung itself around the shaft of the arrow. They instead slammed into the base of the branch above the Cupid. I tsked. Come on, run away! I fired another piece of grass at the point where the Arrow and the tree met, splitting the bark away from the trunk. Of course, it didn't do too much: the Grimm still floated in the air instead of falling like I thought it would.

But it did let out an angry wail, backing away as it held the Arrow close to its chest. Wait a minute… is it trying to protect the Arrow? Why would it do something like that if the Arrow isn't— Aha! A smile crawled up my face. No matter how powerful the Arrow is, at the end of the day it's still a regular object! The Cupid isn't going to do anything that could get the Arrow destroyed! That's how I drive it away!

The floating Grimm baby glared at me as I pointed my closed hand at it. I gotcha now. Several blades of grass whistled through the air, the shots flying both towards the arrowhead and the Cupid itself. The baby's face went livid as it drifted away from the rest of us, allowing the rounds to soar over its head. By now it was roughly ten-ish meters away from us. I hope that gives us enough time to react to anything it does.

"Ciel! Watch the baby Grimm floating around! Make sure it doesn't try anything!" I turned over to Cinder to see her with her fists raised, breathing heavily as the five Beowolves remained standing. While most of them had charred skin, I didn't see any new bodies aside from the ones I've already killed. They seemed content with staying a couple of meters away from us, circling around us. "What happened, Cinder? Why aren't any of them dead?"

"... Hit and run tactics," she responded, wiping the sweat off her brow. "They don't open themselves up for me long enough to get any solid hits in." I don't know about that… all of those burn marks look like solid hits to me. Is she holding back? Not killing Grimm for some reason? I never thought Cinder to be any kind of pacifist. "At least this means that none of them are going to approach us. What about that… that baby Grimm? Is it still there?"

"Hopefully not for long." A grass bullet flew through one of the Beowolves, bringing the pack size down to four members. "We better get moving the moment the last Beowolf falls. We need to warn everybody about that baby Grimm, and fast. Ciel, is it still there?"

"It's not moving at the moment, but it's still watching us," she confirmed.

I ripped up more grass and stuffed them into my fist. "Good. Maybe it'll give us the opening we need to get out of here." There's no way it's not going to attack us while I'm busy fighting against the pack. I have to find the Alpha. Maybe then the rest of the pack will go away. I glanced at the encircling Grimm. Come on, it shouldn't be that hard. It's the more bony one. Yet despite all of my efforts, not one of them had more armor than the other. Did I already shoot the Alpha? But if I did, they should've been scattered by now. Why haven't they left? Unless… unless there's another Alpha that I'm not seeing.

Suddenly, the pack started backing away. I raised my eyebrow. What? Now they decide it's time to run? But why? Why would they back away now? It makes absolutely no sense at all. But if it gives us a breather— A sense of dread hit me. Wait a minute. One, two, three, four Beowolves still standing. Then there are the three on the ground. That's seven. Then there's the Cupid. That's eight. But isn't there supposed to be—

My ears picked up the sounds of something rushing towards me from my right. The Alpha Beowolf! My arm flicked over to the monster, sending a blade of grass through its gut. It stumbled for just a moment before pouncing at me and knocking me down. It bared its teeth at me, splattering dark ichor on my face before lunging towards my throat. Oh—! I threw my forearm into the monster's mouth, increasing its density. Instead of ripping a chunk of my flesh clean off like Beowolves were known to do, it sank half an inch into my arm.

I squeezed my eyes shut in pain and let out a ghastly howl as my blood splattered over my onesie. Agh! Somehow my body responded to me, my shooting hand pressing against the Beowolf's temple and flicking a blade of grass through its brain. The color in its malicious eyes slowly drained as that familiar black oily substance spilled out from both holes in its head.

"Ugh…" Ciel moaned. Wait, what? I glanced up at the girl in the beret, who pulled her face away from the tree trunk. She had her head clutched as she tried to bring herself back up to a kneeled position. Wait a minute… did the Alpha Beowolf catch her too with a leg or something? But if she's right now trying to recover from a concussion… Oh no! The Cupid!

A squeal escaped from the baby Grimm. I glanced behind me to see it dive bombing towards us, Arrow pointing right at Ciel. I gotta stop it! But it's moving so fast! If I shoot at it and I miss, Ciel's going to get stabbed! But how do I hit it? It can move so well in the air even at fast speeds! My eyes flew around the area. It's going to be too late if I try to warn Cinder. But how can I— My vision settled on the tree. That's it!

I fired the rest of my grass bullets at the tree branch I shot earlier. The rounds pierced through the wood and the heavy branch finally broke loose, swinging down towards us. The Cupid turned its head as the Arrow came dangerously close to her neck to see the bushy branch approaching it.

Only a single shriek escaped out of its mouth before the branch slammed into both Ciel and the Cupid. I fumbled at the grass as I started pushing the Beowolf body off of me. I hope I got it before it reached Ciel. "Cinder!" I yelled. "This is your chance! Kill the baby Grimm now while it's stunned!"

The girl in the cami top nodded, rushing towards the branch and lifting it up. "... It's gone."

I blinked. "What?"

"It's like it disappeared, Jaune. I can't find it anywhere."

A shot of panic ran through me. Adrenaline ran through my veins as I yanked my arm out from the Beowolf's mouth and shoved it off of me. "Check on Ciel! Make sure she doesn't have any cuts on her!" I pulled myself up as she did that. This isn't good. This isn't good at all. How can it just disappear? I know for a fact that something like that just can't be possible! We've never seen it teleport away… ever! So how did it get away? I ran over to the branch and lifted it up. Just like Cinder said, it wasn't here at all. I looked at the two girls. "What about Ciel? Is she fine?"

"No cuts as I can see," the amber-eyed girl replied. I sighed in relief. So I saved her in time. "I think she's suffering from shock, though. Her skin's clammy, she's breathing quick, shallow breaths." She pressed a finger against the girl's neck. "Her pulse is weak. We have to hurry up and find that scroll. Shock can kill a person even with Aura." She turned her head towards me, moving as little of her body as possible. "You go on ahead and look for it. You're not carrying her anywhere with that arm of yours. I'm the only one who's in perfect condition."

I nodded, starting towards the direction of the scroll. Cinder knelt down and propped Ciel against the tree. She mumbled something to the girl, but I couldn't hear a thing Cinder was saying. I was too busy focusing on finding the scroll. Okay, repeat the plan in your head, Jaune. Find the scroll, call Ruby, warn her about the Cupid, call for evacuation. Find the scroll, call and warn Ruby, call for evac. Simple enough.

A glint of metal caught my eye as I made my way through the forest. The scroll! I leaped at it in an instant, snatching it the device up and opening it. On it had two numbers within its contacts. Maybe they're the two other scrolls in the forest? I hit one of the buttons and held the scroll up to my face. Come on, please. Somebody pick up. Our lives depend on it!

* * *

The sounds of ringing caused Arslan, Nebula, and I to jump in surprise. "What the— Hey guys, do you think that's our scroll?" Nebula asked.

I nodded. "I don't think it could be anything else. All we have to do is follow the sound of the ringing and—" A glint of something caught my eye. A flashing yellow diamond appeared from the dirt. "Aha!" I ran over and snatched it. "Somebody must've already found their own scroll! We'll be out of here in no time!" I opened it. "Hello?"

Jaune's face appeared in my screen. One of his arms was covered in blood, while specks of dirt and Grimm ichor dotted his face. His blue eyes widened in recognition. "Ruby!"

"Wha—" I nearly dropped the scroll. "Jaune? What happened?"

"Run-in with a pack of Beowolves. I had to use my Stand and an Alpha nearly bit my arm off. I'm fine, though. But Ruby, the Arrow's here."

My eyes widened. "What? Did you just say—"

"Yeah. The Cupid's— wait. Is anybody close to you?" I looked up to see both Nebula and Arslan appearing out from the foliage. I nodded my head. His voice dropped to a whisper. "You have to call the last group. Warn the people you're with and the next group about the Cupid and what to do. I have to call for a Bullhead right now. Ciel, the girl with the beret's going through shock. Tell them to meet up where I'm calling from. Not Sun's spot."

"Okay. Gotcha. Take care, Jaune." I shut off the scroll and looked at the other two girls. Nebula had her eyebrows raised, while Arslan gave me a weird look. I let out a sigh. "We have a problem. One of us got injured. We have to change where we meetup to where Ciel is right now."

Nebula let out a gasp. "Wait, what? One of us got injured? How?"

"Jaune didn't say. Just that she's going through shock and that he needed to call for a Bullhead immediately." I already started scrolling through the device, looking for the phonebook. "I'm going to call the other group, then we'll all move towards Ciel's location using the GPS— No wait! Sun's not going to know about the change! We need somebody to go get him, fast! Ciel's life might rely on it!"

We all stood silent for a moment. "Why can't it be you, Ruby?" Nebula asked. "You're the fastest one with your Semblance."

"Well… uh…" I tapped my fingers as I let out a nervous chuckle. "I don't remember how to get back to Sun. And I don't know how to read a map." The other short-haired girl let out a groan.

"Oh, for the love of— I'll go!" Nebula snatched the scrap of paper Sun drew a sketch on. "I'll just use the trees to avoid the Grimm. I'm pretty agile. Gods know I practiced climbing way too much in recent memory. Don't ask why. You'll get it in the morning." She started back. "Just… don't leave this spot, okay? You're the only one with the scroll. And Arslan, you'll guard Ruby, right?" The girl with the platinum blonde hair nodded. "Alright then. I'll be back with Sun before you know it."

I turned back to Arslan as Nebula left our sights. She had her arms crossed. She's still giving me that stare, like she's suspicious of something. I mentally waved it off. Maybe it's just a stoic nature. Ren does that sometimes, just staring off into space with a serious glare when inside he's feeling neutral. I opened the phone app and hit the only unrecognizable phone number. I tapped my feet listening to the tone dial. Come on, somebody pick up. Please.

A smooth, jazzy voice came from the other end. "Hey. Flynt here. Thanks for the help. We've been digging around the area without a clue of where the scroll was. Who's on the other end?"

"Flynt, it's me, Ruby. There's a change in plans. Instead of meeting back up with Sun, go over to the location of the other group's scroll. One of their members is injured, and they're calling for a Bullhead on their location. We're grabbing Sun right now, and we'll meet up with the rest."

"That's cool with me. Better to get emergency care for any injured as soon as possible. Branz, Cardin, and I will be there." Flynt made some kind of sighing sound. "We'll see you there."

"Oh wait! Shoot, I forgot to tell Nebula this!" I rubbed my head. "Stupid. Stupid. There's a Grimm out there that the other group ran into. It looks like a human baby, if the baby was turned into a Grimm. It has a bronze, ornate arrow in its hands. If your group runs into it, do not let the Arrow cut you. It will not end well. And don't bother fighting it. The Grimm flies, and it's way too fast to hit. Just run."

"… Okay. We'll keep an eye out. Anything else?"

"No."

"Alright then." The call ended.

"Hmm…" I looked up to see Arslan with her hand on her chin. "That's interesting…"

I raised my eyebrow. "What's interesting?"

"You talking about that creature. It's odd how you worded it. You sounded like you were familiar with this baby Grimm. Like you fought it before."

My gut twisted hearing that. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that you must've paid a lot of attention to this creature to know that it could fly, even though I know for a fact that we never ran into it. No, but the most interesting thing I learned is that a creature of Grimm is holding my heritage in its hands, and that others are looking for its powers." A figure appeared right behind her, throwing a red glob right at me. My eyes widened. She's a Stand user!

Rose flew in front of me, slapping away the goo. Instead of flying away, it coated Rose's right arm. I scowled as the heat of the substance burned right into my skin. Arslan continued: "I knew something was weird about this place. About how despite the last sighting of the 'fantasma velos' being lost in some Valean ruin, Stand users still appeared. Many uncles and aunts died trying to find our heritage. My parents wanted me to stay away from this fight, thinking this fight was fruitless. But knowing who has the fantasma velos gives me hope. I can finally break my family from their destiny. Our quest to find this… Arrow is coming to a close."

Her Stand appeared in front of her. The gold and red humanoid woman had several intricate lines engraved on it. They would loop over and over again, creating something that can continue on almost forever. Something interesting I noticed was that there were two small round plates resting on her forearms, like bucklers. Each one had deep grooves that resembled the logo on the back of her pajamas. Said bucklers looked like they were on a rail leading all the way to the Stand's hands. She widened her stance, brushing a lock of hair out of her face as she jabbed a finger at me.

"The Altan family has suffered for generations following the loss of our heirloom. We, as the guardians of the Arrow, would throw our lives away and die destroying Stands born from the hearts of evil men. I will not let this happen anymore. I, Arslan Altan and my Stand will break this cycle. On my family name and **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES,** **」** I will take back my family's life and redeem ourselves." The bucklers flew towards the Stand's knuckles, locking in place. It reminded me of those boxing pads Yang made me put on before she pummeled my hands for practice. **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** huffed as it took on a boxer's pose.

Arslan gave me a glare that revealed nothing but murderous determination. "And I'll stop everyone who tries to take it away."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 1/5/2018**

* * *

 **Gwen's Bizarre Adventure - Act 3**

It didn't take long for me to reach the Headmaster's Tower. It was a paranoia-fest the whole entire time, though. There's one big reason as for why: the car was really, really loud. This thing was an absolute monster, just growling and howling without a care in the world. Even when I'm on the opposite end of the dorms, I swear somebody's probably heard this thing go off. I'm starting to regret making this car the choice. Or maybe I should've just switched the thing to neutral and just pushed it all the way over here. I sighed. Well, I made my bed. Might as well sleep in it.

I pulled the paper clip out the moment I parked the car, cutting off the power and stopping that infernal noise. Moments later, I jumped out and climbed on the jeep's roof. I'm not going to have much time. I have to get this done as fast as possible. With that, I started rigging the thing together while my Mystique started throwing the weights out. First get the metal loop rig then superglue it to the car. It sounds weird, especially since I have **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** to help me out here. But at the same time, if I forget and call back my Mystique, this jeep can say bye bye, and well… that would be terrible. At least superglue doesn't require me to remember.

And for one last thing. I looked at the designated drop point. And there was a ridiculous amount of steel cable. Hopefully, it's twice as long as the tower, but I couldn't help but let out a grin. Say what you want about NDGO, but we can deliver on getting this kind of ridiculous stuff.

With that done, I took the giant carabiner, tied it to the metal cable tightly, then clipped it into the metal loop. I gave it a couple of test tugs. It's solid as a rock. Hopefully this'll hold up until the morning. And as for the weight… I looked behind me to see **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** attaching it to her back. A smile crawled up my face. We're ready.

Some of the steel cables hung loosely across my body as I approached the tower, my Mystique following closely behind. I looked up once I reached it. Well, this is going to be one hell of a climb. Whoever designed this thing one: really liked Gothic architecture, and two: hated anybody who wanted to climb up this thing and hang a jeep on top of it. For one thing, this is straight up a skyscraper. Public records say that this thing is roughly one hundred fifty meters from the ground to the top. I've never climbed anything that big before, so that's going to be a major problem.

But here's the thing: I also have to bring a car to the top of it. And with how this tower's designed, I can't exactly do that by going straight up. No, I'm going to have to climb one of the giant side columns, set up a pulley there, move up the archivolt, set up a pulley on that side, and then scale the tower. From there I set up the pulley, string the steel cable through, then run down and finish setting up the pulley system before yanking the car up with **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** and holding it up with the weight. I sighed. Yeah, this is really complicated for some lien.

"High five, **「** **LADY MARMALADE,** **」** " I said, offering my hands up to the spirit. She slapped them back, making the surface of my gloves sticky to the touch. Strong enough so that my own body weight can be held up, but hopefully weak enough so that I can pull it away and continue up the tower. I let her do the same thing to the tip of my boots. Alright, only one thing left to do. Start the climb.

I leaped onto the side column, slamming into it face first. My body didn't move an inch. Yes! Alright, it's time to scale the tower like how Ecru Hunt climbed the Atlesian Tower in the fourth Mission: Improbable movie. Man, I liked that one, but it's absolutely insane how the actor for Ecru decides to actually do these stunts. Like that airplane scene in the fifth movie, just… why? They're awesome without a doubt, but geez. Balls of steel right there.

But there's an important difference between him and me. At least with acting, they have rigs to make sure that if the stunt goes wrong; there are harnesses that can catch the guy that plays Ecru. I, on the other hand, have supernatural powers that allow me to climb without special gear. But at the same time, a single mess up means that I will end up as a stain on the ground; depending on where I drop, probably even if I have my Aura up. I shivered. What a horrible fate. Almost as bad as getting caught by Professor Goodwitch and being punished. A sigh escaped my mouth. I guess that just means that I can't afford to mess up.

And with that, I started my perilous climb up. It sounded pretty obvious in my head, but climbing up a tower with several floors is a lot different than scaling a two-story building like in Vacuo. I winced as a gust of wind smacked at my face. More wild as well. At least that's not combined with sand. Oh gods, a sandstorm climbing up the tower would be the worst. **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** hovered right behind me, still carrying that weight without even breaking a sweat. Lucky her for having basically infinite stamina. All I can do is hope my arms don't feel like jelly at the end of it.

Nothing eventful happened climbing up the side column. I managed to get up there fairly quickly and applied a pulley with a bit of superglue. Then it was a relatively calm walk to the top of the archivolt and another moment where I attached that pulley to the building. I'd say not even an hour passed while I was getting that done.

But the tower was a different beast altogether. Not only was it big, but it had so many random ridges and curves that I had to climb over. Normally to a climber, that would be paradise to have any kind of railing to get over. For me, that is absolute hell. Since I'm using a Mystique instead of actual finger strength and technique, I'm probably using my energy inefficiently. And every ridge and curve meant I had to waste a bit of movement to get over those obstacles. And it adds up.

I scaled two-thirds of the tower before I noticed how ragged my breaths were. Oh man. I underestimated how tiring this would be. Ooh, my muscles feel so tingly right now. Well, that's something new I realized about my powers. Even when I have **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** to help me scale the tower, I'm still using my muscles to get up there. And without Aura, muscles get tired real easily. I winced at the realization. I've never had this problem since I started climbing. But I think my muscles are starting to reach the upper bounds of what they can handle. That's not good.

Then there was the true challenge in sight right now: the office itself. For one thing, the outside of it is glass instead of concrete here, which will make me loud as I'm climbing this part. I never had the chance to check on the Beacon Headmaster's schedule, but if he's in there, I have to take extra care to make sure that he doesn't see me.

The other problem is getting to the windows in the first place. This tower looks like it's sloping up close to the top. And that's not considering the overhang that I have to pull myself up over. I'm going to be suspended in the air at that point, with only my hands keeping me stuck to the tower. My breaths are starting to speed up. What a challenge… I gritted my teeth. Even more reason to make it to the top! If we need a spectacle to impress everyone, we'll make one!

I steeled my body, pushing myself to the limit. One third left to go! I can make it! Push forwards! My arms were getting wobbly. I picked up the pace, ignoring the increasing numbness in my arms. I'm going to get up there if that's the last thing I do! Focus on keeping your breath smooth and clear. Make clean, assured movements up. The small light coming from the windows of the tower came in sight. So close!

A couple of heart-pounding minutes later, I'm maybe a couple of meters below the ledge thing. I let out a sigh of relief. I made it. Whew, that's the excitement I've come to know and love. I'm so close to the end… but now for the hard part. I glanced at one of the last obstacles in my way. I have no idea if I can even make it past this. I'm so close to my limit. My arms feel so numb right now, it's not even funny. But there's gotta be a way to get up there without wasting any more energy. But I gotta be fast.

I glanced at my watch. I've been climbing for almost two hours now. Actually pretty fast now that I think about it. Looking down, I can still see the jeep there. So that's good. But I have to be on a time crunch now. So only one thing remains: how am I going to finish this?

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **On to the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! To answer your questions, yes, the silver-eyes are related to Hamon. But I'll keep what happens in the city under wraps. Expect some action there, though.**

 **PyreFyre: Huh, I never really thought of it that way. Honestly, I haven't seen the Batman animated series, so I can't really do a comparison. But I've always had an attitude that every antagonist should feel like they're doing the right thing, even if they clearly aren't. If that's how the villains in the Batman cartoons work, then sure. And Cinder in the show... she's not written well, but I feel like there's a surprising amount of nuance to her, especially now. I'd think people would like her more if she had a bit more Salem in her. Aka a human-like monster.**

 **TheSetupMage: Uh... *glances at all of the silver-eye notes* N-no... *burns all of the homoerotic team WTCH plans* I don't. I mean, exploring the idea of the Silver-Eyed Hamon might be interesting, but this is first and foremost a story with Stands and Stand fighting. Can't really promise there'll be enough Hamon to satisfy that group, but it does play a small bit into the story.**

 **Guest: Thank you, guest! All will be revealed. Soonish.**

 **Ruby's Knight: Thank you, Ruby's Knight! Glad you picked up the idea of how Cinder and Ruby are almost reflections of each other. I always loved foils of "believing the same ideals, go about it in different ways," and having Cinder as a more cynical Ruby creates a lot of interesting contrast. Almost like two sides of the same coin. The harshest rivals I found were the ones who believed in the same cause, but don't agree with methods. That's what makes it so harsh, in my opinion. And I like exploring that aspect.**

 **I find it strange, too, how technology advanced so quickly in Remnant. I mean, the easy answer would be Dust. It's coal + magic combined into a sweet package! Personally, I like to believe people didn't use it in machines until the decade before the Great War. After all, we ourselves had an Industrial Revolution which advanced technology to ridiculous levels. I wouldn't be surprised if Dust was used just as weapons before somebody came up with the idea of using it to extract energy.**

 **Ah, the bits of characters doing mundane stuff. Love it. As for Crescent Rose's slam fire capabilities, I actually took inspiration from Nerf guns. Funny thing: if you hold the trigger on an air-pressured gun and rack the slide quickly, you can fire so many shots at once. I was reminded of that when I first wrote that scene, so hey, free explanation. For the Vytal Festival, I will say that anything can happen. After all, I technically stopped following canon since the dance arc. And yes, silver-eyes do have some basis in Hamon. It's pretty nice having an easy way to integrate Hamon into the story, but whether I actually use it often remains to be seen.**

 **doa570047: Funny story: the team name was originally going to be CMSN like you said. I mean, these guys probably named themselves, so why would they be registered as CMEN? I would like to think the good Doctor Watts had a role in that. After all, he is team WTCH's hacker. But let's be honest, I thought it was funny and weird so I went with that.**

 **But to address the point on the number of users and how there can't be enough teams for that, you're right. There aren't enough teams for that. But I never said they had to be a Huntsmen team. Anyone with a name in RWBY is also eligible for the selection process. Also animals and inanimate objects. Spoilers: all seven new users are animals. Seven Ratts, everyone's a meat cube! Nah, I'm just kidding. Seriously though, I don't have any OC Remnan as a Stand user. All of them are at least named/nicknamed on RWBY.**

 **Coco's speech on Grimm management is an interesting point. At the end of the day, managing the emotions of everyone in the area is just as important as the murdering, hack-and-slash part of Huntsmen we all know and love. Sure, people might react differently to Huntsmen doing their thing, but guaranteeing that no negative emotions come up while work is being done is vital, I feel. So there's some headcanon there.**

 **About the silver-eyes aspect, I would have to agree. I wasn't too surprised that Ozpin didn't bring up the actual powers of the Silver-Eyes in canon. I mean he did bring her into Beacon two years in advance. Having a year to mature would help immensely with actually training with the silver-eyes. If fifteen-year-old Ruby learned that she was a living Grimm bomb, I'd suppose she would throw herself into way too much danger and share the same fate as her mother. V4-V5 Ruby seems more restrained, but who knows if it's enough?**

 **But how do we get some silver-eye powers to flow out? That's my secret, but I like the cookie eating trauma. But how many cookies does it take to take to be equivalent to watching your entire life set aflame in a literal sense? Time to break out the ol' calculator. I'll give you guys an answer... two weeks from now.**

 **Anyways, that's all for today! I'll see you guys next year!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: January 5, 2018**_


	27. Through Fire and Flames

**Hello everyone! Welcome to the brand new year of 2018, and to a new chapter of RWBY BA! Wow, it's officially been a year since I first published this. And we managed to get 150 reviews on this story. To think, that a story written on a trip to Reno lasted this long, to grow to the size it is now. It's humbling, and it's all thanks to everybody reading. So to all of you guys reading, thank you for sticking with this story. Maybe you started from when I first published this story. Maybe you joined a couple of days ago. But it means a lot seeing people enjoy this story. It's been one hell of a year in 2017. Here's to a great year ahead of us.**

 **I would also like to thank my beta Ruby's Knight for betaing this chapter during the holiday season. In hindsight, it wasn't my brightest idea and I shouldn't have asked, but you still delivered. Thank you for that. And with that, let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

I tapped my foot on the ground as the dial-up tone rang against my ear. From the corner of my eye, I could make out Cinder starting a small fire next to Ciel. My gods… the girl looked so pale… I focused my attention back to the call. Come on, somebody please pick up. Ciel's life depends on it! There has to be somebody in Beacon who has to still be awake! Come on, somebody for the love of gods please pick up—

A clear digital voice appeared from the speaker. "Hello! This is Beacon Academy's CCT AI Mala. I'm here to receive all calls from non-Huntsmen and transfer them to the proper channels. How may I help you?"

"Oh thank gods." I let out a sigh of relief. "Mala, my name's Jaune Arc. I'm a Huntsman-in-Training from Beacon and we have an emergency. I need you to send a Bullhead to my location right now!"

"Give me a moment." A beep sounded. "Hmm… your voice signature matches up with the ones we have on file, but I've identified your school-assigned scroll to be on the premises of Beacon Academy. Then there's the issue of your call coming from an unregistered scroll. Can you explain this discrepancy?"

"All of the team leaders were kidnapped during the night and transported to the Emerald Forest." My foot started bouncing again. "But we can't worry about that right now. We have Ciel Soleil undergoing shock, and we need medical help from Beacon!"

The AI let out a hum of understanding. "… I see. While my parameters state that I cannot send a Bullhead to any unidentified numbers, I will notify all team members and the deputy of Beacon Academy immediately of this situation. Please hold while I reroute your call to Deputy Glynda Goodwitch."

The speaker switched to the sounds of classical music. Just then Cinder appeared by my side, dusting off her gloved hands. "I've done as much as I can about the girl. What's the progress on the Bullhead?"

"Currently on hold," I said as I glanced at the black. "Is Ciel fine?"

"She's doing fine. I've done as much as possible to treat her, but now it's out of my hands. We can't really do much with—"

A crackle interrupted the classical music playing, replaced with a tired yawn. Professor Goodwitch's voice spoke from the speaker. "This is Professor Glynda Goodwitch speaking. Is Jaune still here?"

"Yes!" I held the device closer to my face. "Professor, you have to help us! We have a—"

"A situation that involves the kidnapping of several team leaders. Mala gave me a good summary of the incident. The school's working hard at this moment to prep several Bullheads for rescue. We're going to track you you you—" Her voice started getting all static, warping her words in an eerie fashion. "—landing zone?"

"Umm… Professor? You're getting a lot of interference. Can you say that again?"

"I'm— interference on your end, maybe— disrupt signal?"

My eyes widened. "The kidnappers! They might have one of those signal jammers, like…" I snapped my fingers trying to recall the term. "—like an ECM jammer or something!"

The professor's voice was almost nothing but static. "Jaune, get to— Bullheads and wait—" Her voice disappeared entirely, replaced with a single long ring.

"Oh gods, that's not good." I closed the scroll shut. "Somebody's jamming our signal. I can't call anyone."

"Well, great." Cinder sighed as she crossed her arms. "And I really don't feel like being in this forest any longer than necessary. At this point, we're going to need to do this the old-fashioned way."

I raised my eyebrows. "Do you think it's a great idea to move with Ciel still going through… you know."

"Well, it's either we move or we burn in an attempt to light a signal fire. I already have a small campfire going. Shouldn't take much to create a signal fire out of this." She turned around. "Come on. We need to find some flat ground, burnable materials, and something oily. We need all the time we have right now."

I nodded, staring at Ciel one last time before heading out to the woods. Hold on, Ciel. We're getting help.

* * *

The roaring sounds of the Bullhead engines rumbled in my ears as I made last minute checks to Gambol Shroud. Across from me were Weiss and Yang, doing similar checks with their weapons. My partner also had the folded up sniper scythe resting at her side. Every couple of seconds the blonde would glance at the weapon, then look away before continuing to do her regular weapons check.

The last time we were this tense was when we flew over to Forever Fall for that extermination mission. That seemed like so long ago, now that I think about it. To think that day was the moment when everything changed. One day we were fighting mechs on the highway and debating on whether to go to a school dance. Then the next we blew up a cafe to take down a girl who can make surfaces sticky. How life can change so quickly.

I adjusted my bow before sitting up. "So, do we have any plan on how we find every single team leader in school?"

The two both shook their heads. "If the CCT signals are being disrupted right now, we can't really track them down," Weiss started. The bags under her eyes were noticeable. Granted, everybody had them, considering we didn't get a second of sleep before this. Still, it looked especially bad on the heiress. She continued: "I'm hoping that one of the team leaders would have some kind of signal to get our attention, like a mirror or a signal fire. Hopefully, everybody will be in a single group by the time we find them. Especially with that injured person."

"Right." I popped open the door to the Bullhead, exposing everyone to the night sky. Invisible whips lashed at my face, stinging my skin and blowing my hair all over the place. "And this is where I come in. We have Crescent Rose on us right now, right? Can I borrow it?"

Yang nodded, grabbing the weapon and pressing it into my hands. "You remember how to pop the sights out, right?" I shook my head. She pointed at a button on the right-hand side of the rifle, just below the top ridge. "Manual mechanism for the scope's right here." Her hand lingered for a bit as I pulled Crescent Rose away from her, activated the mechanism, and held it up to my eyes. Currently nothing but trees. My cat ears picked up softer whirs. Nine or so more Bullheads are flying in the air, each with a different first-year team on it. All of them searching for their missing teammate.

"So… Yang." Weiss' voice was a little soft. "Are you… fine?"

"What?" The brawler let out a nervous chuckle. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, a lot of things happened to Ruby. From the… fever incident way, way back to that time during the movie night, you never really… reacted too well to what happened to her. And now with this, I guess I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"You don't have to worry about that, Weiss. We're on a mission, after all." I heard something along the lines of hair being combed with rough hands. Yang's voice wavered. "I'm worried of course, but it's more important to get everyone back first. If anything, we should be worrying about our team leaders down there."

"Well, we're not going to find them for awhile," I sighed as my search turned up nothing. "They're not giving us any signal. Either that or they're still preparing it. It's okay to talk about you now. It's better than being stuck in your thoughts as nothing happens."

"I can't believe I'm hearing that from you." Yang sighed. "Well, if you guys insist." I could make out the sounds of a hand rubbing skin. Maybe Yang's rubbing her face? "How do I say this? … I feel so powerless not knowing what's going on. I kinda understand that something's changed within Ruby, but I don't know how or why. But there were so many weird things that happened since our talk. Like how our room was torched by 'Fire Dust.'" She scoffed. "I know it's a lie, guys. Fire Dust doesn't make drippy marks on the wall. Burn marks from that are always either circular or like a streak. I've never seen runny Fire Dust in my life."

I felt my hair stick out at her reveal. This isn't going to be pretty. "Then there's the Dust explosion that happened in that cafe thing. And everybody should be panicking over the fact that a random building exploded, but I checked the news that day and nothing. Nobody was talking about it. Not even the Huntsmen biker gang that was chasing us. It's like everyone there just kept silent. And what about the time I woke up and found myself tied up and lying on the floor of a practice room without a clue of what happened?" She shook her head. "Nothing's really adding up. Can you guys explain anything that's been going on?"

"… Not really," I replied. "I don't think I can. It's just something that's impossible to understand." Something on the edge of my vision caught my attention. Huh? What's that? "Oh, wait, I think I see something over there." I narrowed my eyes. In the distance, far southwest of us was a small stream of darkness cutting through the dark blue night sky. The moonlight shone through the transparent stream. "Everybody, I think I see smoke over there. It's a really thin wisp, but it might be a signal." I lowered Crescent Rose and handed the weapon back to Yang.

Yang used the scope. "Yeah, that looks like smoke, alright. But that's really far away from Beacon. Do you think it could be everyone? And it's too… wispy. That's not smoke just moving on its own. Something's covering it." Nobody looking for rescue would cover up their smoke. But somebody hiding… Yang might be onto something. We might've found the kidnapper's camp.

"Well, I guess we might've found the kidnappers," Weiss sighed, voicing my thoughts. "But that also means that the team leaders are likely not there. Not when we know that Jaune managed to send a call back before he lost reception. They could be scattered all over the forest as far as we know."

I glanced at the rest of my teammates. "But then again, wouldn't they have their scroll jammers over there? Now that I think about it, we're reaching the center of the Emerald Forest. Having a jammer within their camp wouldn't sound like a bad idea, especially now that they know some of the team leaders managed to get scrolls to call out."

Yang let out a hum. "So if we attack the camp and destroy the jammer… we can get reception back and trace down the team leaders! Great idea, Blake!" She knocked on the door leading to the cockpit. "Hey! Cammy, right? There's smoke to the southeast. Take us over there and prepare for ground fire. We're jumping in and destroying the thing jamming the CCT signal. Might help with making the search easier for us."

"Got it." I heard somebody crack their knuckles. "Normally I would relay this to the Headmaster in order to get his thoughts on this, but we can't exactly talk, can we? And my senses tell me this is something worth checking out. Give me a moment… I can see it. Moving towards the smoke now." My hands wrapped themselves around one of the handles as the Bullhead started banking to the left. The rest of us stayed silent for what felt like a long, long time.

Weiss let out a hum. "Did the kidnappers really make it that far with ten or so people as captives?"

I shrugged. "It's possible. Back when I was… part of the White Fang, we had missions where we would raid worker camps and liberate faunus miners. It made sense to run as far away as possible before making camp. But I don't think the kidnappers are White Fang. It's just… their targets make no sense at all. Cardin might say some racist stuff, but he isn't that important. He's just a student. For the rest of them, it makes even less sense. Kidnapping the team leaders of every first-year Huntsmen team would have all of Remnant declaring war against the White Fang. And while they might be insane, they're not that stupid."

"Right." Weiss sat up. "It can't be Torchwick either. He's been gone for maybe a month now. Plus, why would he change his tactics from stealing Dust to kidnapping Huntsmen? It's way more insane, and nobody wants to spend a ton of lien just to sell Huntsmen. But those are the only two groups that the city has to worry about. If it makes no sense for either group to do this, then who would?"

"We're approaching the location of the smoke," Cammy noted, cutting off any further conversation. "I'll drop you kids off maybe twenty meters from the site then fly around the general area. Give me a call if you destroy the jammer; if you don't, just flash your scroll a couple of times. I'll pick you guys up."

Yang flashed our pilot the thumbs up sign, one the pilot most likely couldn't see. "Thanks, Cammy! Whelp, let's get this done! Banzai!" Before we could say anything, Yang charged and threw herself right out. Weiss and I stared at the falling girl for maybe a second before pushing off and falling right after her.

Unlike last time, where we had to fend off against hundreds of Griffins, our fall remained uninterrupted. Yang burst through the treeline before landing with a thud. I threw Gambol Shroud and wrapped it around a tree branch as I myself fell through. My ribbon grew taut, changing my direction as I slid to a halt on the dirt. To the right of me, a glyph materialized. The heiress landed there a split-second later, slowing her momentum to a halt. Somehow she still managed to look graceful doing it. I yanked my weapon off of the branch.

"Alright!" Yang dusted herself off before striding towards the camp. "Well, we better hurry up if we want to get that jammer!" I nodded, allowing Weiss to get behind Yang before I took the rear. It shouldn't be a long walk from where we landed to where the camp is. Everything should be okay.

Except… something still bothered me. As silent as we tried to make our landing, twenty meters is still pretty close. So wouldn't somebody be awake? Wouldn't they try to investigate the sound? But I can't hear a single Remnan footstep coming towards us. Not one. My neck hair stuck up again. Something's wrong. There's no way there wouldn't be somebody or something moving the moment we landed. Especially when it's at night in a dangerous area. So… what's going on?

Yang broke through the foliage, revealing a campsite. My eyes widened. The whole place was stricken with blood. From the tents to the crates and the chairs, there wasn't a place that didn't have a drop of blood on it. The only exception to this were the insides of several cages at the side of the campgrounds. A decent-sized fireplace fizzled in the center, with the wood stacked up like a square. Only embers remain in said fireplace.

"… Oh." I winced at the sight.

Weiss glanced away, holding back a retching noise. "Oh my gods, that's disgusting! I can't believe this happened to all these people! They just got torn apart by Grimm!"

"Well, there's one thing good about this," Yang noted. "At least we don't have to worry about fighting anyone while we figure out there this jammer is." She stepped forward, gesturing to us. "Come on. I want to get this done as fast as possible."

I nodded, taking a single step before stopping. "Wait a minute…" I glanced at the floor. "Why aren't there any corpses?"

The rest of my team hummed. "Yeah," my partner nodded. "Huh. That's right. Where are the dead body parts?"

We heard a growl escape from the forest, causing all of us to raise our weapons. The sudden sounds of two-legged movement registered in my ears. Maybe four of them? I cocked Gambol Shroud before pointing it at the foliage we came from. "Everyone careful! There's a Creep moving in behind us!"

Just as I expected, a lizard-like monster popped its head through the foliage a moment later. The three of us shivered at the sight of the beast. Its face was drenched in blood. I pray to the gods it wasn't the blood of our friends. The Creep cocked its head at us, eyeing us greedily before letting out a piercing scream.

* * *

"Arslan!" I yelled as I held my stinging right arm. In front of me, Rose swung the affected limb around trying to shake the gooey substance off, but it stayed latched on. There's no easy way to describe the sensation that I felt. On one hand, it burned and had this throbbing feeling, but at the same time, it wasn't so intense. It was more uncomfortable than anything else. At the same time, something just felt… wrong. Like the feeling when there's something sticky on your fingers, but when you check, there's nothing sticky. It weirded me out.

My eyes flickered back to the other girl, who brushed a lock of hair to the side. I let out a sharp hiss. "We can talk this out! There's no need to fight!"

The girl in the sleeping gown crossed her arms. "Oh, really? I wish I could take your word for it, Ruby. But let's be honest: we only knew each other for a couple of hours at most. I have no idea whether or not you're a person that can keep their word. And knowing that you wanted to take the Arrow for yourself, I don't have any confidence that you wouldn't just stab me in the back or something while I'm looking away. Tell me: what were you planning on doing with the Arrow after you've taken it from this Cupid?"

I blinked before scratching my head. What were we going to do with it right after we find it? "… Well, I'll head over to the Headmaster and give him the Arrow. I'm sure that he can keep it safe."

"And what makes you think that he can do that? This is a secret more deadly than the Grimm themselves. There are way too many individuals with evil in their hearts who would want this kind of power. My people have seen it before. We think that the Arrow's safe, only for somebody to come along and abuse their Stand power, nearly destroying the world in the process. It's almost like the Arrow is drawn to ambition, drawn towards individuals who want to change the world, for better or worse. The Headmaster will not be enough to protect the Arrow, I promise you that. And when the Arrow is lost again, my family has to rise up and search again, continuing the cycle."

"Well, what makes your family a better option than the Headmaster?" I shrugged. "You said it yourself about how your family occasionally loses it and that attacks happen even when you guys have the Arrow."

"There's one important difference between people like you and people like me. You were most likely made into a Stand user. The fact that you're looking for the Arrow says that quite clearly. As for me, I was born one." She shoved a thumb at one of the bucklers on her hand. "In the Atlan bloodline, Stand power is apparent the moment we are born. From the day the Arrows were made to now, every Atlan was able to see our Stands."

She stood up taller. "We can keep the Arrow safe for generations without fail. If your Headmaster takes it, the population might be safe for some time. But time marches on, people pass on, and your Headmaster will die. Eventually, someone new will attempt to steal it. Like this symbol, the Atlans are cyclical, everlasting. This is our eternal duty, the ones who will remember the past when the rest of the world forgets. It is our burden, and ours alone. We're the only ones who can keep this Arrow and the world safe until the end of time."

"The end of time, huh?" My mind rushed towards the weird substance that still sat on Rose's arm, still goopy and wet. What could that substance be? Something that's gooey yet hot and sticky? It can't be some kind of acid. I'm pretty sure my hand would be melting if that was the case. But what else? Maybe… glue? No, it's still runny. It would be terrible glue if that was true. What else could it be? Come on, Ruby. Think! There has to be something on Arslan's Stand that might give me a clue of what it can be.

Arslan nodded. "Yes. I feel like I've talked enough, though. I'm wasting enough time already. This Cupid creature might still be within the forest, and I can't take the risk of you interfering with this task. So let's make this quick." Before I could respond, **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** lunged right at me, bucklers gleaming in the moonlight as it soared through the air. In an instant Rose skirted in front of me, swinging a right hook at the red and gold humanoid. Arslan let a small corner of her mouth turn up. **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** spun around, allowing Rose's swing to miss.

The buckler smashed into Rose's forearm, flattening the body part. Pain shot through me as just a moment later, my arm went flat like a doormat. Horror panged in my chest looking at the malformed limb. While my upper arm and my hand were okay, my forearm was squished to a razor-thin edge, maybe a millimeter thick at most. However, there were a couple of bumps on the bottom of my forearm. I looked at it. It had in the shape of crisscrossed diamonds. Just like the symbol on the buckler.

Before I could say anything, my arm snapped at the elbow. I muffled a scream seeing the limb break away from the rest of the body. It just crumbled away! There's something horrifying about my body falling apart when I don't want it to. I stared up at the girl in horror. However, she did nothing, just brushing a lock of her hair to the side. "One arm down," she noted, walking towards me at a leisurely pace. **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** pulled her bucklers back and slapped her hands together. The sticky substance formed a ball within the Stand's hands. "If you keep still, I promise to stop at two arms. No one needs to die today."

"Nope!" Rose and I ducked under the ball of crimson goo, grabbing my arm before glancing around the area. There are a couple of things I have to keep in mind for my next plan. It's not safe to be here in the open with Arslan. If I let the substance get on me and her Stand hits it, I can say goodbye to that body part. At the same time, Nebula and Sun are going to expect us to still be here when they come back. And knowing my terrible sense of direction, everybody's going to get lost at this rate!

But how can I signal to the others that we were here? Maybe I can rip a branch off and scribble 'wait here' on the ground or something like that. No, but it might be kicked away during the chaos.

I rubbed the flat part of my severed arm. It's… kinda waxy like a crayon, now that I think about it. A thought hit me like a lightning bolt. Wait a minute… waxy arm. Wax is used often in candles, and the melted liquid Arslan's Stand through definitely looks opaque, similar to wax. If the goo she's throwing is wax, then—

Before I could finish my thought, **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** brought its bucklers back to the top of her knuckles and continued her rush towards me. Oh gods! I dove to the side, allowing her fist to fly over me and crash into the tree trunk behind me. Apparently, this tree happened to be the one that got hit by the pile of goop earlier. My eyes widened at the sight.

The bark of the tree just caved in without even a crackle. Instead of splintered wood flying all over the area, the buckler just sank into the waxy substance. **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** lifted her fist away, showing off her handiwork. The tree had a perfectly uniform circle forming within the red goo nearly all the way through the trunk. The rest of the tree was unaffected in any way, aside from a couple of falling leaves that were knocked off by the force of the impact. In the center of the stamped circle was Arslan's symbol. Well, that's a decent way to show the others that this is the spot. But how do I figure out how to get back here?

My eyes went towards my severed hand. The part affected by the wax looked way too thin and fragile to use, but the base of the stump was pretty jagged, like it can cut something. I hope it's sharp enough to cut through wood. With a sharp breath, I snapped off the rest of the thin bits, pocketed them, and ran the cut hand across one of the trunks. A light pale brown line cut through the trunk. Bingo! I gave Arslan a big smile, causing her to raise her eyebrows in confusion. A second later I charged through the trees, leaving her in the dust.

"Huh— Hey! Get back here!"

I swallowed as I made my escape. Alright Ruby. Keep moving, move in a zig-zag line. You're less likely going to get hit if you do that. I made a quick line on a tree and ducked left. Red wax splashed onto said tree trunk a second later. Whew. Glad that's not me covered in the goo. Okay, stare straight forward, don't run into trees, Ruby. I just have to keep running and keep marking while I figure out a plan. Another mark was carved into the tree as I rushed into what's probably the deep heart of the forest.

Okay, I think I finally figured out the secret of Arslan's Stand. She can basically flatten things out using wax and a Stand wax stamper. I remember doing wax stamp projects back at Signal when we were practicing letter writing, just in case the CCT ever went down and we needed to communicate with each other.

The idea is that you drip a couple of drops of wax onto a piece of paper, swirl it around to make sure none of the wax clumps together, then you press a wax stamp right on top for a couple seconds, and presto! Sealed envelope. It's kinda weird how Arslan's Stand flattens the object itself along with the wax, but that's how **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** works in a nutshell. Now if I can only figure out how to defeat her…

But do I want to defeat her? I let a hum escape my mouth as I ran deeper and deeper into the forest. Maybe I can just escape from her, show her that I'm willing to step away from the Arrow and just give it to her… Wait. Why didn't I just say that I'll give her the Arrow once we find it? I slapped my face with my decapitated hand. Oh, come on! I could've just said that! I didn't need to lose an arm in the first place! If she understands that everyone's more than okay with just giving her the Arrow once we find it and tell the Headmaster, then there would be no problem in the end! I mean we're just going to hide it, after all!

I glanced behind me. She's starting to be a little far off, but still within sight. Okay, I don't have to beat her up. But maybe she has a one-track mind like Yang. Like how whenever Yang finds something worth paying attention to, she would just go one-hundred percent, not letting up until she's done or she gives up. It's best to calm her down enough to make the offer, or if I can't calm her down, restrain her. But that leads back to the question: how do I stop her with **「** **RED LIKE ROSES?** **」**

What can I do with my ability… I definitely can try to restrain her. After all, didn't I do that with **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** with the arm trick? With enough preparation and luck, I can potentially snag her with that. But then again, she's chasing after me right now, and she can still see me. Arslan can probably figure out what I'm trying to do before I get the chance to finish it, so… not good for me.

Now that I think about it, I should see if I can reattach my hand back on. I know I can transform my body into rose petals and reattach body parts easily, but something about the pressed wax feels… different. Makes me think that there's something more to Arslan's ability than I think. Red petals escaped from my pocket and dissolved any traces of wax on my arm. I hope this works. Every single petal converged back to where my forearm should be, merging together bit by bit… My eyes widened in horror. My arm's still flat with wax! Maybe it's a little thicker, but it's still wax at the end of the day.

Why didn't it work? I snapped the hand off and continued making tick marks. Why didn't my arm transform back to normal? I know I can rebuild myself back to exactly how I was. So why didn't it work this time around? What could've changed about me that would cause this to happen?

Does it have to do with the ability of **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES?** **」** Arslan using the wax isn't like any other gunshot or wound that I can take from another person. Maybe it straight up changes how I fit together. I let out a hum. Say my Stand ability used some kind of baseline, some idea of how my body is supposed to go together in order to repair me. Like a blueprint. Arslan doesn't just change my body structure… it also changes the blueprint my Stand relied on. My eyes widened. Oh no… As long as Arslan has control over her Stand, my body can't fix itself properly!

My heart started pounding even faster. Which means that my Stand ability is useless against Arslan! I resisted the urge to bite my nails. Oh man, this isn't good at all. I'm straight up outclassed! Maybe I should've ran the other way, in the direction Sun and Nebula are. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about Arslan literally trying to beat me flat. Well, at least for the moment. Doing that would've bought me enough time to explain the situation to her and make some kind of deal.

But it's too late for that, I guess. I glanced up. How far did I run into the forest? Way too far, probably. I'm gonna have to switch back to my Semblance and run all the way back… wait. An idea just popped into my head. I've always kept my Semblance and my Stand ability separate. I've never tried using both of them together in some way, now that I think about it. It wouldn't be that useful anyway, since I didn't know how to make these two powers work offensively. I glanced at the wax parts of my flattened arm. However… I think there's a way I can make this work. This might buy me enough time to try and talk to her. I just hope she'll forgive me for what I'm about to do.

I stopped and twisted myself around, facing the approaching girl. Arslan kept a straight face in spite of all of the running. She doesn't look tired at all. "So, you've finally decided to stop and fight," the blonde gasped, her voice revealing her exhaustion. "Or did you decide to try and make another deal with me? Because if you did, I'm sorry, because I'm not interested in whatever you have to say." Another goop of melted wax was forming in the hands of Arslan's Stand. "I will not accept any other condition except for total surrender."

My heart fell. No… no! I need a chance to tell her that there's another option on the table! "Arslan, just give me a second to speak! I don't even want the Arrow! We're trying to take it away from the Cupid so that it won't form anymore Stand users—"

"We?" The girl in the sleeping gown raised her eyebrows. "There's more than one of you looking for the Arrow as well." I let out an eep. Did I really word it that way?

She squeezed her neck, glancing down as her other hand rubbed the base of her forehead. "Oh gods, that isn't good. It's a lot more serious than I thought. If it reached the point where a group of Stand users can band together to look for it, then this is a blown out crisis!" She glanced up at me. "All the more reason to deal with you first. All it takes to lose the Arrow is one person who isn't honest. One person, and the Arrow slips out of my family's grasp yet again. I can't let that happen."

"No, you're getting it all wrong! Arslan, it isn't like that at—" Before I could finish my sentence, **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** flung the wax right at me. My eyes widened. Not a moment later, Rose reappeared, slicing a branch full of leaves off from a nearby tree and swinging it to intercept the goo. The wax splattered all over the leaves, turning the light green plants dark red. Not a single drop made it past to hit me. Okay, I really need to get better talking to people. This is going to get me killed at this rate—

The branch shattered into pieces, revealing Arslan's Stand with one fist extended. Wait a minute… is she going to go after me even when her goo missed the mark? I have to act now! Rose disappeared a split-second later, dropping the branch in the process. A groan escaped from **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** as she tried to untangle herself out of the mess. At the same time, a shot of my Semblance sent me flying towards Arslan. " **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " With that my wax forearm flew right off of my hand, transforming into rose petals for a split second before reforming into tiny shards of wax, kinda like grapeshot or buckshot. Or maybe it's more like langrage, considering the shards aren't really that uniform.

Whatever it was, my Semblance carried them across the air at deadly speeds. All Arslan could do was cover her face before several shards ripped through her body. Arms, legs, torso, head. None escaped the shotgun blow that came from my arm. Each tiny piece drilled an ugly hole right through Arslan, reappearing out from the other side. Several streams of blood shot out from each hole; the girl staggered and coughed out blood.

I slid on the ground, stopping my forward momentum. "Arslan! Just listen to me for just a second!" Rose petals floated past the blonde and back towards me as I backed myself against a tree. They overlapped each other one by one until they reformed the waxy forearm. The moment I had it back, I raised both arms above my head. My severed hand flopped onto the ground with a gross squish. "I'm willing to give you the Arrow the moment we take it away from the Cupid! Everybody in my group will agree with me! Nobody in my group wants the Arrow for anything bad! We just want to stop all of the Stand users forming, just like you!"

The girl narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Stay right there and don't ever lower your hands for even a second." I nodded, raising them even higher up. Arslan strutted closer, keeping **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** close behind her with every step she made. What was probably a minute of walking felt like hours with how slow she was moving. Before I knew it, her face was right in front of mine. Olive green eyes bored into mine with the fire of a thousand suns. It took every fiber of self-restraint in my body to not flinch at the intensity in her eyes.

"You know what?" she said after a long, long time. Arslan pulled back, nodding her head to… something. What could this mean? Did she approve of something? "I think you're telling the truth. Your eyes show nothing but honesty. No matter what, I can't sense a hint of a lie. As much as I don't want to admit it, I can say that you're not trying to deceive me. It's a surprising trait to see in people these days, especially in a Stand user."

I sighed in relief, dropping my hands down for a moment. "Thanks Arslan—" Before I could continue my sentence, **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** flew in front of me, slamming her fist into my stomach. A spurt of blood escaped my mouth as I staggered back against the tree. Ugh… what the— did she actually punch me in the gut? Our eyes locked as a small stream of blood dripped out of my mouth. "Arslan…" I whispered right as one knee slammed into the ground. "Why?"

She sighed, regret emerging from her otherwise cold, impassive face. "Because promises are just words. They don't really mean a lot when it all comes down. Situations change, words can change meaning depending on context, intentions change as time goes on and more is learned about the world. You may be sincere right now, but people can be corrupted. People can be changed the moment they get a handle on power. I've heard stories of good men going mad with power. No, I've seen close friends of my family betray us for a chance to take the Arrow. And besides, actions speak louder than words."

Her Stand drifted in front of her, throwing several globs of melted wax over me. A scream escaped my throat. Oh gods, it's so hot! Agh, my skin! It feels like it's peeling! My eyes slammed shut. One of the balls of wax splashed on my face not a moment later. I could see nothing but black with a tint of red.

"You ran instead of holding your ground," Arslan continued. "When that failed, you attacked me instead of showing your resolve in fulfilling your word. Ruby, you talk about surrender and trying to talk things out, but what you did doesn't scream 'surrender' to me. I don't fault you for that. You wouldn't be a Stand user if you didn't have something to drive you. And no rational person would let themselves be hurt. But your actions have spoken for you, and I am not impressed at the least."

Something slammed their fist into my stomach again. This time, it brought me high up into the air before slamming me against the tree trunk behind me. I let out another cough of blood as I felt my stomach compress and flatten out under the buckler for **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES.** **」** Ugh… it's getting hard to breathe. I… have to see what's going on. My eyelids peeled away, revealing Arslan with her arms crossed. Her Stand floated behind her, fists raised up high. I looked down and nearly gagged. Oh my gods… I'm pinned to the tree! My stomach's sticking me to it! What can I still move? My legs wouldn't respond, instead just hanging limply under the wax seal of Arslan's family symbol. My arms still worked fine.

Oh gods, this isn't good. This isn't good at all. I have to get out of here right now! My hands— I mean hand and stump pressed against the tree as I tried to push myself off. Come… on! Why isn't it working? I thought wax seals were supposed to be fragile! Is it because there just happens to be way more wax than there normally would be? Or is it because of her Stand ability? Either way, the seal is refusing to let me out!

"Your ability is definitely something I have to worry about," the girl in the robe noted, placing a hand under her chin. "You're able to turn any part of your body into rose petals and separate body parts. Not the most dangerous ability, but a very persistent one. I have to pin a lot more of you than necessary. But considering your entire body is more or less covered in wax, this should not take long even if you escape. Here's some advice: if you don't want to die, don't move. The last thing I want to hit is your head or your heart. And don't worry. I'll release you from this once I get the Arrow back."

"You're not going to take it from the Cupid easily, you know." Arslan raised an eyebrow hearing my words. I continued, "Not with guns, not with mechashift weaponry, not with Stands. I've tried everything I can, and my group hasn't taken it down yet. You're going to need all of the help you can get to take the Arrow back. Please don't do this, Arslan."

"I think you already know what I would say about that." A sigh escaped my mouth. Yeah, I do. She's not going to change her mind. **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** flew towards me right as rose petals formed where my body met the stamped wax. My body flopped forwards, dropping right under the blow. Only the tip of the buckler nicked me. Thankfully it didn't cause my body to flatten out. I twisted my body in the air so that I faced upwards. It never gets easier, does it?

Rose materialized right in front of me, zooming towards Arslan and her Stand at breakneck speeds. Olive green eyes widened in surprise as she attempted to bring her Stand back, but Rose already buried her fist into **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES.** **」** A mist of blood escaped out of Arslan's mouth in turn, scattering all over the forest floor.

This is my chance! I bit off a bit of my pinky on the hand still attached to me, spat it out, and threw it as high into the canopy of the trees as hard as I possibly could. My vision disappeared a second later, my body now a giant cloud of rose petals. I could see nothing but a rough outline of the forest, Arslan keeling over in pain, and my still flying pinky. I know where I'm going.

I felt each individual piece of me zoom towards the flying finger, reattaching and reforming bit by bit until color returned to my eyes. My hand wrapped around a branch just a moment later and I pulled myself up. That should buy me enough time to think about what I need to do next.

I resisted bringing my nails to my mouth. This isn't good. Not one bit. Now I know for a fact that Arslan has no interest in wanting to be part of the group. Not only that, but she's also more than willing to fight against Jaune, Blake, Weiss, and I in looking for the Arrow. It just doesn't make any sense! I rubbed the base of my nose. How can she be so stubborn about this? We have to work together to stop the Cupid from causing any more harm! We even agree on this fact! … Granted, I think Arslan meant more that she didn't want her family to continue suffering, but I said how I was more than willing to make a deal with her! Why didn't she trust me?

A sigh escaped my mouth. But I should spend less time thinking about that. What's most important is that I have to un-wax the rest of my body. But how am I going to do that? My ability doesn't really help with that, and all I have offensive-wise is Rose. But from the looks of it, **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** might outmatch Rose in sheer power. So an offensive strategy is out. I want to try and be sneaky about it, knocking her out by using the entire environment to my advantage, but she must be really experienced with fighting Stand users. Or at least with what kinds of Stand users she could come up against. And she already understands my ability, so how long do I have until she thinks her way around it?

Argh! What can I do? Come on, there has to be something I can try! Like, maybe restraining her using my arm or something. But then her Stand will just attack me. Maybe I can use my legs! They're still hanging around! … Then again, she'll notice something is up the moment my legs start dissolving into rose petals. Man, there isn't really a good way to win— my arm! That's it!

I ripped my flattened arm out from its socket. Wait, I know what I did back when I was fighting Belfry Falls. My arm morphed along the muzzle, so it's possible to change my arm beyond what is humanly possible. What if I can— The forearm shrank in diameter as my biceps and triceps increased in mass. I then folded the forearm in, thickening it enough to be handled properly. Perfect! I have just what I need! I glanced down below. If I drop into her with a spin like how I normally use Crescent Rose, then I should be able to smash my arm into her face, knocking her out cold! And with that, the Stand's effects will go away!

But that also means I have to know where Arslan is right now. Maybe I should drop an eye down to see where she— The tree shook, causing me to gasp as I started toppling to the side. Well, I guess she's under me then. I swung myself forwards, throwing myself off of the branch I was on and went careening down through the mass of twigs and leaves.

A yell escaped my lips as I burst through the canopy, revealing both Arslan and her Stand standing maybe a meter away from where I'm falling. They both looked up at the sound of my screaming. Her mouth opened in shock of my falling body. It's time to end this! I brought myself to a spin, becoming a whirlwind of rose petals twirling towards the robed girl. A solid smack registered in my ears, followed by a grunt. I faceplanted on the ground just a second later, filling my mouth with the forest floor. Ugh… grass… taste bad. I spat out the dirt and grass. Did I do it? Is she unconscious?

My eyes glanced up before a groan of terror escaped my mouth. Arslan was still upright! Yeah, she might be dazed, but I failed to knock her out! She shot me a dirty look as her Stand drifted in front of her. Oh gods no! I threw my arm at her, only to see her knock it aside. The rest of my body started to roll when **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** soared in, slamming her fist into my left shoulder and flattening it. Tears ran down my face. I have to… get away. I ripped away my other arm and continued rolling.

"This… ends here." Arslan walked over to me and placed a foot on my stomach, stopping me from rolling away. "You've… wasted enough… what was I going to say? Right. You've wasted enough of my… my time." What in the world? I looked into her dilated and uneven pupils. That's the concussion! Something did happen after all! She's not paying enough attention to her surroundings! "You've held me… me up for far too long."

" _Ruby…_ " I glanced at where the voice was coming from. Rose held my severed hand. The fingers are merging together and flattening into an almost knife-like shape. I can do that? " _What do you want me to do?_ " I need her to knock out Arslan. Just one perfect sneak attack, while Arslan is still dazed by the concussion. My Stand nodded the moment I tugged at my soul, drifting towards the two of us in question.

"And now… Now it's time to finish you off." I blinked. Wait, what? She's going to kill me? No! Oh gods no! There's no way she would— **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** threw a punch straight at my head.

"Rose!" My Stand responded immediately, flinging my hand knife up in a lazy arc towards Arslan before dashing straight towards the girl. She tilted her head as she looked back. The robed girl let out a gasp, bringing her Stand around and throwing a million punches. Rose in turn unleashed a torrent of fists right back at Arslan's Stand. We both watched in awe as the two humanoid females fought at supersonic speeds. Wind blew through her hair from the impact of two fists banging against each other. Both Stands were nothing but blurs to my eyes.

Two things happened right after that. One: **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** managed to dodge into one of Rose's fist, slamming the buckler right into Rose's chest. A geyser of blood shot out from my mouth onto Arslan's sleepwear. Two: the knife hand came back down, piercing through the side of her neck with ease. This time a fountain of blood shot all over me as Arslan fell to the side. I could make out a soft thump close to where my feet would be if they were still attached.

 **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** faded away. My shoulder started inflating back to its normal size just a moment later. Oh my gods. Did I? I recalled the rest of my body to me. A cloud of rose petals dived towards every cut and stump I had, rebuilding everything. I raised my reattached hands. A relieved chuckle escaped from my mouth as it took on a grin. I did it! I'm going to be okay! Now all I have to do is wait for Arslan to heal before dragging her back to the meeting spot—

A crackling noise caught my attention, causing my smile to drop. Wait a minute… what the—? I turned towards Arslan's body right as her Aura broke. Platinum sparks of lightning flickered over her body before disappearing completely. And with that, the blood just kept coming. And coming. The area around me became a lot colder. Holy—

"No!" I yelled as I stumbled towards Arslan. I didn't think this would happen. I didn't want this to— No! She's not going to die! My knees slammed into the ground right next to her, staining my pajama pants red.

But I didn't care. What's more important right now is that— I pressed my hands against the holes in her neck and leaned her head to the side. Despite the pressure, the disgusting red liquid kept pouring out from under my hands. Oh gods, how deep did my hand sink into her neck? How long does she have until blood loss kills her? I need to get her bandages right now! But if I let go for a moment, she might lose too much blood! My gods, she's growing so pale…

I felt my stomach twist into a giant knot. "Oh gods, Arslan I'm so sorry," I whispered. There was nothing I could do to stop the tears flowing down my face. "It's all my fault. I should've just listened to you first before running into the forest. I shouldn't have let Rose form that knife out of my hand. But because I didn't listen— Because I wasn't thinking—" I sniffled.

Something… something else started building within my eyes. "You're going to die, and it's my fault. I'm a murderer. Please forgive me. Please don't die. Please don't—" I couldn't take it anymore, closing my eyes before letting out a quiet sob for the person in my hands. She doesn't deserve this.

Something changed within me, like a new door was opened. The energy within my head felt like it was going to burst! My eyes shot open. Streams of energy cackled within my vision. Panic shot through my chest. What the— What is this? How is this—? Wait! Ruby, calm down. Take a deep breath. You have to think clearly!

One long breath in, one long breath out. Almost immediately this new energy left my eyes and flowed down into the rest of my body. I shivered. It felt like electricity was coursing through my veins! It helped that actual silver lightning arcs were actually traveling down my body and into my limbs. I stared in amazement as the arcs flowed into Arslan's neck wound.

To my surprise, the blood bubbled and frothed for a moment, lightning dancing on its surface. Then it started flowing back into her neck.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 1/19/2018**

* * *

 **Gwen's Bizarre Adventure - Act 4**

How am I going to get over this? That is the question that rang in my mind over and over again as I stared at the sharp slope above me. What am I going to do in order to get up to the windows? My arms felt like jelly at this point, only hanging on due to my powers, and I still need to get up there. I winced. What am I going to do?

Well, I can try something desperate, that's for sure. **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** appeared behind me, snatching the last pulley before shooting up towards the office area and slamming it onto the part of the building below it. It stuck tight to the side. She soon went down, grabbed some of the cables around me and went up and slipped in on. I wrapped my end of the cable to my arm and stuck it on tight. I only got one chance to get this right. If I miss, I'm going to be a bloody mist on the ground. My Mystique took the weighted bag off of her.

She stuck it to the rope right as I released my grip on the wall. It felt odd, floating in the air for a moment while gravity wrapped its fingers around me. But before that law of nature could pull me down, I felt my body get yanked out of its grasp. I winced as I felt my shoulder pop, sending a wave of pain through my arm. Agh! I bit down on my lip. Not a single word can leave my mouth. I'm so close to my goal, there's no way I'm going to let myself be caught!

I stuck myself to the side of the cabin right I reached the top, stopping the rope. Before my arm could be ripped away from my body, **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** removed the bag. I let out a small sigh of relief. Whew, I can't believe that worked. I was expecting that to go all so wrong. But ow… I'm in no position to reset my dislocated shoulder. I just have to bear the pain until everything has been set up. Man… I struggled to hold the tears back. It hurts so much though!

But if there's one thing I can be glad about, it's that at least I'm now in range for my Mystique to set up everything. Now I just have to make sure that nobody's in the office. I pulled my head up to the window. Oh gods! I snapped myself back down. The Headmaster's still in there! Wait… why is he in there? Is he on a call or whatever? I can't take any risks. **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** peered into the window. Oh geez. Double vision. I closed my eyes to focus.

From the looks of it, he's staring at a photo. I can't really tell what or who is in it, though. He's also talking to himself, judging by how his mouth moves. There's something different about his face, how it looked more troubled than he usually does. I let minutes tick by. He's really focused on that image, huh. Wait… maybe I can try seeing what's in the photo by moving my Mystique closer. It shouldn't catch his attention.

 **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** weaved around to peer behind him. Hmm… that's interesting. On the picture was something strange. It was kinda like a family photo of such. Four people were in frame. There was a man in his mid-twenties with gray hair in a rather stylish outfit. To the left of that man was a blonde haired kid wearing a knight's outfit. He looks as old as a fourth year Huntsmen-in-Training. To the right of the gray-haired man was a brunette woman with her hair in a bun. Everyone was in a dumb flamboyant pose, something campy like in Mistralian anime.

Behind all of them was a ridiculously buff man. Like, wow. I thought that Cardin guy was a buff dude, but this man made him look like a scrawny baby. The spiky brown-haired man was ripped. His biceps looked like they could lift up a rock without any effort. And his chest— I wouldn't mind resting my face on that. This guy towered over the rest of the group. He's like a giant! But at the same time, there was a sheen in his silver eyes that showed a more gentle side. And despite looking the same age as the rest of the group, this person has a less flamboyant pose, making him come off as more mature and older than he looks.

I raised an eyebrow. Who are these guys? Are they part of the Headmaster's old Huntsmen team? It's weird that he would stare at a picture of them if that's the case. Wouldn't he just call them? Unless— Oh. Oh my gods. Something must've happened to them. No way! I shook my head. It wouldn't be like that! I hope. They're probably busy with life and all that. Yep! No way this has ominous implications. Nope.

Wait a minute. He's asleep. I blinked. I can't believe I didn't notice him plop his head down and fall asleep. At the same time, that means I can finally go on with my plan. I opened my eyes and let the cable on my arm fall off. " **「** **LADY MARMALADE,** **」** get the final pulley up and string the rope." While my Mystique did that, I thought about what I just saw. I just violated the privacy of Beacon's Headmaster, did I? … I did. Oh my gods, I feel so bad for doing that! I want to apologize for that, but then again, I would have to reveal that I broke in. A sigh escaped my mouth. In all seriousness, is this what it's like to be a Huntsmen? To keep moving forward despite all of the loss? Is this a career worth all the sacrifices?

 **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」** appeared in front of me a moment later, holding the cable. Is it done? I glanced up. She did just as I asked. "Thanks," I said as I took it with my unhurt arm. My body's already flopping over as I wrapped it loosely around my waist and arm. "I had enough of today. Let's get back home."

The rest of the journey was fairly anticlimactic. It should've felt a lot more cooler. After all, I was rappelling down the tower. But with the pain of a dislocated shoulder combined with what I learned about the Headmaster, I don't really feel the adrenaline anymore. It took a lot out of me, and now instead of feeling awesome, I just feel exhausted. I just want to get this done, fix up my shoulder, and go home.

Everything from there was a blur. I finished my descent down, rigging the pulley system in the process. From there I reset my shoulder, which was pretty painful. After that, it was just slowly cranking up the car until it hung right next to the Headmaster's office. I gave the best grin that I could. That should be a surprise to wake up to. I'll figure out something in the morning.

And with that task done, I turned around and walked back to the dorms where I can embrace sleep.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 ** _Stand Description:_**

 **「THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES」- User can use her Stand to form a wax ball that can be thrown. Once it hits anything, the affected object can be flattened/warped/stiffened from a hit from the giant wax seals on the Stand's knuckles. Used on a person, this ability can disrupt bodily function.**

* * *

 ** _Song References:_ Arslan Atlan's** **「THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES」was inspired by the band DragonForce's Through the Fire and Flames. It's a metal song originally released back in 2005. I personally like the name of the song itself. After all, "Through the fire and the flames" is a phrase associated with determination, which combined with a sense of familial duty is how I view Arslan. The lyrics support that in a sense, with lyrics that describe an army riding into hell (metaphorical or physical I can't tell) regardless of what might happen to them. That kind of mindset really fits with Arslan and the Atlan family in general, and that's really all to say about it.**

* * *

 **Actually, one last thing before getting into reviews. To celebrate the anniversary, I've changed up my title page somewhat! It's not much, but I think it fills in that white space that bugged me. Anyways, on to the reviews!**

 **Guest1: Well, yes. Ruby did fight Arslan. And I guess your question could be answered by the new chapter out.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! Cinder's burning ability: is it a Stand or a Semblance? This I'm keeping under wraps.**

 **TheSetupMage: I'm just imagining Tyrian buff and shirtless with flowy hair and an insane smile. I would genuinely be disturbed by that if that was the case. But to answer your question, I'm going to keep the Stand name for the big bad a secret. It doesn't reference Queen in any way, though. However, it does bring up the idea of big bad Stand names. The World, Killer Queen, King Crimson, White Snake/C-Moon/Made in Heaven, Dirty Things Done Dirt Cheap (D4C). All of them being the Stand name of each big bad from Parts 3-7. They all in a sense reference power, whether it's in scale or in royalty. The only one that I feel aren't as representative of power is Funny Valentine's D4C. As a hint, I feel like my big bad's Stand power is closest in convention to Funny Valentine's. Take that as you will.**

 **Guest2: Yeah, this chapter goes to some extremes- wait. Oh, you're talking about the first chapter. Hey, welcome to RWBY BA! There's a lot more intensity where that came from!**

 **doa570047: Well, let's address the elephant in the room: yes, there was a formatting mistake in the last chapter. Normally I would have line breaks to show POV change, but between FF . net not letting me publish my fic and the formatting being reset to the default, I managed to miss them during my haphazard cleanup for the initial release. That has since been fixed, but this is a mistake I will own.**

 **Regarding the team leader thing, it's true that Coco didn't get kidnapped. But then again, she is currently off campus on a mission. I find that not being there at a kidnapping helps improve odds of not being kidnapped. And yeah, having the team leaders interact and discuss with each other is a different dynamic than they're used to. I mean in the world of Remnant, no one really expects teams to stay together. Plus, there will be situations where non-leaders might need to fill leadership roles, while leaders might be the subordinate of another person. The idea of leaders and subordinates don't matter as much in the field, so the fact that they're in a situation like this is really helpful knowledge.**

 **As for Arslan, I have to agree. She's a noble/honorable type of person and having such firm beliefs does a great job in facilitating her character. And for Gwen, the power of levers and pulleys cannot be underestimated. Fun fact I'll elaborate later in a retrospective: Gwen's Bizarre Adventure is inspired by real events, where a group of college students did something similar. So this is actually real, and someone managed to pull it off. Not on the scale Gwen did it on, but fundamentally the same. Again, I'll discuss this event in the next retrospective.**

 **Ruby's Knight: If I learned anything from Hogwarts, it's that it's okay to recklessly put children in danger, because trial by fire is both interesting and informative. In all seriousness though, such a test would not even make it past the conceptual stage because of how messed up it would be. Seriously, who would kidnap a portion of the student body, set up random scrolls in the forest, and set up a destroyed camp just for a simulation? I mean granted, the military sorta does these kinds of things...**

 **Atlas does have an unusual system, although it makes sense in context to where they live. When you live in a barely habitable place, national unity has to hold if everyone wants to live. So it makes sense that teams are more arbitrary/fluid. They need to stay together as a collective, not as distinct groups. And Ciel was a joy to write. It's crazy how someone with a robotic delivery is also engaging to write. I get to finally channel the inner awkward!**

 **And yes, it's true that Cinder has no qualms about killing Grimm in canon. But I also have the feeling that she knows something that the others don't in this story, which makes her hold back. And Arslan was fun to write as well.**

 **Anyways, that's all for this chapter! I'll see you guys in the next one!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: January 19, 2017**_


	28. Rainbow in the Dark

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to RWBY BA!** **Not much else to say, so here's the next chapter! And thanks again to my beta reader!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

There's no easy way to describe anything that's happening right now. I watched in amazement as the blood covering Arslan's neck flowed right back into her stab wound. Oh my gods— how is this possible? I raised my still sparking hands. Not a single drop of blood remained on them or my clothes. It doesn't make sense! My Stand ability can't do anything like this! Or could it? I shook my head. If whatever I'm doing is keeping her alive… I'll take it, Stand ability or not!

I shrugged off my cape and started binding it around her neck like a tight scarf. This should keep the blood within her for awhile, at least until we manage to get back to the Bullheads and get Arslan some actual help. Alright, I got this. I tightened the piece of cloth with one final snap. That should be enough pressure to stop the blood flow. I hope it doesn't choke her. With that, I slung the girl over my shoulders. Whew boy! She's pretty hard to carry… But not too bad. I adjusted myself. Now, where are those markings from before… there! A series of small nicks and cuts on several trees formed a dotted line back to the clearing. At least I hope that's the case.

With a grunt, I started back towards the clearing with the girl over my shoulders. My leg muscles burned not even a couple of steps later. Sweat slid down my face. My legs wobbled with the weight of one girl's life literally on my shoulders. Oh man, this isn't good. I might collapse again. First when carrying Penny a few months ago, and now? It might be a good idea after all to put in some more effort during weight training. No! I took a long, sharp breath. We're not going to die now! Keep going, Ruby!

That static feeling sparked through my body yet again quickly, stretching down to my legs before fading away. All of a sudden, the burning sensation in my legs just… stopped. I blinked. What? I feel better. No, even stronger than before! It's like the exhaustion I felt from the fight disappeared completely! Just what is this thing, this power that's helping me right now?

I shook my head. Focus on what's most important, Ruby. I can think about what's going on when Arslan's safe. Just focus on finding a place that can give her medical attention for her wounds. Let's see… My eyes flickered up the hill. Next mark is right here. From the looks of it, Arslan and I have been running downhill for awhile. Thank gods I thought of making marks even while I was running. That makes it a bit easier for me to not get lost, I have to admit.

A wet cough escaped from the person behind me as she spat a bit of the iron-scented liquid over my shoulder. Arslan must be coming to her senses now. Should I lay her down for a moment? I don't think that her limbs are broken. However, she's in no condition to fight or escape. That I know for sure. Well… maybe I can give her a bit more time to recover. It wouldn't hurt.

But at the same time, her being aware means that she can summon her Stand. Maybe her body can't fight or run, but that doesn't matter with a Stand. Is it worth the risk? I wonder what's the right choice. I furrowed my eyebrows. Wait a minute. She's on my shoulder right now. Why don't I just ask her?

"Hey," I whispered as I gave her a gentle shake. Arslan groaned in response. I cleared my throat. "Um, are you okay back there? We can stop for a moment if you want."

She let out another wet cough before nodding. "Give me… a moment… to stop my bleeding… Ow, my head. It's really hard… really hard to focus."

"Will you promise not to attack me while you patch yourself up?"

The girl nodded. "Yes… I swear it… on the Altan family name." With that, I brought her to the nearest tree I could find and seated her against its trunk. Arslan grabbed the red fabric around her neck and started unwrapping it. At the same time, she rubbed her forehead. "Ow… I think I can focus again, but I could use an aspirin and some sleep." She pressed my prized possession into my hands. "Take your cape back. If I get this done right, I… I won't have to worry about reopening my wound."

Arslan cracked her hands before careening her neck to the side. " **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES,** **」"** she whispered. That familiar red and yellow Stand appeared in front of her. The same Stand I fought and risked my life against. The female Stand didn't spare me a glance, instead focusing on forming a gooey glob of red wax in the palm of her hand. I watched partly in awe, partly in wariness as Arslan's Stand spent a long time rubbing the wax over her master's stab wound. So far she hasn't tried to make a move. Maybe she is keeping her promise after all.

Not even a second after I thought that, the bucklers slammed into place along the fists of **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES,** **」** causing me to flinch. However, the Stand didn't turn around. It instead pressed gently against the waxed section of her user's neck. And like that, the wax flattened out. It didn't flatten her neck entirely. Maybe half a centimeter was lost at most. Maybe even less.

A sigh escaped Arslan's mouth as a hand slid down the wound mark. It's completely filled in. "Alright. This will keep the blood in me until my Aura kicks back in." She leaned back, calling off her Stand as she stared at me in the eyes. Maybe a minute passed where we didn't say anything. We just stared at each other. I shifted nervously. Should I say something to keep us going? That would be the best solution right now. We still have a lot of ground to cover, after all. But it's going to be really awkward trying to start a conversation with the person I nearly killed, so what's the best choice? What if I make her angry or something trying to say something—

"Why did you keep me alive?" That caught me off ground.

I gave her a couple of blinks. "... What? I'm not really following."

Another sigh as the blonde girl's gaze flickered to a random tree. "As I was patching myself up, I was thinking to myself, about— about everything that's happened. The moment I saw that… that hand knife approaching me, I thought I failed for sure. A minor mistake like that claimed a lot of my family members. One small error made so close to victory ended their life, just like that. As I laid there bleeding, I thought about how I failed my family duty of protecting the Arrow, how I failed my parents by going after it against their wishes. I've accomplished nothing fighting you, and I deserved death as a result. But I'm still here right now. Why did you try to save me?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Um… I guess I didn't want you to die."

"What? That's it?" Arslan sat up. "You just… decided to help me? Even after what I said about my view? Even after I tried to kill you myself? You just decide to show me mercy?"

"Yup." I plopped down on the floor right next to her. "Well… how do I explain this? You're a good person, doing a great thing. Hunting after the Arrow for the sake of your family… how can I hurt a person doing their best to protect the people they love? You're trying to do the same thing that my group is doing. Maybe it's for slightly different reasons, but our goals are the same. And if someone like that is hurt, especially by my own hand, I have to do everything to protect them as well." I shrugged my shoulders. "It's the right thing to do as somebody who has the power of the Stands, as a Remnan."

I started clipping my cape around me again. "My Mom always believed that. Good people have to do everything they can to right the world. I won't stand for any kind of injustice whatsoever. I won't always be right. I'll make a lot of mistakes. Maybe I will fail, and slip up, and end up sharing my Mom's fate. Maybe evil people will take the Arrow when my group finds it, rendering our search useless. But believe me when I say I'll throw my own life away if it means making this world safe from Stands and the Arrow."

Arslan pulled herself up. "I know I said before that words mean nothing to me. Anybody can say whatever they want, but they rarely ever put any weight or intent into their words. They never back it up. And I said before your eyes don't tell a lie. Your choice to save me proved it. And for that, I will be thankful."

She rolled her neck a couple of times before walking up to me. "You really do believe in what you're saying. I have no doubt that you'll make sure that the Arrow will be taken back once and for all. While I can't say the same for your teammates, I can at least be happy knowing you won't let anyone get away. So, I would like to make a deal. A deal between us and only us." The robed girl offered out a hand. "We work together in taking back the Arrow, as comrades and allies. What do you say?"

I smiled, taking her hand almost immediately and giving it a firm shake. "Deal." For the first time since I met her, Arslan gave me a small smile. "So…" I started after we released our hands. "We should find our way back. It would be suspicious if Nebula and Sun came back to find us gone."

"But what about that Cupid monster? Shouldn't we go after it right now while we still know its location?"

"I think it'll be fine. Jaune did say he managed to get a solid hit in, so it can't possibly go that far. Plus, it'll be less suspicious if we had the rest of our team with us instead of just us two. We'll avoid angering anybody else."

"Good point." Arslan turned her head towards the markings and started going downhill. "Let's go."

"Um, Arslan?" I scratched my head. "The meeting spot is uphill."

"It is?" She turned around immediately. "Then uphill we go."

* * *

Most of our walk upwards was uneventful. We mainly walked in silence, following the marks back to where Nebula separated from us. Before we knew it, we were back where we started. Not much of the clearing changed from our fight. Most of the damage caused by Arslan's Stand had disappeared from sight. It was like there was no fight in the first place. A collective sigh escaped from both of our mouths as we collapsed in the middle of the clearing.

"So… When do you think Sun and Nebula will get back here?" I groaned. "I don't think Sun was that far away from us."

"Who knows? We must've chased each other for some time. There's no way they wouldn't have come back by now."

"That's because we just came back." Both of our heads shot up as Sun and Nebula burst through the thicket. The monkey Faunus gave us a cheeky smile as we waved at the both of us. "Sup, everyone? Sorry for making you girls wait. We ran into a pack of Grimm while we were traveling back and had to travel by tree. That wouldn't be much of a problem for me, but as for Nebula—"

"Hey! It's not my fault I don't have your agility!" The girl gave Sun a pout. "I mean all I have to work with is my hands, while you got that tail and— Oop!" She clamped her both shut with both hands. "Was that racist? I mean, I really didn't mean to offend or say anything bad about your… your Faunus trait but I'm sorry if I did and—"

"Whoa! Relax!" Sun waved his hands to stop her. "It's not racist to mention that I have a tail! It's just a fact!" A mischievous grin crawled up his face. "Although it is kinda offensive to try and backtrack on your words by implying that there's something wrong with calling my tail a tail. You know—" Nebula turned deathly pale hearing that. "Geez! I'm joking! Don't be so uptight about my tail!"

Nebula jabbed him in the arm. "Jerk!"

The monkey Faunus winced. "Ooh, that was a nice jab," Sun snarked as he rubbed the aching arm. "Didn't hurt at all. Nope." He gave his arm a couple more rubs. "But let's be serious now. From what I got from Nebula, we have to change our meeting spot?"

I nodded. "One person got wounded, so we're instead converging towards one of the groups." I pulled out the scroll our group found. "Thankfully, we can just navigate our way to them using the CCT, so all we need to do is pull up the map and— Oh gods no."

Sun's eyebrows flew up. "Huh? What's wrong, Ruby?"

My mouth dried up as I saw the flickering map screen. Our location refused to place itself in one set location. "Um… How can I best describe this? The map app is acting… a little wonky."

"What?" Nebula contorted her face in confusion. "The map's looking wonky? But it worked the last time we tried it!" She started towards me. "There's no way there could be a malfunction right now— Oh gods."

"Okay, seriously guys. I know I like to poke fun at things, but this vague guessing game is starting to worry me. Give it to me straight." Sun ran his hand through his hair. "What's wrong with the map app on the scroll?"

"Just our luck," Nebula moaned. "The kidnappers must be jamming our signal. Gwen, that crazy girl, once bought a jammer for a prank. It worked exactly like this." We all let out a collective groan. Really? A jammer? How in the world are we gonna get out of this forest now? I mean, there is the paper map we have— no, that's useless, since we specifically only marked our location and the previous meeting spot. Uh…

Arslan let out a hum. "That doesn't make sense though. These kidnappers kept these scrolls here in an emergency, right? Why would they have a jammer specifically made to mess with their emergency scrolls?"

"Who knows? Everything that's happened tonight has been a total mess. Why wouldn't they have a jammer for some stupid reason?" Nebula rubbed her eyes. "But this situation is absolutely insane. How can anyone find their way back together with all of these random things going on? It's basically impossible at this rate!"

I puckered my lips. "Maybe not… Well, think about it this way. Just like how the kidnappers have more than one scroll hidden in the forest, why would we only have one way to signal to each other?"

Sun nodded, eyes widened as he followed my train of thought. "Yeah, right! No Huntsman would ever have just one method of signaling for help or rescue! Usually, they call for help on the CCT and that would be that. But if they can't, they can use an object that can reflect light as a makeshift signal. If they don't have that—"

I nodded, looking towards the sky. Everyone else looked up with me and gasped. A trail of smoke flowed up through the moonlit night. I finished his words: "Then you light a fire."

* * *

I gritted my teeth as another blast of ice Dust escaped from Myrtenaster. Cold air washed over me as the wave of ice traveled through the burning camp, smacking one of the bounding Creep in the chest. The monster didn't even get to make a single sound before it was completely encased in ice. It won't be long until the low temperatures kill off the monster.

But there wasn't a moment to relax. Several other Creep swerved around or straight up leaped over the ice pillars, baring their teeth as they made a beeline towards me. The deafening roar of a shotgun round rang loud in my ears, which was followed by one of the incoming Grimm flying off to the side. Yang pounced in a second later, engaging with her chosen target. Blake came in just a second later, jumping up and slamming both of her blades into a Creep's back. With a twist of the blade, her Creep swerved right into the rest of the charging pack, knocking them all out.

"Bum— bum— bum. And another one bites the dust," Yang hummed as one final punch decapitated a Creep. She turned around and looked at the pileup of Grimm between us two. "Thanks Blake! I'll take care of these guys!"

"Yang, you're better off making sure there aren't any more Grimm still in the forest!" I flicked the Dust cylinder on my weapon. "I'll take care of this pack!" A flick of the wrist sent a wave of heat soaring through the air, quickly followed by the roaring sound of fire. Unnerving screams pierced through the air as the flames latched upon the fur of the Grimm and ate at them. The smell of smoke and burning oil reached my nose, causing my eyes to water. No, not now Weiss. You can worry about that smell when all of the Grimm are gone.

A groan came out from the blonde brawler. "Aw, come on! There's another pack coming our way! Why do they keep coming?" My frown deepened hearing Yang declare that. Another pack of Creep? There's no way! Did this camp have the misfortune of being built near a Creep nest, or, heavens forbid, on an actual Creep's nest? Did the signal jammer happen to send out a signal that attracts Creep? How is this possible?

I checked the amount of Dust left remaining in each cylinder. All but one ice Dust vial remained filled; my supply of lightning Dust is non-existent. I just burned through the rest of my fire Dust. One vial remaining out of six. I wanted to slap myself. There's no way we could have the terrible luck to just run into a colony of these things! Especially considering Creep prefer to stay away from Remnans. A colony so close to Beacon? How did everyone miss that?

We need a new plan. One that can take care of the Creep while freeing the signal for our scrolls. "Yang! Blake! Stop focusing on killing them! I need you guys to draw their attention for as long as possible!" I jabbed my rapier towards the camp. "We need to destroy the jammer first! I'm running out of Dust; I'll go after the machine!"

If they heard me, they didn't show it. However, they broke off and went their separate ways. Buckshot peppered the Creep on one side while pistol rounds dotted the Creep on the other. Sure enough, the group started diverging, each half moving to surround and kill the annoyances. Now that I don't have to worry about being attacked, I turned and started pushing into the camp.

The scenery got more grisly every step I took into the encampment. What was blood streaks close to the outskirts took on the rough shape of humanoid beings in dreadful positions. Whether it was a fetal position the silhouette of a person crawling away, every blood spot got my stomach to churn. It was impossible to tell who died where, however, the agonizing positions each figure took on painted a fairly clear picture of the agony they must've been through before their untimely deaths.

My eyes lingered a lot longer than they should on a bloody figure with a hand stretched towards the machete sitting right out of their reach. Like the other bloody marks, there wasn't anybody to accompany the stain. Thank the gods for that. A sigh escaped my mouth as I stared at the marking. Poor soul. They don't deserve a fate like that.

I shook my head in frustration. Now's not the time, Weiss. These are the remains of kidnappers and most likely slave drivers. You're here to find the jammer, not feel sorry for the kidnappers who took Ruby! Now, where would a group of kidnappers keep a signal jammer? Let's see… I know I would put it inside, away from the elements. I wouldn't want anybody to find it. So that brings it down to about eight or so tents.

Maybe I should try the radio tent? I looked at the only tent with an antenna sticking out from the top. It would make sense to keep all of the important electronics with each other. But maybe a jammer would be kept within the leader's tent. My eyes flickered to the massive tent with a flag on top. I couldn't make out which group it could belong to, mainly because it was a solid color. A jammer would be important enough that a bandit leader would need to activate it at a moment's notice. It's probably one of those two. The question now becomes which one should I choose?

Wait a minute, Weiss. This has a solution that's simpler than it looks. The communication tent is small. That's where I'll check first. If it's not there, I can move towards the leader's tent with no time wasted. It shouldn't be that pressing of a problem that Yang and Blake's lives would be in danger. I checked their Aura levels just to be sure. Both were still in the green. I have the time.

The communication tent was fairly quiet as I flipped open the flap. The only sound I can make out in the room was the quiet whirring sounds of an old radio trying to pick up a signal. From the looks of it, the equipment on the table were from the Faunus War. Not as analog as the stuff from the Great War, but it's clear that this stuff was designed without the CCT in mind. Not so great with instantaneous information; wonderful for those who don't want to be tracked by any of the Kingdoms. It's no wonder this stuff became so popular with outlaws.

There was a single table filled with more of this kind of tech inside the tent. A sigh escaped my mouth. I could make out the general shape of the radio and the transmitter, but everything else looked completely foreign to me. Maybe one of these things are the jammer? I raised my sword. There's only one way to be sure.

One by one I jabbed each of the electronic boxes, causing them to spark and fray until the lights on the panel faded from all of them. Every time I broke a box, I glanced at the map function to see if anything changed. Each time I had no luck. Before long, I stared at a table filled with broken machinery. Ones that would probably be worth a ton of lien on the black market. But gods… not one of these boxes was the jammer. Which means that the jammer has to be in the other tent. I glanced at my teammates' current Aura level. They should still be at a decent level— My eyes widened. I have to hurry!

I burst through the tent doors, immediately making a beeline towards the command center. This isn't good. Not good at all. I don't know how much time the rest of my team has. Blake is deep in the yellow, and Yang's levels just dipped under green. They must've gotten surrounded or something while I was breaking all of the radio equipment. There's no time to waste! I got a lot of ground to cover and I need every second I could get!

The flaps fluttered as I dove through it. My breath hitched not a moment later. There was an enormous Creep with its mouth open pacing around an enclosed cage near the entrance. There was some more Faunus War-era electronic equipment sitting around the entire tent. On the table, there was some kind of flat disk with a rapidly flashing LED on top. Could that be…? I took out my scroll and opened up the map. Sure enough, the flashing LED more or less coincided with the flickers of the map. I found it! All I have to do is stab the jammer and—

Wait a minute, how did that Creep get in here? Were these guys poachers as well as kidnappers? Well, that is just dandy. They poach Grimm as well? What are they, morons? Don't they know that Grimm will rather kill themselves than be taken captive? This must've been a recent catch. Why would these fools think that capturing a creature of Grimm would somehow end well for them? I shrugged. Not my problem. A quick lunge pierced through the jammer, silencing its interference once and for all.

A chirp from my device sounded out immediately. A quick look showed that everything was all stable again. It worked! I couldn't help but smirk as I dusted my hands. Alright, that's all taken care of. Now all I have to do is get back to my teammates and fight back until we can call for pickup—

A call appeared on my screen from… Yang and Blake? I answered the call. "Perfect timing, you two. I just finished taking down the jammer. Did you guys manage to fight off the Creep? Because I can call our pilot for pickup right about now—"

"Weiss!" Yang's face appeared on my screen with a worried look. "Look, you don't have much time left. You have to get out of there right now. All of a sudden all of the Creep veered away from me and Blake. They're heading into the camp!" I paled. What?

"Same for me," Blake confirmed. "I don't know about you, but I think the Creep aren't here just because they're lured to the negativity. We're chasing the pack of Creep right now, trying to pick off as much as we can, but they're running like their lives are at stake. What could cause them to act like this?"

I swallowed as I thought about what the two of them had said. The entire Creep pack decided to ignore the rest of my team in favor of charging the camp. That doesn't make any sense, though. Grimm are usually attracted to the biggest concentrated mass of people. That's how they get the most negativity for the amount of effort they put in. For the pack to ignore my teammates in favor of charging me means that there's something even more important than getting negativity. It's like how bees would charge in and give up their lives for the sake of their queen.

Everything clicked. My mouth dropped as I turned towards the big Creep on the side. There's no way! Grimm aren't known to reproduce! But the Grimm do act as a hive mind at times… If this Grimm happened to be sentient, it would generally have control over the lesser Creep. And the open mouth… Is it making a high-pitched call to its pack? I thought it was just being weird or something in captivity, but it had one goal all along!

The sound of thunderous stampeding reached my ears. What? They're already here? I flipped the flap of the tent and peered outside. The biggest swarm of Creep stampeded my way, eyes showing nothing but sheer hatred and malice. My eyes widened. Oh gods!

My finger already flicked the trigger of Myrtenaster, forming a wall of ice to reinforce the tent walls and cover the flimsy tent door. Several thuds banged against the frozen barrier just a second later. Feral screeches sounded from the other side, sending chills down my spine.

I'm in a room right now with the queen Creep, and her entire colony is throwing their weight in order to save her! The jammer wasn't to mess with any search and rescue attempt, it was to block the distress signal that the queen was giving off! It wasn't completely effective, considering how many Creep were in the area with the jammer on, but I've just destroyed the only thing that kept me safe for this long! And just when I ran out of Dust as well. This is not good. At all.

Already cracks crackled through the crystalline structure. It wouldn't be long until the ice gives way. How long can this wall hold? Two minutes at most? Okay, I've got two minutes to somehow lay a trap for the rest of the horde and escape unscathed. I wish I could say that this was going to be a simple task. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared, unsheathing its saber before starting to wail against the queen Creep's cage.

Streaks of red and white crystal Dust formed around and on the metal bars of the cage, bit by bit forming a thin layer over the Grimm in question. I glanced back at my ice wall. The entire thing was full of cracks now. It's going to give any moment now. My Stand formed one last patch of red and white Dust right in the center of the room. Done! I slashed a hole through one end of the tent and dove right through. Behind me, **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** created a thin line of red Dust starting from the cage all the way out to the trees. Oh, thank gods that the Creep didn't think about surrounding the tent. That's a lucky break, at least.

I heard the ice shatter behind me. Now! I jabbed the end of the Dust line, setting it ablaze. Heat washed over my face as the Dust went up in smoke. The fire used the trail to crawl towards the command tent at a surprising amount of speed. I kept running, making a beeline for a nearby tree before I threw myself on the ground and covered my ears.

A couple seconds later, I felt myself fly backward. It felt like the air in my lungs caught on fire. Oh gods, it feels like my lungs were being scorched! I could make out a fireball consuming the tent whole. Some of the Creep managed to run through the flames. Despite surviving the explosion, they paid no attention to me; instead, they writhed around, trying in vain to extinguish the tongues of heat licking their skin. I'm sure that none of these monsters will bother me anytime soon.

But ow… Why can't I hear anything but ringing? I winced in pain as I reached for my ear. Blood came away from it. What in the world? Didn't my Aura protect my eardrums the last time I tried this? From the corner of my eye, I saw **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** drift towards me. Why is— Oh wait… A sigh escaped my mouth. I forgot to call back my Stand. Of course. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** disappeared from my sight. Already the ringing started to dissipate. I mean, that's a lot better than before but ow, my gods. Why do I always get into these kinds of explosions? Maybe I should figure out a way to use **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** that doesn't involve having to set something ablaze.

From the corner of my eye, I could make out two figures running towards me. The tip of Myrtenaster stabbed the ground, and I managed to pull myself up to my feet. Moments later the rest of my teammates caught up with me. Worry washed over both of their faces, although Blake's was a little more subdued. Yang's mouth moved as if she was trying to say something to me, but I couldn't hear anything. Stupid ringing.

"What?" I asked the blonde girl. She tried saying something again. I still couldn't make anything out. A groan escaped my mouth. "Sorry, give me—" I took a sharp breath before coughing. "Give me a moment. My everything— I need some time to recover." The high-pitched ringing faded away, allowing my ears to hear the crackling sounds of something oily being burnt. "Okay, I'm good now. What?"

"Weiss, what in the world happened?" Yang wiped the side of my head. "Blake and I were chasing the Creep pack when we saw them enter the tent. Why would they do something like that?"

"Queen Creep." Watery eyes stared in the direction of the burning tent. "The idiots who set up camp somehow managed to catch a Queen Creep, and they decided that storing it within the tent was a great idea." I saw frowns forming on both of my teammate's faces. "It sent out a distress call to the rest of the pack. The rest of the camp must've been decimated when the Grimm started streaming in to save their Queen. Someone must've turned on the signal jammer while all of the chaos was happening. And that happened to drown out the distress signal or something, because the Creep decided to leave right after."

"And we sent Weiss to destroy the jammer," the blonde groaned. "I can't believe this. Everything's just going wrong tonight! We could've gotten you killed!"

"Yang, calm down. I'm still alive. It was a surprise for sure, but I managed to get out of there with my body intact." I saw the stern look she gave me. "What? I'm not lying. But whew… at least I got lucky this one time. The kidnappers kept explosives on the cage of the Creep. Maybe it was for insurance, should the Queen ever got out or something. But I probably wouldn't have survived the Creep pack if it wasn't for that."

Everybody stayed quiet for a while. I coughed into my hand before pulling out my scroll. "On the bright side, the signal's now free. We can look for the others without any kind of interference whatsoever." I popped open the map application.

Now, where could the rest of our team leaders be? Several flashing dots appeared on the screen, all spread out within the Emerald Forest. I raised my eyebrows in shock. What the— There were roughly thirty or so dots on the screen! Granted, most of them are clustered into rough groups of four, but now we have another issue. Who has what scroll? And why are all of the caller IDs code names? It's a search and rescue, not a black ops mission!

Blake's bow twitched. "Uh… Weiss? What's going on?"

"What have we done to deserve this?" I moaned, showing the screen to both of my teammates. Blake and Yang groaned with me. "This is ridiculous! We're just getting thrown into setback after setback without getting anywhere!" I shook my head. "You know what? We're not going to get anywhere if we're going to keep moping like this. Blake, can you call our pilot to come pick us up?" The faunus girl nodded, pulling out her scroll and starting to make the call.

I looked back at the screen. Alright, calm down, Weiss. There's gotta be something we can work with. Something that could possibly hint at where we can find everybody. Should I call the rest of the teams and tell them to turn off their scrolls for a moment? No, that's going to take too long. I mean, it will work, but there has to be a way that doesn't take nearly as much time. Somebody's injured, after all. I squinted at the screen. There has to be something, anything on this map that can give us a hint of where the leaders are.

Wait a minute… what about these three dots? These three are the only ones that happened to be alone. They don't look like they've splintered from another group or anything, they just happened to be separate. That's a big difference compared to the groups of four. Could that be them? Professor Goodwitch did mention how the leaders were sharing three or so scrolls amongst each other. And huh… two of the dots were making a beeline for the last dot, which is more or less stationary.

Everything clicked at that moment. "I've found them!"

"What?" Yang made her way towards me. "You did? How?"

I pointed at the solo dots. "These dots are moving towards this particular dot. They happen to be moving towards the only stationary dot on the map. Remember how Professor Goodwitch said how one of the students was injured?" The blonde nodded her head. "I think that's them. The rest of the team leaders must've gotten some kind of signal and are trying to reconvene together. Something that doesn't have to rely on technology in any way."

A blast of air interrupted me. A Bullhead soared right above us, sending a blast of wind that whipped against my hair. Our pilot— Cammy was her name, I think? She gave us a quick wave before opening the side doors and letting down some rope. I turned to the rest of my teammates, giving them a quick nod. Within moments we pulled ourselves up and strapped ourselves back into our seats. Our transport started to rise up into the sky again.

"As I was saying," I continued. "They need a way to signal each other without the need for technology, and continuously. We might've gotten the wrong smoke signal, but considering they were already moving, that means there's an actual trail we can follow now." A couple of Bullheads flew past us. "And from the looks of it, the others figured it out as well." I turned my head in the direction the other Bullheads were flying. A thick white smoke trail burned, contrasting greatly with the dark blue night sky. I tapped the side of the Bullhead. "Cammy, we need to fly over to the smokestack in the distance." The Bullhead lurched forwards. The smoke… that's where we'll find everyone else. I'm sure of it.

* * *

I wiped the sweat off of my brow as I backed away from the giant bonfire in front of me. "Whew… I think that should be enough to keep this fire burning. Hopefully making white smoke will help everyone find us." I turned towards the rest of my group. Cinder and Ciel rested a couple meters away from the flames on a fallen tree trunk. The girl in the beret hasn't woken up yet. Cinder, on the other hand, was holding a random leaf. The green leaflet glowed red alongside one of Cinder's tattoos before turning ash gray. "But thanks, Cinder," I continued. "That fire Dust tattoo you have really saved us there! I wouldn't know what to do if you didn't have that!"

"It's fine." The girl let out a long sigh as she rubbed the ashes off of her fingers. "We do have to get Ciel out of here as soon as possible. She's going to be vulnerable for a while, and I don't think Atlas would appreciate it if one of their students died under Vale's care. It could potentially increase tensions between the Kingdoms, after all." A small smile crawled up her face. "It would be terrible if something like that happened."

"Right. That would be pretty bad." I sighed as I plopped myself down next to them. "Somebody has to notice this. We're going to get out of here, get Ciel medical attention for her shock, and hopefully put this all behind us." I let out a sigh. This whole situation was a mess. At this point, I just want to go back home. I want to leave this forest behind. Everything's all wrong.

We all jumped when the foliage nearby rustled. What was that? I ripped up a bunch of grass. "Cinder, get ready. I think the Grimm might be back." I raised my fist towards the sound. Cinder brought her hands up, her index raised and ready to fire a firebolt if needed.

"Whoa!" Flynt gasped the moment he broke through, raising his hands up. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! It's just us!" Moments later Cardin and Branz broke through as well, both looking disheveled but otherwise okay. The leader of Team FNKI let out a sigh of relief as he wiped his brow. "Thank gods. The Grimm were getting antsy back there. Good thing these two really know how to handle themselves in a fight." Flynt let out a soft chuckle. "But as for Ciel…" The boy's smile dropped. "She okay?"

I nodded. "We did as much as we can to make her comfortable. She has time, I'm sure. Hopefully, we'll catch the attention of the Bullheads sooner or later." I looked at the group. "Well, that makes six of us. I wonder where's Ruby's group. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't remember if I asked anyone to get Sun." I rubbed the back of my head. "... Should one of us go and get him?"

"No worries, my blond friend!" I jumped. Who said that? My answer was answered as the monkey faunus in question popped out from the treeline, causing everyone to jerk their heads towards him in surprise. "Sun is right here!"

"What the— How did you get here, Sun?" I yelled. "Did Ruby's group get to you and tell you to meet here?"

He nodded. "Speaking of which—" The monkey faunus turned his head to look behind him. "Here they come right about… now."

Ruby burst through the foliage, followed closely behind by Nebula and Arslan. "Freedom!" she gasped as she tumbled to the ground in front of us. "We made it! Thank gods!" We all stared as Ruby picked herself up and brushed the dust off of her cape. The girl in the cape gave us a quick wave. "Hey everybody! It looks like everybody's here now! So, does anybody know when the Bullheads will come?"

"Yeah. I mean, I can't pick out the rumble of the engines right now, so I think they're some distance away from us." Sun jumped down and landed next to Arslan. "But do we have an estimate of how far off they might be right— Oh wait." The boy cupped his ears and craned his head towards the sky. "I can hear them!"

"Really?" All I could make out were the sounds of crickets chirping and the crackle of the fire. "I don't really hear anything."

Sun's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What? How could you— Oh right. Sorry. It's the Faunus ears." He craned his head towards the air again. "I've never been the best at this, but it sounds like multiple Bullheads are roughly… a minute away?"

Strangely enough, Cardin nodded his head. "No, closer than that. I can hear the engines now." Several low rumbles caught my attention as well. Are they closer than we thought?

Suddenly, several Bullheads flew past us. "There they are!" A smile grew on my face as I waved my hands at them. "Over here!" They came! They actually came!

"Ruby!" I turned my head. Yang hung from one of the side railings of a Bullhead, waving at the girl. "You're okay!" Weiss and Blake sat deeper inside the airship, but both let out cheers at the sight of their team leader.

"Jaune!" Right next to team RWBY's Bullhead was team JNPR's. All three of my teammates leaned out of their seats, letting out laughs of relief at the sight of me. Pyrrha waved at me. "Hello there! Do you have any spots left on your team? We're missing a great team leader." I let a giant grin loose in return. Oh my gods, it's great to see my partner's face again. We can get out of here now! All of us can! We're saved!

For every Bullhead that opened up, each team let out some kind of cheer at the sight of their team leader. And for each Huntsmen team that revealed themselves, their respective team leader let out a sigh of relief. It didn't matter, from the cheery Sun to the serious Branz we all felt genuinely relieved to be rescued.

One of the Bullhead doors opened, revealing a red-haired girl in a neon green dress. "Salutations!" she waved. "I heard that you guys were in need of assistance?"

"Oh my gods, Penny!" Ruby stepped forwards. "Hi! It's been so long!"

"Friend Ruby! It's a surprise to see you here!" Penny grabbed some kind of handle on the Bullhead. "Do you happen to see my team leader Ciel by any chance? I'm supposed to be picking her up."

I stepped forwards. "She's over by the log! We'll bring her to you right now!" I turned towards the others. "Come on! Somebody help me grab Ciel!" And with that, we started preparing ourselves to leave this forest proper.

* * *

It was a surprisingly quiet trip back for me. Besides the regular hugs that I received from the rest of team RWBY when I first got on, none of them really said anything. It's so different from how it was weeks ago, when everybody was worried about me. Yang looked like she wanted to say something more than everyone else, but for some reason she didn't dare say a word. I don't know, I think that's fine. That'll give me time to just think about everything that happened. About the kidnappers.

No matter how much time I put into this, I can't figure out why a bunch of kidnappers would take all of the first-year leaders. I don't see any of the upperclassmen taken away. It all seems so needless. Wouldn't it make sense to kidnap everyone in one room? Why go through all of the effort to sneak into each team's room and take just the team leader? Wouldn't they risk getting caught doing that?

And everything seems so weirdly complex. They have a signal jammer to disrupt scroll signals, yet they still have emergency scrolls lying around. The kidnappers decided to take only first-year team leaders, but they abandon us in a truck and basically disappear from sight. Why leave us in the Emerald Forest, which is within flight distance of Beacon? Nothing's really adding up. There's gotta be something that I'm missing, some kind of detail that could give us a clue to what's going on. But what could it be? I can't figure it out!

"Hey kiddos," our pilot stated over the PA. "We're about to reach Beacon. It's going to be a bit of a rough ride as I try to not create a fiery explosion giving a fellow Bullhead a peck on the cheek. If I were you, I would strap myself in." Cammy let out a snicker. "I'm sure Beacon would prefer to not pay for additional transport ships this year if one of us birdies mess this up, and I would prefer not dying."

"Alright, Cammy." I tugged at my restraints to make sure I'm still locked in. "Bring us down then."

And so my team and I waited for Cammy to ground the Bullhead proper. There were some close calls. I remember Blake hissing when one Bullhead barely missed us by an inch. I never thought landing so many Bullheads at once would feel so claustrophobic.

A couple of tense minutes later, and we were finally on the ground with the rest of the teams. We all milled close to our Bullheads, whispering amongst each other. I learned about the fate of the kidnappers. But still, everything seemed so… coincidental. There's no way that everything could be in place when we needed it.

"Evening students!" Everybody turned their heads to see Professor Port and Professor Goodwitch approaching us. The mustached man brushed a lock of his hair back. "I see that everyone is back here alive, more or less. I'm sure that this was quite the experience."

"What?!" Somebody called from the crowd. "One of our teammates is hurt! How could you call this an experience?"

"Good question," Port said, letting out a soft hum. "While such an injury was unexpected, I can guarantee that none of the students here were in any real danger."

Everything clicked into place almost immediately for me. "Wait… you mean—"

The portly man nodded. "Let me say with great pleasure that despite all of the obstacles placed in your way and the unfortunate circumstance of one of your fellow students, every single one of you did admirably during this year's simulation." Hearing that caused the whole crowd to break into chatter amongst each other. "Let me explain. The focus of this simulation was independence. I'll break down Beacon's thought process in communicating this theme."

"For the teams in general, we wanted to have a scenario that tested what each team would do without their team leader. When you go out on expeditions for Hunts, there will be no guarantee that everybody will survive. That includes your team leader. By having a scenario where the team leader is out of the picture, we can learn how every student would react. And from the recorded audio from each of the Bullheads, I can say for certain that all of you kept your composure, even if emotions did run high at times."

"I'm sorry, but let me see if I understand this correctly." Weiss stepped forward, hands pressed together. "So the kidnappings are part of the simulation. However, my team went into the 'kidnapper's camp,' and we saw the entire place overrun by Creep. Is that part of the simulation as well?"

The portly professor nodded, puffing his chest out. "I take pride in creating that camp. Made it out of nothing but confiscated technology, barrels of pig blood, and the forest itself. But managing to capture a queen Creep and luring the nest in the process — now that is my magnum opus of my exploits. I felt like a young man again in my quest to capture her. Let me tell you, capturing the queen Creep—"

"Peter, focus," Professor Goodwitch hissed.

"Oh, right." Port let out a cough before continuing. "Back on track. As for the team leaders, we gave you no objectives to go for. Everything that you needed to know had to be gleaned from your environment. There will be times when you have to determine for yourselves what your objective will be without a clear-cut answer."

"I wasn't surprised hearing everyone have different ideas on what to do about their situation. After all, before each team leader had to make the call alone, without consulting other leaders. Despite that, you all came to a consensus to escape over going after the 'kidnappers,' even if there was lively discussion on using the scrolls to track down the responsible parties. While I can't say what's the right decision, do know that I myself would make the choice to focus on escaping instead of fighting back, as surprising as it sounds."

"But I've talked long enough. I'll finish off by saying that I believe that everyone here performed admirably." He gestured over to Professor Goodwitch. "Glynda, if you don't mind."

She nodded. "I'll make this brief, since we've kept you up long enough. Every first year will be given the day off to rest up. Spend it however you wish. On Friday you'll review in Professor Port's class what happened during the simulation in greater detail. In my class we'll have a last-minute talk about the Vytal Festival. That'll be all for today. Have a good night's rest students."

With that the crowd started drifting towards the dorms. Yang grinned. "Oh my gods, this is perfect!"

"Huh?" I turned towards my sister. "What do you mean?"

"No classes tomorrow. We have the entire day to ourselves. You know what that means, right?"

"Umm… no," Weiss sighed. "We're not mind readers, Yang. Just spill it out!"

"We can have some quality team bonding in the city before the Achieve Men concert!" Oh wait… oh yeah, that was tomorrow, wasn't it? Blake winced at the announcement, not that her partner noticed. Yang continued: "Guys, it's going to be awesome! We can see all of the decorations for the Vytal Festival, people watch the tourists coming in, do regular stuff in the city. Then we end the day with the Achieve Men concert! Aren't you guys excited for this?"

Blake's bow twitched. "Um… is it fine if I skip out on this concert? I mean I have really… sensitive ears!" Her eyes flickered around, narrowing a bit. "It's just going to hurt my ears going there. Both sets, in fact." Her bow twitched again for emphasis. "So… I don't think I'll enjoy it."

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss, Blake!" My sister slapped her partner's back. "I can get you some earplugs for the concert. In fact, that's what we'll do in the city today! Buy high-fidelity earplugs for everyone! Seriously, it's a pretty good idea in the first place." She shook her head. "But that won't matter if we don't get some sleep! Come on guys, back home we go!" A moan escaped from Blake as she was dragged back to our room by Yang, with Weiss and I following close behind.

* * *

"Seriously, you don't have to go through all that effort," Blake said as the airbus took off. A nervous chuckle escaped her mouth. "Isn't there some kind of bookstore or something near the theater? I can just go there and listen to the music. I don't need to go to this concert."

I guess Blake's still trying to get out of it. I smiled as I tugged at my cape. The morning sunlight streamed through the windows onto all of team RWBY. It's only nine o'clock in the morning and the cat faunus is still having this debate with Yang.

"Come on, Blakey. Do it for me?" Yang asked. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime! You don't know how much I've always wanted to go to one of their concerts. And now I finally can! This is an experience of a lifetime, Blake! Concerts are expensive stuff, and I'm not letting this opportunity slip away!"

Weiss was sitting between me and the other two girls, looking through her scroll as Yang kept trying to convince Blake. She let out a hum. "I guess there's nothing interesting on the news again— what's this?" She clicked some kind of link and started reading before her eyes widened. "What the— How is this possible?"

"What is?" I leaned over her shoulder. She was reading a news article about— a car being hanged from the Headmaster's Tower? Huh?

 _ **⇐TO BE CONTINUED= 2/2/2018**_

* * *

 **Gwen's Bizarre Adventure - Act 5**

The first thing that caught my attention was somebody shaking my shoulder. I groaned. Who dares disturb my slumber? "Gwen," someone whispered in my ear. "Wake up." I glanced up to see a plume of blue hair staring back at me.

"Go jump in an Ursa nest, Neb," I growled. "I'm 'sick,' remember? I need my bed rest. I mean, it's like—" I glanced at the clock above our door. "Nine-ten. Give me five more minutes."

"More like five more hours. Come on, Gwen. We all know you're lying. I came up with the 'sick' excuse myself, remember?" I growled again in response. It's Nebula, it's always Nebula. Of course, it's my team leader. How could she be up this early, especially after everything that's happened? She got kidnapped for the simulation, and she doesn't sound exhausted. Honestly, I'm quite jealous. Morning people, how do they do it? She continued: "Seriously, get up. You gotta check the news feed at Beacon."

I groaned as I sat up. My hair's a complete mess. I must look like I've just walked through hell. And to be fair, I did just climb through it. And my muscles are so achy, so tense. I gave my team leader a bloodshot glance before holding my hand out. "Scroll out. Now. I'm not in the mood."

She gave me a smirk, offering her scroll to me. "I think you'll be changing your tone after you see this." I snatched the device. My eyes widened at what's displayed. The exhaustion disappeared from my mind as I let out a chuckle. ' _Jeep Swinging From Headmaster's Tower!'_ the headline read. Right under it is a beautiful picture of the vehicle from inside the Headmaster's office. Wow, did this really make it to the top of the headlines? I puffed my chest a bit. Feels good to get acknowledged.

"And the betting pool? Did we 'leak' who did this?"

Nebula nodded. "Dew sent a mass message to everyone about what happened." She shook her head. "This is absolutely insane. I can't believe it worked."

"Yes!" I pumped my fist. "We've just made a ton of bank!" A groan escaped my mouth as I rubbed my sore muscles. "But oh man, I really could've used the rest of Team NDGO. You can't believe how hard it was scaling a tower like that with nothing but my Semblance."

"I can imagine. Sorry about not being there to help you, but being kidnapped really makes it hard to help out a fellow teammate. You know how it is."

"That's true." I gave my hair a rough brush. "Where's everybody else? Did they already leave?"

"We're right here," Dew responded from right under me. I looked over my bed and saw Dew and Octavia sitting on the bunk opposite of me. "Hey, great job with pulling that off by the way. If it wasn't for the simulation, I would be surprised that you didn't get caught by security watching for curfew breakers."

"Yeah. It's kinda weird how I didn't get caught by any Atlesian guards." I narrowed my eyes. Wait, now that I think about it, there weren't any guards at all. That's weird. If I remember correctly, the bottom half of the tower is made specifically for the CCT. Wasn't there a bit of trouble back during the dance where somebody attacked the CCT? It's strange how on the day of a simulation there aren't any guards watching the building for another attacker. But why?

Octavia spoke up. "Hey guys, just want to let you know that May said they just got the lien. We're going to wait and sit on the money for a couple of days, then we'll split it before the Vytal Festival begins."

"Nice," Nebula grinned. "Text them our thanks. We'll buy them lunch or something when we get back to Shade."

"Whoa, hold up." I raised my hand up. "Can we go to that restaurant with the awesome kebabs and that special grilled cheese once we get back? The one made out of goat and sheep milk? Man, they have the best food."

Dew tapped the side of her cheek. "You mean grilled halloumi? Wait, I think I remember the restaurant name…" She snapped her fingers. "Smokey Pan's?"

"Yeah, that's the one." I let out a giggle. "Oh man, I love that place! What I wouldn't do to have Smokey Pan's."

Nebula gave me a smirk. "Isn't that a family diner? Honestly, I expected something fancier. I mean, it does feel like we've committed the perfect heist. Why not have the perfect meal to celebrate?" She shrugged. "But then again, Gwen basically did all of the hard lifting, so I'm cool with that choice."

"Yes!" I pumped my fist. "How can this day get any better?"

We all jumped a moment later when somebody knocked on the door. What the— who could it be? I leaped out of bed. Strange that somebody would knock on the door this early in the morning. I felt my stomach shrink back in fear. Did we get caught? I thought it was weird that nobody really tried to interfere. Did Professor Goodwitch come to put us in our place?

I pulled open the door to see a bottle of apple cider and a note sitting on the floor. What in the world? I pulled them in and slammed the door.

"Hey Gwen, what's in your—" Nebula narrowed her eyes. "Apple cider? Who in the world would give us that?" I ignored her, handing the bottle to Octavia before lifting up the note.

 _To Team NDGO,_

 _I would like to say congratulations for managing to perform such a feat. While doing so breaks Beacon rules, I am impressed with the skill it must've taken to pull such a feat off. Figuring out how to acquire equipment, technical prowess with your skills, timing the operation to take advantage of another event going on: all of those skills show a lot of dedication and planning. The apple cider provided is to acknowledge the work NDGO put into this stunt, which is comparable to how Huntsmen work in the field._

 _However, at the end of the day, NDGO is a student team under the care of Beacon, and Beacon is a prestigious academy. It will not portray either Shade or Beacon in a good light to have something like this go unpunished. While this will not affect NDGO's opportunity to perform during the Vytal Festival, the punishment will address the discipline issues at hand. I do request NDGO to stay out of any trouble from now on._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Headmaster Ozpin_

"Wait," I said after reading through this. "So the Headmaster knows what happened, and he gave us a bottle of apple cider for it? And also—"

Somebody knocked on the door again. "This is Professor Goodwitch." a strict voice stated from the other side. "I'm here to have a talk with all you girls." I paled. This is not going to be fun.

 **=GWEN BA END=**

* * *

 **So, the next update will actually be on my birthday. Like I said exactly one year ago, that's not how birthday gifts work, but also who cares? I don't mind dropping a chapter on such an important day. Thinking about chilling out with my friends, probably go somewhere to eat, write crazy stuff for this story. Perfectly normal birthday stuff. Also, V5 finale tomorrow. Can't wait to see how it'll wrap up.**

 **Don't have anything else to say, so time for the reviews!**

 **Guest: I guess you can say that "something else" will be the vampire - which in this case is the Grimm. It's still Silver Eye powers, after all.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! And yes, there will be synergy between Stands and Semblances.**

 **TheSetupMage: Oh, I was talking about the song names at face value and not the songs themselves. Certainly Made in Heaven and Whitesnake's songs don't really have a theme of power. I feel like my previous point still stands, though.**

 **And Scorpions? What a coincidence! I'm actually going through their catalog right now. Starting off with the Crazy World album. Pretty good stuff.**

 **doa570047: Yeah, the wax metaphor was pretty good. I'll talk about it properly once the next retrospective comes around, but it was always a thing that I wanted to write about. Although implementing the idea was another problem of its own... but again, next retrospective.**

 **Oh yeah, Yu Yu Hakusho! Honestly, I didn't realize that the series had that. Maybe it's because I can't remember a lot of it (I was really young when I first saw it with my Dad), but now that I think about it, what Ruby did is a bit similar to the Spirit Shotgun. Although to make it clear, it is a combination of the Stand ability and Semblance that allowed her to shoot bits of herself. It's not quite the petals that she's firing, but fragments of her body (which happened to be wax.) A weird distinction to make, but one I think is important to make.**

 **And for Arslan's thought process, it's justified from her viewpoint. She has every right to be suspicious of a collective. It's like you said. Individuals can share a similar belief for different reasons, it's easy to say something and not act on those words, the Stand Arrow is comparable to the One Ring in that it is power incarnate. There's a risk in allowing created Stand users to get close. It's a mindset that makes sense from her perspective and is an interesting one to write.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: February 2, 2018**_


	29. Dress Down

**Hello everybody! Welcome to another chapter of RWBY BA! Let's get this out of the way first, it's my birthday! Yay! Going to enjoy that with my friends (and hopefully distract myself from the Super Bowl happening on Sunday. Cool sport, can't find any enjoyment watching people play.)**

 **Let's not get bogged down with too much stuff, so I'll make this quick. Thank you to my beta reader for sticking by me! Without further ado, let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

It was a beautiful Thursday morning when team RWBY dragged a pouting Blake into the convenience store. I adjusted the cloak on my back, letting my sister drag her partner around. My eyes glanced through the weapon magazines on a nearby rack. Ooh, I wonder if there are any new issues— aaaand nope. I've already read through all of these issues. Although there is this tabloid for the Vytal Festival next week, and they probably have some event-exclusive items specifically for this time of year...

… Nah. Now that I think about it, I don't even like limited edition designs. I sighed. Oh well. I'll just wait until the actual festival comes around. I mean, there's always that magazine issue I was looking through yesterday. There's still a lot of stuff that I want to check out in there. Let's finish that before worrying about new things.

Weiss walked up to me, and we both smirked as we walked behind the other two members of our team. I swore Blake let out a hiss as my sister kept dragging her down the aisles. "Yang, please don't make me go to a concert," the faunus girl moaned.

"What's wrong with that, Blake?" Yang kept an iron grip on her partner's wrist. "I mean they're free tickets! You know it costs roughly two hundred lien to just get into a concert these days. Good seats go up for even higher. I heard floor seats, which are one of the best seats for an average person, costs double that, maybe even more. And we won floor seats, free of charge! Why wouldn't you want to go?"

Blake let out a whine, her eyes darting around the room for some kind of help. "Well… I've never listened to these guys."

"I was playing Achieve Men songs all night yesterday."

The faunus girl bit her lip. "… I don't like them as a band?"

"Doesn't really matter to me, although ouch." Yang let out an exaggerated gasp, pressing her hand against her chest. "In all honesty, Blake, it's more about the concert experience more than anything else. You can mock it all you want, but really all I want to do is enjoy the experience of being at a live concert. Just friends hanging out together, listening to an acclaimed band." Yang let out a sigh. "Come on, Blake. Even if you don't want to go to the concert, can you at least tolerate it for the team's sake?"

That caused Blake to shrink away as her amber eyes flickered towards me and Weiss. She sighed. "… If you insist," Blake sighed, giving up any attempt at resistance. We reached the part of the convenience store where they kept all of the earplugs. "But I'll order noise-canceling earplugs instead of the… the other kind."

"High-fidelity?" My sister shrugged. "Alright then. You can enjoy a book or something while everybody is enjoying the concert. Hopefully, the flashing lights won't distract you too much." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, I'm sure we're going to get dirty looks, but at least you'll be with us! And that's all that matters!" She looked at the rack and picked out a pair of yellow-colored earplugs. "Now this looks nice. Cheap, too. Ten lien is pretty good."

Yang turned towards Weiss and me. "Yeah, I should tell you what's what. So you see the earplugs I have in my hands?" We did. The earplugs in question had a clear plastic tubing skewering three buds of different sizes together. It looked really sleek. "These are high-fidelity earplugs. I don't quite understand how it works, but I have a friend who's an audiophile and he says these types of earplugs have 'flat attenuation.' Basically it's supposed to reduce sound equally across frequencies. So the actual sound is quieter, but quality isn't sacrificed."

She turned around and grabbed another pack. "These are noise canceling earplugs." These ones were a lot simpler, looking more like two black pieces of foam in a rough shape of a bullet. "They do a good job with blocking sound, but it also muffles the sound so it isn't really that good for concerts. Then again, I don't think it matters to you anyway, Blake." My sister tossed two packets at her partner before looking at me and Weiss. "So, that's the basics on earplugs. I'll pay for all of them out of my own pocket, so go ahead."

We nodded. I chose a pair of red earplugs with a little cute dog at the end of the nub. It was so adorable, I had to get it! Weiss, on the other hand, went with a pair of transparent buds.

As we waited in line for our purchase, VNN News came on the television hanging on the wall behind the counter. A familiar anchorwoman appeared behind the desk. "Good afternoon, Vale," the woman spoke as she sorted out her papers. She brushed a lock of her thistle-colored hair back. "My name is Lisa Lavender, bringing all of Vale timely updates to everything happening in the city."

She adjusted her collar. "In recent news, citizens have been voicing their concerns on the Atlesian presence in the city. Recent surveys indicate that roughly thirty percent of the population feel uncomfortable with the military force Atlas has brought to the city, a stunning number for sure. When asked about this, the General in charge of said armada, James Ironwood, has delivered a statement saying such worries are unfounded. In his words, 'Atlas prides itself on its ability to guard Remnans, and that the massive fleet is symbolic of that.' Whether or not his words bring any comfort to the population remains to be seen."

I let out a yawn. Lisa continued, "In other news, citizens have started reported unusual rock formations forming on the coast side. According to testimonies by fishermen, it appears that formations similar to stalactites have been jutting out of the rocky cliffs near the opening of the bay. Experts are bewildered at the sight, with no current consensus on how such a phenomenon could occur." That got me to raise my eyebrow. Spiky rocks appearing out of nowhere? That's weird. Doesn't it take forever for rocks to wear down? I wonder what changed.

It didn't take long for us to get to the front of the line and pay for the earplugs. There was one minor incident where Weiss and Yang started to bicker about who should pay for our supplies, but before long we left the store without any further interruptions.

"So…" I started as I tore through the packaging holding my earplugs. "What are we going to do now? We still have an entire day until the concert.

"Hmm… I don't really know, to be honest." The blonde girl gave us all a shrug. "I mean I heard how lines for entering the concert can get pretty long, so it might be a good idea to reserve a spot now, but… it would get pretty boring just waiting in line to get seats in the first place. And plus we have assigned seating, so it's not like we're going to be losing a place to sit just because we didn't line up early. But hmm…" Yang scratched her head. "What do you guys feel like doing?"

Weiss let out a hum herself. "Well, the decorations for the Vytal Festival have to be done now. I guess we can just walk around the area and take in all of the culture brimming from the city of Vale."

"You mean like last time?" A smile crawled up Yang's face. "Are you sure this isn't going to be another attempt to scout out the rest of our competitors?"

"Oh please. That was then, and this is now. I think everyone's back at Beacon trying to rest up from yesterday." My partner took in a deep breath. "No, this is truly for the sake of enjoying art."

"I mean, I guess." I gave them a shrug. "I don't think we're going to be able to do anything else. I already have new parts for my baby coming in by mail, the tournament's going to be providing ammo this time around… maybe we can get Blake a book for the concert."

"No need for that." The cat faunus waved a copy of some book covered by a book cover. "I already have one."

"Is it Ninjas of Love again?" Yang glanced around the area. "I mean, I'm not saying that it's a bad thing or anything, but it's kinda funny knowing that you're reading smut at a concert of a band that sings romance songs."

"For the last time, it isn't smut!" Blake's face turned red as she pulled the book tight to her chest. "It's a romance story that occasionally delves into explicit material!"

"That's smut." My sister raised a finger and wagged it with a grin on her face. She pretended to push glasses up her face, doing her best Goodwitch impression. "It doesn't matter if the book has serious discussions about the definition of love; historically, if two people or more are going at it for the sake of arousing the reader, that is smut, Ms. Belladonna."

Blake groaned. "Yang!"

* * *

It was a hard task trying to stay awake in this elevator. A yawn escaped my mouth as I tugged at my hoodie and combed through my blonde hair. I've slept from the moment I got in bed until the afternoon, but I still feel so tired. I wonder if it's because my sleep cycle's off. Maybe that's why this is a free day for all of the first-years. It wouldn't be a good idea to force everyone to be so sleep deprived, especially in the days before the Vytal Festival in question.

My head started bobbing. I shot back up right before I felt myself fall. Focus, Jaune. I'm sure the Headmaster will be forgiving if you explain it to him. But still… why did he call me up, unless… The Cupid! I blinked a couple of times. Of course, I ran into it earlier back in the forest! Maybe he wants to talk to me about this! But at the same time… wouldn't he also call up Ruby? Where is she right now? I don't remember seeing her or her team anywhere today. There's no way they could be sleeping, otherwise Ruby would be here with me. Maybe she went somewhere?

The doors opened, revealing the green colored office space. One of the first things that I noticed about the room is the rich aroma of coffee wafting through the room. The Headmaster was next to a side table, tapping the top while looking at a coffee machine. "Good afternoon, Mr. Arc," the man said without turning around. "I hate to call you up here so soon after the simulation. If it isn't obvious enough, it does put some strain on a person's sleep cycle. It's regrettable, but that's the life of a Huntsmen. To be frank, it doesn't get any better. We just get used to it." He gestured to me. "Please, take a seat."

A yawn escaped my mouth as I plopped down in the visitor's chair. Within moments, the Headmaster walked over and handed me a mug filled with coffee. "Have some coffee. This particular blend is a great pick-me-up, I found. Has a particularly nutty taste straight from the machine, and there's no bitterness, so no need for sugar and creamer." I nodded, taking the cup in my hands and taking a sip. Hmm… he's right. It's not as bitter as I expected it to be. With that in mind, I swallowed.

Its effects hit me almost immediately. My eyes shot wide open as I can feel the tiredness be dragged out of me. I felt myself sit up taller, my muscles loosening as the brown substance took its effect. "Oh wow." I rubbed my eyes. "That… that's pretty strong. I feel so much better. Thank you, Headmaster." He nodded, smiling as I took another sip.

"You're welcome, Mr. Arc. Have you heard about the incident that occurred this morning?"

I hummed. "You mean the car hanging from the top of your office?" My eyes shot open. "Wait… that's here!" I shot up from my seat. "Is it still there? Nobody in my team believed that was a thing, but did it really happen? Where is it right now?"

"To answer your first question: yes, the car ornament incident was real. Glynda was quite livid when we first walked into the room. In fact, I've heard that she already punished the people responsible for this. As for the car itself, it's already been taken down. I'm sure the staff member would appreciate having their car back. But I have to admit, it was a nice change of pace around here."

A hum escaped my mouth. Was life as a Headmaster this boring for him? Well… compared to Hunting, doing anything else would be boring, I guess. I breathed air out of my nose before taking another sip from the mug. "Well, I think we should move on now. You called me up here to talk about something, right?"

He nodded, taking a sip from his own mug before setting it on the table. "I do. It's important to talk about what happened yesterday. Particularly about the Cupid that appeared to attack your group." My eyes widened. He knew all of that? The Headmaster raised his hand up before I could say a word. "Before you ask, yes I did see what happened when the Cupid attacked you, Ms. Fall, and Ms. Soleil. No, nobody else saw that footage, so there's no need to worry about keeping your cover." He sighed. "It's a shame that no matter what we do, the Cupid will find a way to keep dragging innocent people into this dangerous life."

"Yeah," I sighed back, taking another sip from the mug. "I don't know… And I thought we were getting closer than ever to getting the Arrow away from the creature. It's just— Something's not right. Like we're not seeing the bigger picture somehow. There's something that we're not considering about the creature. It might be the key to figuring out how to defeat it."

He nodded again. "I noticed that as well. That's the idea of this meeting today. For too long we've been trying to get the Arrow without knowing just what the Cupid is capable of. You've never seen it before you first started hunting the Arrow. Most Huntsmen aren't aware that such a Grimm even exists. Even I can't really say what his—its abilities are, and I've only seen it once in my life in person. We're going to try and pour over as much information as we can about this creature and try to create a profile on the Cupid. Maybe then we can find some kind of thread that can help your group in your next encounter."

"Right." I leaned back in my seat. "Well, what about Ruby? Wouldn't this be important for her to know about? Why didn't you invite her here?"

"She went off with her team to the city. I believe they were talking about some kind of event they wanted to go to. While I don't mind her spending time with her team to relax, unfortunately, this is the last day we can talk to each other about the Cupid before I get swamped with the matter of the Vytal Festival. But I'm sure that you'll be able to tell her about our meeting. So with that in mind, let's start with our task at hand."

The Headmaster typed something onto the projected keyboard on his desk. Metal panels started sliding down the glass windows, cutting us away from the light of the afternoon sun. The only source of sunlight came from the skylight above the two of us. Gear shadows shifted on the ground. With that Headmaster Ozpin took out what looked to be a first-generation scroll and placed it on the table. Weren't these the ones that were panned because they couldn't connect to the CCT? It was due to some kind of hardware flaw or something. But why would the Headmaster own one of these?

He smiled. "I like to keep all of my sensitive data on this. I used to prefer paper before this first came out. It takes a lot more effort leaking paper documents than online data, after all. I'm sure the rest of the students weren't told of this, but somebody broke into the CCT during the day of the dance. We can't find any malware or modifications that could affect the CCT, but it's always best to stay careful. But with this, I don't have to worry about it being tampered with through the CCT. How does the saying go? 'One man's trash is another man's treasure.'" His smile dropped. "And now we talk."

A series of pictures appeared on the screen, each having a blurry image of the Grimm baby. All of them were then placed on a giant map of Vale. "I've tried compiling a list of every single image and location for the Cupid. We know that it was in the school forges when Ms. Rose was hit. Then there were the docks when you and Ms. Rose tried looking into the situation. From there the Cupid returned to Beacon and attacked Team RWBY's room. Weeks passed before there was another attack here at Beacon, right before the improvised talent show. Then the most recent attack: right here in the Emerald Forest."

I let out a soft gasp. "It's not as random as I thought it was. There's a pattern…"

The Headmaster nodded. "So you see it as well. For some reason the Cupid is focusing its efforts on the school and the areas directly around it. The only exception is the docks within the Industrial District, which I thought was an unusual outlier. And while there are other reports of other Stand users, I can confirm that these users had their Stands unlocked long before recent events."

A hum escaped my mouth. "But why would the Cupid prefer Huntsmen over several other perfectly fine candidates? There have to be more choices in the city where the Arrow could potentially hit a person that won't resist when the bad guys try to recruit them. Why choose Huntsmen, a group of individuals whose job is to protect Remnans from destruction by Grimm? Even the worst kind of Huntsmen will protect civilization with their life. It makes no sense."

"That's what I was thinking as well." Ozpin pressed his fingers together. "There are two factors that can answer this question. One, you did neglect how Stands will tend to form within people with strong willpower. Huntsmen, no matter their moral or ethical stance, tend to have a lot of willpower. You wouldn't be in a dangerous career like this one if you didn't have the determination to fight an endless horde of Grimm. So it would make sense that Huntsmen would be an ideal pick for the Stand Arrow than others. However, it doesn't explain why every single target has been Huntsmen so far."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm getting to that right now. There's a second factor that I recently thought of: what if that's because it only has access to Beacon?" A hum escaped my mouth as the Headmaster cleared his throat. "Think about it. Isn't it unusual to have a Grimm not only enter the most prestigious school in all of Remnant, let alone infiltrate it? Intelligent Grimm recognize the fact that being in the presence of Huntsmen will lead to their deaths. And yes, while the Cupid is sentient, it also means that it has even less reason to be here. So why—" He pressed a button, drawing a circle around Beacon, like a search radius. "—does it choose to stay close to Beacon?" Ozpin steepled his hands.

"This is my theory. As powerful as the Cupid is, it is still a tangible being with physical limitations. It must be bound by a certain set of rules… whatever those set of rules are. But I think, like Stands, the Cupid is bound to something or someone. Like how a baby doesn't want to leave its mother's warm comfort. Whatever that mystery object or person is, the Cupid can't move too far away from that thing. That's why the majority of the people chosen by the Cupid happened to be within Beacon. It's not that it _wouldn't_ spread out its targets, but that it couldn't."

I scratched the side of my head. "But it doesn't explain the docks, or Nolan being hit."

"That's unfortunately true." The Headmaster shook his head. "It is an unusual outlier. But if we can apply this theory to that, it makes more sense. If someone was in fact tethered to the Cupid in some manner, they could just go to the docks, bringing the Cupid with them."

"So if we were able to figure that out…" My eyes widened. "We could stop the Cupid right there and then! But wouldn't that make the Cupid a Stand?"

"Absolutely not. I know for sure that it's a Grimm." Headmaster Ozpin glanced down at the desk for a moment before swallowing. His eyes dulled for just a moment. "It's not something you forget…" He glanced back up. "But never mind that. We now know of one proper way to deal with the Cupid: find out who or what is serving as the Cupid's anchor and severe the connection. But just in case that's not possible, we should have at least another option before we wrap up today. We need to know how to react if any of the Stand users run into the Cupid."

"Well, I know for a fact that it can dodge projectiles pretty well. The Cupid managed to dodge every shot I've made at it, so that's not going to work. It can fly, which means no melee weapons either." I sighed. "Which means our only options so far are either to use our Stand or run. And even then, the Stand option isn't exactly something I can do anyways." I sighed. "In all of the fights we had against the Cupid, I don't think anyone managed to hit it even once. I thought I did last night with the branch, but then it disappeared. And now it's just all so confusing."

I groaned. "At this point, the only thing I know that can be used to our advantage is that the Cupid is obsessed with keeping the Arrow safe. I guess the Arrow itself is still just an item and that it could be broken. My idea was that it would act recklessly to protect the weapon, and it did for the most part. Still didn't give us a big enough window to actually do something to the creature."

At that the Headmaster sat up. "Actually, it might be something we can use to our advantage. If we know that the Cupid wants to protect the Arrow with its life, then it should be fairly easy to drive it away from potential targets. Just become a big enough threat that the Cupid will have to run away. And if we can do that, then we can stop any more damage, buying us enough time to come up with a plan to end the Cupid's life for good." He stood up. "I think this is a good stopping point for our conversation. If you happen to run into Team RWBY by any chance, make sure you give that information to them."

"Alright, then." I stood up. "Goodbye, Headmaster."

"Have a good afternoon, Mr. Arc."

* * *

 _It was the soft, warm beam of the early morning sun that roused the female ninja. Momo opened her eyes, revealing the well-worn ceiling of their humble abode. The fragrant scents of red roses and camellias wafted into her nose. Letting out a silent groan, she turned over to her side, where the love of her life slept. Most of his body was covered by the blanket, but she could make out the chiseled physique born from a life of war, his tanned skin matching hers, the scars gained throughout their years together. As both partners and lovers._

 _The scar on her thigh throbbed somewhat as she reminisced. A mischievous smile crawled up her face as she remembered the events of the previous night, the pleasure the two shared still coursing through her. A giggle escaped Momo's mouth as she pulled herself close to her lover. "Mureba," she sighed as she nuzzled her face into the man's chest, causing the man to crack open one eyelid. "Good morning, handsome. Did you have a good time last night?"_

" _I should ask the same for you." He gave her a peck on the cheek as a stray hand wrapped around her back, sending jolts of pleasure through Momo. "But yes, I loved it. Your energy even after a long day of work really does surprise me sometimes."_

" _We both used to be ninjas, remember? I think it's kinda normal that we have superior stamina."_

" _In more ways than one." The sun slowly rose up into the sky as they did nothing but stare into each other's eyes, keeping each other warm during the chilly fall morning. "Now that I think about it, it's our anniversary today, right? The day when we first became partners for the Kobura, when we first met." She nodded, breathing in Mureba's scent. The man released his lover and leaned over the bed, reaching for something. "Do you remember the conversation we had that day?"_

" _Yeah," she sighed. "It was about textiles, I think. I always thought it was a weird subject to talk about when we first met, but I never expected a man like you to be so knowledgeable about that."_

" _Well, I have an anniversary gift for you." He handed her a small box. "I hope you like it."_

 _She opened the lid of the box only to gasp. "Mureba… you didn't have too." The female ninja pulled out a big roll of a silk ribbon dyed bright yellow like the sun. "This must be thirty meters worth of silk ribbon. That has to be a lot of money. How did you afford all of this?"_

" _It pays to be part of a community, I suppose. You know the Hata family? The ones we helped with their extortion problem? They actually have a silkworm farm and sell raw silk. They were more than happy to help me out with making this for you." He glanced away. "Originally I wanted to give you this for your birthday. But it took a long time, even with everyone working together to make this much silk. But thankfully we finished it before our anniversary, and I feel like this gift fits better." Mureba gave his lover a smile. "Pretty good for a family of farmers and an ex-ninja turned farmer. Do you like it?"_

" _Like it? I love it!" An ooph escaped from the man as Momo pounced on him. "Thank you so much!" Her eyes dilated as the two's eyes met. "I love you."_

" _I love you too." The couple pressed their lips together once more, giving into the bliss of the fall morning. Their room disappeared from their minds as they focused only on each other, embracing each other's warmth._

 _Momo pulled away, breathing heavily into the chest of her man."This is getting me pretty excited… I can feel your excitement under me as well." Her eyes narrowed seductively. "Why don't we put these ribbons to good use? It's been awhile since we got the opportunity to practice our binding skills."_

" _More than anything in the world." Mureba lifted up the blanket, revealing his lover's body in all of its beautiful glory—_

"Blaaaaaaake," Yang whispered into my ear. "Are you paying attention?"

"What the—!" I yelped as I jerked back, slamming my book shut before nearly falling off the curb. This sent my partner into hysterics. Weiss and Ruby glanced at me for a moment before returning to their whispering. My ear twitched. Something about Ruby's eyes? I'm going to need to get more clarification after the show. But oh my gods, I hope nobody else noticed that. I glanced at the line. Yeah, everybody's looking at us. This is so embarrassing.

I felt the blood rush to my face as I resisted flattening my ears. "Yang! What is wrong with you?"

"Oh gods, that was priceless!" The blonde brawler doubled over in laughter. "You should've seen your face when you freaked out! At least I know you weren't using your earplugs to block your dear partner out. Don't worry Blakey, if it helps you sleep at night I didn't look at much of the text." Despite her reassurance she still had a big, doofus grin on her face. My eyes narrowed. Did she really?

"Yang, I'm not an idiot. I can tell when you're lying, and from what I can tell you're definitely hiding something. What did you see?"

"Nothing," my partner chirped, letting out a two-tone whistle as she glanced at the sky.

"I'm serious, Yang." I gritted my teeth as I stared right into her eyes. "What. Did. You. See?"

"I mean, now that I think about it…" She tapped the side of her cheek. "I do recall seeing a little bit of something. Something about giving a lover a ribbon." I sighed. Okay, so she didn't read up to the sex scene. "I mean, they got pretty creative with that ribbon. It's pretty kinky stuff, Blake. Makes me wonder what you were really planning on doing with the ribbon on Gambol Shroud."

My face lit on fire as I swatted at the girl. Not a single word escaped my mouth. Instead, everything was just a set of grunts and groans of displeasure.

"What's wrong, Blake? Did your tongue get all tied up?" I swear everyone within three meters of us let out a long groan.

"Yaaaang," Ruby moaned. "Stop teasing Blake. We're so close to the front of the line, and if you somehow managed to get kicked out of the concert you wanted to go to—"

"Okay! Okay, I'll stop." Yang held her hands up in defense. "Sorry about that Blake. But I just can't stop myself from teasing you every time I see you with that book. I couldn't just let the opportunity just slip away from me."

I sighed. "Well, we're about to enter the Unity Amphitheater, so I was planning on stopping soon anyways. But first—" I popped the book back open. "What page was I on? It should be here somewhere…" Come on… I know it was the beginning of chapter eight, so where is it… Oh. Right here. I slipped a bookmark between the two pages before closing the tome again. "So, how many people do we have left until we get in?"

"Just one more person," Weiss said. Her face twisted in impatience as the last guy fumbled around his ironed blazer. Nervous noises started escaping his mouth as his head twisted and turned to find his ticket, causing his floppy ears to swing side to side. I raised my eyebrow up. Huh. A bloodhound faunus. That's interesting. At the same time, his presence is odd. I didn't know that this band appealed to businessmen. Maybe this guy is a long time fan, or maybe just a romantic at heart. The heiress continued: "Oh come on. Shouldn't this guy have prepared beforehand? He's just holding up the line!"

"I'm sorry about that, ma'am. I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear. It's just— I know I had it here somewhere." He patted his pockets yet again. "Aw, crud crud crud— That little girl must've stolen it! That must be the case!" The man turned towards the man in the booth. "I'm sorry about this, I'll return after I find the girl who stole my ticket." He turned around, revealing a dark-skinned man with short brown hair and Windsor glasses. The man looked meek, but for some reason I feel like his glance at me was more hostile than it should've been. "Excuse me, ladies."

"Well… that was weird," Ruby noted as he sprinted away from us. "At least we don't have to worry about the line anymore." We all pulled out our tickets. "Come on, guys! We'll buy some snacks before the show!"

We entered the auditorium without further incident. Around us the crowd chatted amongst each other, lounging around the waiting area before the doors open. There were a ton of stalls laying around, each one trying to sell various Achieve Men merchandise. I eyed a couple of them. Keychains, albums, commemorative t-shirts, snapbacks with the band logo, band logo stickers, and so much more junk lined the stalls. I found it really hard not to cringe as I passed through all of those stalls. What a waste of money. Who knows how many wage workers died mass producing these dumb trinkets.

But still, it was nice seeing Ruby cheer in happiness when she saw all of the food that they were selling in the building. I couldn't help but smile as I watched our team leader rush towards the food stands with a fist full of lien, with Weiss following close behind to stop her from doing anything too brash. Even after everything that has happened with the Arrow, there's still a sense of childlike wonder in her. In fact, everyone in Team RWBY is just a nice change of pace compared to… back then with the White Fang.

I puckered a bit. Now that I think about it… they've been awfully quiet. It's odd… they more or less haven't tried anything ever since the fight with the Paladin. But that can't be right. There's no way that the White Fang would just stop their operations after Torchwick disappeared, even if they were working with him. I remember how our section of the White Fang would stay low in the days before a major attack. It could be the same thing here. A 'hmm' sound escaped my mouth. What could they be doing?

Whatever thoughts I had disappeared when I glanced at the now dense crowd of people. I blinked. Wait, when did they get here? Several people are within maybe a foot away from me. The small talk was starting to wane down, replaced by whispers of frustration. I felt sweat starting to slide down my face. Crowds… it gets so suffocating sometimes. Especially crowds that are frustrated and tense for whatever reason. I felt a shiver run down my back. Riots that emerged from peaceful protest, the battle with **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** a week ago… angry crowds are not to be messed with.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Yang with her hands in her pockets, whistling to herself. I slid my way through the crowd and waved a hand at her. "Yang," I said. The girl didn't do anything. I spoke up a little louder. "Yang, over here." Our eyes met and she walked over with an eyebrow raised. I held a hand up to her ears. "When do we get our seats? This crowd is getting a little too tense for my liking."

"Hopefully soon." Yang pulled out her scroll. "We got registered in a little early compared to the others, but considering how many people there are here right now and the fact that it's—" She glanced at the scroll. "—Seven o'clock right now, I'd say that the doors should be opening anytime—"

"Helloooooo everybody!" A voice rumbled through the PA system, causing everybody to go silent. "It's R. Lazer on the mic right now!" He let out a laugh. "Just kidding, you're listening to a recording of me. The real me's currently with the rest of the Achieve Men making sure that this concert is the best concert ever! But I can't help but think of all of you fans right here, right now. So I have to ask, how's everyone doing?"

The crowd burst into a chorus of screaming. Several people around me cried their praises to the band and how they were big fans. Yang was hollering along with the rest of them, laughing the whole entire time. At that moment Ruby and Weiss came back. The heiress had a pout on her face as Ruby stuffed her face with a giant bucket of— cookies? They actually sell those? Huh. Despite their different moods, my team joined the collective cheering.

A laugh could be heard over the PA. "Wow guys, I love the energy here! I can hear it backstage, and you guys aren't even through the doors yet! Speaking of which, the gracious employees at the Unity Amphitheater will be opening the doors now. All you have to do is show them your ticket stubs from before and they will point out where your seat will be. For everyone, from first-timers and returning fans, I ask that you please respect the seating arrangements printed on the ticket stub. We're all here to share in the fun and love of music, after all. I'm sure we can respect our fellow Remnans."

R. Lazer continued: "And also give out some love to the employees! They work hard to make this show a reality, and a little thanks will go a long way! Anyways, I should be finishing up the preparations for the concert. Thank you all and welcome to the Achieve Men Vytal Concert Experience! I'll see you guys at seven thirty!" The PA clicked, and everything went silent.

Moments later the doors leading into the main hall shot wide open. Every door had four employees standing on the sides of the doors. "Good evening everyone we're here to seat you all. If your seat is within sections A or B, please form two lines at door one. If your seat is within sections C or D please form two lines at door two. If your seat is within sections E or F, please line up at door three—"

"Oh hey, that's ours," Yang noted as she held up her stub. "E-17. Yep." She waved her hand at us. "Come on, guys! We gotta get to door three before the line gets too long!"

Before we knew it, we made it through yet another line and were seated. "Ah, yes!" Yang shimmied on the leather seat before leaning back. "This is the life! Man, this was more than what I was expecting! These seats are surprisingly comfy, and it feels so relaxing." She let out a long yawn. "I might actually fall asleep at this rate. It's like a really nice bed." I hummed in agreement. This is higher class than I thought it would be. I was expecting more cotton seats, maybe memory foam, but this is really comfortable seats. It would be great doing a bit of reading here. Maybe I should buy a leather seat for Beacon.

I started emptying my pockets and placing them into one of those pouches underneath the seat. Ticket stub, scroll, those foam earplugs, lien pouch, everything went into that mesh bag. It wasn't like that stuff was going to be stolen. I wasn't expecting to leave my seat anyways. Plus, I had Yang sitting to my left and Weiss to my right. Even if I had to leave for some kind of bathroom break or something, there's no way these guys would let anybody come close to my stuff.

With that out of the way, I took out _Ninjas of Love_ and opened it to where I left off. I should have some downtime. I'm sure that I can get through a couple more pages until somebody reminds me to put the earplugs on—

Movement caught my attention, causing me to look up. My eyebrows raised up. A tanned brunette with her hair in a ponytail sat a couple of rows in front of us. She was fidgeting a bit too much for my liking. It's pretty distracting. But at the same time… there's something familiar about her. Like I've seen her somewhere, but I just can't put my finger on where. I racked my brain for answers. Hmm… where have I seen her—

She stood up and turned towards us. I resisted gasping as I saw a familiar set of gray eyes on that freckled face. Ilia? What the— I pulled my book to cover my entire face. Did she see me? Oh gods, I hope not. How long has it been since we've talked to each other? Way too long, it must be.

From my peripheral vision, I watched Ilia make her way towards the exit. What is she doing? Is she planning on doing something for the White Fang? My eyes widened. Is this where the White Fang are going to make their move? I slammed my book cover shut. Whatever the answer is, I can't let her get out of my sight.

"Uh, sorry guys," I muttered as I shot up from my seat. Already she's two-thirds of the way to the exit. I gotta hurry up if I don't want to lose sight of her. "I— uh… I gotta use the restroom and then buy something to eat. Completely forgot about doing that, haha, silly me." I gave them my best grin.

"Uh, Blake?" Ruby asked. "Are you okay? You're scaring me…"

"Of course I'm good!" I glanced at my former friend. She's really close to the exit… "If we're going to be here for awhile, I'd rather make sure I'm all ready, right guys?"

"Hmm… good point." Ruby nodded her head. "It's weird how enthusiastic you got… But I'm sure everything is going to be fine, Blake. Go ahead and do whatever you need to do. Don't worry, we'll protect all of your stuff!"

"Thanks." I scooted my way past Weiss and started creeping towards Ilia. At this point she just slipped through the doors. I gritted my teeth. A part of me wanted to warn the others about what's going to happen. At the same time, something tells me that this crowd would need them more. I steeled my resolve. Whatever she's planning on doing to this concert, I can't let it succeed! I'm going to need to do whatever it takes to stop Ilia. Even if that means ending her life.

I burst through the interior doors, glancing through the lobby for my former friend. It wouldn't be easy, considering I was going against a chameleon faunus who can change her skin tone. Not to mention that she has infiltration skills that could rival mine. It wouldn't surprise me if she kept changing her skin tone ever so slightly before every corner to throw pursuers off— My eyes snapped to a familiar chameleon-esque ponytail bobbing through a small crowd, heading towards the front exit. There she is! I should go right after—

Wait a minute. I narrowed my eyes as I took cover behind some kind of sofa, earning weird looks from the people around me. She didn't change her color. In fact, it was way too easy to find her this time around. What is she planning? Is this actually a trap? What if she's trying to pull me away from my team into some kind of ambush? I bit my lip. But what if she isn't? Then she goes unchecked to do whatever she wants! I gnawed on my bottom lip as one leg started shaking up and down. No way. I have to call Team RWBY. If there is an attack planned for me, I need somebody to watch my back— And where's my scroll?

My hands patted my pocket. What the— My scroll's gone! Where could I— The concert! I left it back with the rest of the team… Oh, this is not good. Should I go back and just tell them in person? But what if I lose Ilia? How would the rest of the team know who to look for if I'm not there and—

Ilia slipped through the front exit. I can call them from some kind of public terminal! It won't matter if I lose her right now! I sprang out from my hiding spot, rushing for the exit. Screams of frustration and confusion escaped from the crowd as I pushed through them. "Sorry," I muttered as I slipped under the arm of one girl. "Pardon me," I grumbled as I bumped one guy. There's no way I'm going to lose Ilia now!

I burst through the front door, revealing a bright orange sunset bathing the entire street. Some of the street lights flickered on as the shadows of the surrounding buildings swallowed them up. And for some reason, this street was even more crowded than before! What's with the crowd tonight? I thought everybody who wanted to go to the concert— Come on, Blake. I gently smacked my cheeks. Focus on the task. Number one objective is to find Ilia and figure out what she's doing. You can worry about everything else later once you've caught up to—

"Oh my gods. I don't believe it." Chills flew up my spine when I heard those soft, kind words. Memories of the past ran through my mind, from when I used to run away from baths to when I first learned how to read. Bubbles of joy resurfaced as past memories of peaceful protests resolved with words appeared again. Thorns of regret sank into me when I recall the day I left my home for Vale. There's no way… they can't possibly be here right now. Do I want to look? To face them again after so long?

My body twisted around. A couple stood roughly three meters behind me. One of them was a tall, bulky man with a bushy plume of a beard. A dark violet coat with white trim hung loosely from his shoulders, exposing his bare chest to the world. Beside him was a petite woman with short hair in a black hakama, the dress of Menagerie. A set of cat ears, both pierced, raised upwards on the woman's hair. All of our eyes met, amber pools peering at each other. One word finally escaped from the woman's mouth: "Blake?"

"Mom? Dad?"

"Oh, Blake!" Before I could get away, my mom pounced on me, pulling me tight into a hug. Sobbing noises escaped from her mouth as she stroked through my hair. "My baby girl! I'm so glad to see you! Oh, it's been so, so long…"

"Blake…" my father sighed before a small smile grew on his face. He joined me and Mom in the family hug, forcing the air out of my lungs. Oh gods… I think my skin was turning blue. Not like a Yang hug. Like actual suffocation. I wiggled myself around. Can't… breathe… "My gods, it's great to see you after so long. Hearing about you leaving Menagerie was hard on your mother and me." He released his grip on the two of us. "But I think we should all catch up with tea instead of here on the streets. It's been a long time since I've been to Vale, but I remember a nice tea shop just a couple blocks away from here. Will you join us?"

I opened my mouth to speak before stopping. Wait a minute, Ilia! My eyes darted through the street. Where did she go? Oh gods, I can't lose her now! It couldn't be more than a minute—

Before I could do a proper search, my father laughed, pulling me close to him by the shoulder. "Alright then. It's getting pretty late, so we should hurry before the tea shop closes."

"Wait, dad. Couldn't we do it another time? I'm kinda busy at the moment." I tried shimmying myself out of his firm grasp. "You see, I'm actually taking one of my friends to a concert and it's going to start soon—"

"Then we'll have to make our trip to the tea shop to go. It's a shame we can't sit around and enjoy a proper round of tea, but we'll have to make do." He leaned his head in extremely close to me. I shivered as I felt his breath run down my neck. "It's just a quick stop. I'm sure you'll make it back to your friends in time for the concert."

"Uh, I guess… but could you back away just a couple of steps, dad?" I managed to pull myself out of his grip. "You know how I am with my private space."

"Right, right. I… I've forgotten about that." Dad let out another laugh. "I guess some things never change, do they?" We started making our way to that tea shop. "Oh, right. Now that I think about it, I think the tea shop is also a steakhouse that sells Kobe beef. I remember it being pretty good last time we visited. Now I know that you have something to do, but maybe we can schedule a dinner during the weekend so we can have a proper talk together?"

"Sure," I nodded, my mind racing while we continued our walk. Okay, what in the world's happening right now? First I spot Ilia in the concert doing something suspicious, and I chased after her only to run into my parents. There's something wrong. Really, really wrong. It was a surprise for sure, meeting somebody from my past. But then again, that wouldn't be suspicious within itself. But meeting my parents right outside the amphitheater in a city that is ten times the size of Patch, itself a fairly big island? There are too many coincidences for this to happen. There's something up, and I have to figure out what.

My mother let out a sigh. "Well, here we are." I looked up to see a quaint little hut. A logo with a t-bone and a teacup adorned the top of the establishment. Wait a minute, are we here already? I must've been too focused on my thoughts. Mom walked forwards. "It looks like the shop is still open. Let's go in, shall we?" I sighed. It's not like I have a choice.

Inside felt extremely cozy. The shop clearly took inspirations from Mistral. There were no tables, only a counter with diner seats. From the looks of it, nobody else was there. A cook who looks like the shopkeeper in town hummed to himself as he rubbed spices on the meat. Mom and Dad each took seats to the side of me. "Chef, we would like to order three cups of tea. Oolong, if you have it. Also can you get me and my wife steak? Cook them just enough to be safe to eat." That caused me to raise my eyebrows. Since when did mom and dad eat steak like that? It's always medium for them.

The cook nodded. "And for you, young woman?"

I waved him off. "I'm not hungry, thank you." The cook rolled his eyes and started sizzling the steak. Not two seconds after dropping them on the grill, he snatched them right off, placing them on two separate plates with a steak knife and fork. I bit my lip. There's no way that could possibly be cooked right. That is food poisoning in the making! There's no way that my parents would—

Both of them smiled as they took it. Wait, what? They then slid the utensils off of the table, picked up the slabs of meat, and started ripping out chunks of it like wolves. Juices dripped down their faces as they feasted upon the meat. I swore that at one point, Mom stuffed her entire hand into her mouth to lick the rest of the juice off. A drop of sweat slipped down my face. Okay, there's something wrong with this. Something terribly, terribly wrong. That can't be Mom and Dad. No way! Who the hell are these people?

"Ma'am, your drink." I turned over to see the chef with the cup completely wrapped in his hands. "What are you doing? Go ahead and take the drink."

"That's fine, you can just set it on the counter," I replied.

"I insist. Take the drink out of my hands."

"Blake, it's rude not to listen to the chef," 'mom' replied, taking another bite out of the raw steak. "Listen to what he says."

"You know what?" I stood up. "It's been great talking to you, but I really have to leave." I waved my left hand at the cook. "Nevermind about the tea, we can have some later."

Dad frowned at me. "Can't you at least humor the man?"

That caused me to frown. "Why does everybody insist on me taking the tea? I said I don't—"

"Take the tea!" He snatched my wrist. Oh, that's— I grabbed one of the steak knives and slammed it point first into the chef's forearm. An unearthly scream escaped from the man's mouth as he let go of me. The blade must've sunk an inch into his flesh. More than enough to gouge flesh out from somebody without unlocked Aura. However, nothing came out. No blood, no nothing. My eyes widened as I pulled the knife out. What in the—

" _Oh, we got you now,"_ the figure impersonating my mom said, giving me a toothy grin. Her canines were growing larger by the minute. I can see the chef and 'dad' grow canines as well. _"_ **「** **REDBONE** **」** _has your scent. We will follow you until the end of days, hunting our target for our master."_

A meep escaped my mouth as all three of them started morphing in front of me. They started scrunching forwards, their faces started protruding outwards, their skin started peeling back, revealing muscle. It's like seeing werewolves transform for the first time if the whole transformation process was messed up. I swear I could see mist escaping from everyone's mouth as their transformation was completed. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** appeared by my side. This is not good!

They all pounced at me, teeth bared wide. Every single one of them aiming for my neck.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 2/16/2018**

* * *

 **Fox's Bizarre Adventure - Act 1**

A gasp escaped my mouth as I ripped my weapon out from an Ursa. Alright, Fox. Concentrate. Let your ears do the seeing. I held my breath and relaxed my body, allowing the rippling outline in my head to clear somewhat. A masculine grunt to my right, followed by another Ursa roar. Above and to the left of me was the symphony of thousands of .50 caliber rounds thundering past me. A squeak escaped from a girl roughly in front of me and the sounds of kicking before the telltale cry of an Ursa in pain. As for footsteps… I took in a deep breath. Maybe three pairs left? I'm not really sure. I need a bit more information.

I rolled my shoulders as the spirit of **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** appeared behind me, smacking one of his tuning forks into the ground before retreating back. In an instant the image in my head cleared, revealing the outlines of my teammates and three Ursa. Two of the bear outlines collapsed to the ground, one with a hooked sword buried in its chest and the other shot into two pieces from machine gun fire. Already the image was becoming murky again, but the last Ursa was still standing when a petite rabbit faunus leaped off. Well, that's my cue then.

Before Velvet can land on the ground, I shot off, sprinting towards the last enemy. I readied my blade tonfas: Kitsune and Kumiho. At this point the only thing indicating that there was an Ursa in front of me were the sound of my footsteps. Even then, I could only make out a blur in my head. Good enough for me, I'd say.

"Cover your ears!" I yelled out. My guardian spirit shot out from me seconds later, slamming its hands together. A discordant squeal rang through the battlegrounds, like a nail on a chalkboard. Or maybe a nail on the side of a car. The point is that the noise caused everyone to let out whines of their own, including the Ursa itself. It stumbled back for just a moment. Before it could try anything else, Kumiho bit into the Grimm's throat. That familiar oily substance shot out, splattering onto my body. Ugh. I shuddered in disgust as I flicked the fluid off. Dark fur rubbed against my leg moments later as the Ursa flopped to the ground.

"Whew… well, I think it's over now," Coco groaned from behind me. I can hear the clicks of her weapon Feu folding back up into a small designer handbag. "I'd say that's a job well done. Those Ursai won't be messing with the travelers anymore." She let out a hum. "I know that should be the entire nest, but something's bugging me. Fox, use your Semblance for maybe… let's go with two kilometers. Try to look for any hunting groups not with the main nest or any potential hiding spots."

I nodded. **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** flew as high up as possible while vibrating its face. The air around us became jittery, expanding outwards. With the outline of the world infinitely more clear to me, I took a deep breath. "Okay… Well, I don't see any major movement aside from nature just taking its course." Coco snickered before letting out a hum of acknowledgment. I continued as my field of 'sight' grew: "But I don't see any shapes that could indicate Grimm, whether it's Ursai or any other species. I think it's safe to say that we took care of the—"

My words were cut short when my image of the land northeast of us suddenly… changed. I furrowed my brow. It's no longer rounded, natural shapes. No, there was something different about it. Everything in that area had a sharper design, like it was— manmade. Wait a minute… a Mistralian ruin? No, that can't be right. Judging from when the vibrations hit it, this thing had to be maybe eight hundred meters from us. But that's impossible. The abandoned colonies have to be at least five kilometers away from us. There's no way one can be right here. Plus, wouldn't somebody know about this and tell us?

"Fox?" Velvet's petite hands tapped me on the shoulder. "You've been quiet for awhile. What's going on?"

"It's— I found a set of ruins just… there, in the forest." Everybody let out puzzled hums. "I know, I'm confused about it as well. How could there be a set of ruins in undeveloped territory? But I know vibrations never lie, and I know that it's in… that direction." I pointed towards the structure.

"Well, I don't think it matters why it's still there," my team leader hummed. "What I'm worried about is that it might be a decent hiding spot for Grimm." The sounds of a finger tapping against leather caught my attention. "… Fox, do you notice any figures within those ruins?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I think it's something we can just ignore— No, wait." I felt the heat disappear from my face as I sensed the void within the ruins. "It goes underground. There's an opening somewhere on the outside. Broken down hatch, if I have to guess. I can't exactly tell what's going on down there. Need to get closer to see if there's anything else still inside."

"Right…" Coco clicked her tongue. "How big is the hole?"

"Enough to squeeze in an Ursa."

"Ugh, gods," the girl muttered. "That's still well within prowling range of the caravan route. What we're doing here will mean squat if even one survived in there. And does it have to be ruins?" I can make out her shuttering. "Disgusting damp claustrophobic hallways… Okay, CFVY! Push forward! We have to make sure this doesn't get out of hand! Fox!" I turned towards her voice. "Get in front! You're leading us there!" I felt something smack my butt as I walked passed her. "You're doing good."

A amused chuckle escaped my mouth. "You really need to lay off with those grabs. I might be blind, but it's not like I can't see what you're doing, Coco."

"Nope." She popped the 'p' in particular. "What can I say? I like making my compliments intimate."

I shook my head, letting out another chuckle as the rest of my team followed me. A good fifteen minutes passed. There was me in front, allowing **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** to do its thing within the confines of my body. The rest of my team never said a word, sticking close to me. It's not a situation I would feel too comfortable with. After all, my effective field of 'view' is basically whatever I can detect from soundwaves, and having any kind of noise would boost my reception a bit. Then again finding a ruin in the middle of nowhere is weird as well.

Only when we managed to arrive at the decaying structure in question did Coco speak up. "What in the world? This is a bunker." I could make out the sound of skin rubbing against cement. "Okay, so that makes a little bit more sense, I think. A bunker in the middle of nowhere seems a lot more reasonable than an actual colony or something. And no wonder nobody found it after so long. Whoever made this put in a lot of time making sure the overgrowth made the building blend in with the rest of the forest." She snapped her fingers. "Fox, anything you can tell us about the building?"

I nodded my head, focusing on the outline in my head. "Well, the entrance is on the same side as us, maybe a couple meters to the left of us. It's definitely Ursa-sized, but I'm starting to notice that the entrance was made bigger." I narrowed my eyebrows. "There are clear indentations within the sides of the front entrance as well as chipped pieces of cement from the frame. Somebody must've punched a hole for the Grimm to come through."

"So like an evil Yang?" Coco noted.

"… I don't know who that is, but if she punches hard and fast, then sure thing." **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** went in deeper into the building. "It's a lot bigger than it looks. There's an entire underground bunker, with elevators and everything! It's really fancy for what should just be a bunker in the middle of nowhere… Maybe it was a research facility?" I shrugged. "Getting off topic again, sorry. Point is that there's plenty of places for Grimm to hide. And I know for sure that there's Grimm movement down there."

"And that means we have to go into that old, abandoned deathtrap." My team leader let out another shutter. "The things we have to do for the good of all Remnans… Well then, it's not like we have any other choice. Everyone, scroll lights on. Except for you, Fox." I nodded, tapping my foot on the ground while the rest of them prepared their lights. As soon as they're done, we're doing our formation for entering building… How did our usual formation work when it comes to close quarters combat? First there's me, then there's… was it Coco or Velvet? It feels like both of them could be— no, it's Coco. Definitely Coco. Then rounding up the back was Velvet and Yatsu.

The moment everyone finally got their things together, we went in. I let out a shiver the moment the cold air enveloped around me. Whew, that's ice cold. Like a cold early morning in the bay. Gods, it's almost like one of the effects of that one user— No, don't think about that right now. The past is in the past. That user's never going to hurt anyone ever again. She's not here, nor will she ever be. I mean, of course this place would be cold. It's a laboratory buried underground, after all. It's supposed to be cold.

But back to the task at hand. I focused my guardian spirit's power. "Not locating any kind of Grimm so far," I reported. "But now that we're in here, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it was. It's maybe three or four floors, and there's always a decent-sized plaza-esque formation in the center of every floor. Kinda like the upper levels of a mall with that center opening leading down to the main floor." The sigh of the fashionista didn't escape my ears, bringing a smile to my face. I continued: "In fact, we should be approaching it soon-ish. I can't really tell with my eyes, but how's the lighting situation?"

Velvet's ears flopped and rubbed against each other as I could make out her shaking her head. "Not too good. The light bulbs either don't work or are currently smashed against the floor. It's all ground into a fine powder by now."

"Oh, really? That explains the weird gripping the floor had on my boots." We continued onwards. But yeah… aside from what I said before, it didn't seem like there's anything else about this bunker. A bit fancy, but I think it really is just abandoned. I let out a sigh. "No signs of Grimm so far. At this point we should be getting close to the plaza—" A small crack registered in my ears. The ground! The foundation's cracking up, and it's going to break any time now!

"Everyone, back away right now!" My hand shot out, stopping the rest of my team from advancing. "The floor's unstable right in front of us—"

Before I could finish my thoughts, the sound of crumbling cement rang throughout the corridor. Okay, Fox. You have to focus. From the sounds of it, the ground's crumbling a couple of meters ahead of us. Still have to be careful, though. Cracks can move extremely quickly, and I'm not going to know exactly where they will form. We could still be standing on bad ground at this very moment. I started taking steps back. There's bound to be a safe point somewhere. It's going to be risky, but I have to use **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** to find where a steel beam is within this place—

I felt myself falling. "Fox!" Coco snatched my arm. "Yatsu, get over here! Come on! Don't worry Fox, we'll get you out of there— Ahh!" Before I knew it, I found myself falling again, this time with Coco's hand on my wrist. The only things I could make out were the screams of both Yatsu and Velvet as the two of us dropped into the depths of the facility.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **It's that time of year again (technically it was yesterday) where I talk about Monty. Last year I talked about how I found him and became a fan of his work, eventually leading to my introduction to RWBY. This year I want to talk more about his legacy and the state of RWBY right now, mainly focusing on the writing of the show. Everything I say is just my opinion.**

 **I don't think anyone would disagree with me saying that Monty knew his fights. And I have to be honest, I got into RWBY because of the fights more than anything else. Back when I first started watching it, I didn't really care about the world, the characters, none of that. It was just watching awesome setpiece moments for me that kept me watching through V1 and V2. After all, I didn't jump into RvB until Monty came on, so not really surprising there. But as I kept watching and went back to writing, I started realizing the ambition in Monty's vision, how he wanted to create one hell of a world. He put so much effort into making RWBY, and I felt his passion and how he wanted the fans to be part of RWBY. Despite its imperfections, I can't help but stick with this work of love and passion.**

 **I will admit, the writing and pacing are frustrating in V4/during the second half of V5. The characters don't get the characterization they need for viewers to care about them on a deeper level, and the long-term volume/show arc don't click together - a shame considering that individual scenes on their own are brilliant.** **I see RWBY's plot as one that is originally based on the Uncharted method of bouncing toward setpiece moments. Yeah, there are character moments, but the memorable moments are in the big action scenes. Current RWBY is more drama-heavy, more character-driven. That's not a bad thing in itself, but the foundation for drama-heavy, character-driven plot isn't there. RWBY wasn't built to use this plot to the fullest, and the attempt at reconciling the two halves leave no one satisfied. It makes sense that people are frustrated by this.**

 **But I don't believe for a moment that this is due to a lack of passion. On the contrary, I would argue that CRWBY still feels this passion even three years after Monty's death.** **I still feel the love and passion from CRWBY that I saw in Monty. The character shorts, Yang vs Bandits, Blake vs Ilia, every character interaction in V5. There is love in every single scene. Every scene by itself reveals a lot about the characters. It never felt phoned in. This is the spirit Monty's legacy left, and I feel CRWBY never lost sight of it. Is there inconsistency in the worldbuilding? Yes. Do scenes taken into context of the entire volume ruin the pacing? Yes. Is there a ton of missed opportunities for organic storytelling? Yes. But the talent is there, the potential is there, the love and passion are there.**

 **RWBY isn't by any means a perfect show or even a great one from a writing perspective. I personally feel that RT needs to radically restructure production in order to take advantage of their strengths and shore up their flaws. I feel like they should take more time to really make sure that the overall story flows. But the problems in writing doesn't turn me away from the show, no matter how frustrating it gets. I still watch the show because that love is still there. The passion still inspires me even after all these years. And that is something worth remembering Monty for.** **Love and passion... that is his legacy, and that's worth celebrating.**

 **Monty, I miss you. Thank you for your legacy, and here's to a day where we can use them to create something we're proud of. Whether it's our own passion project or the fanworks of RWBY, may we keep moving on.**

* * *

 **Whew, that's like, a retrospective right there. Or more like an essay. Whichever. That being said, actual retrospective next chapter. So look out for that. Going to be my thoughts on the simulation arc as well as bits of this arc.**

 **Time for the reviews!**

 **Guest: A Vale arc seems pretty nice right now. I can't wait to show you guys Redbone!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! I mean, it might be possible that a Breach situation can happen. After all, the White Fang has kept their heads down for a pretty long time. Is this the moment I unleash a ton of Stand users at once? But of course, mysteries aren't fun if I just tell you. So keep watching for that!**

 **doa570047: Thank you, doa570047! Cinder is definitely an interesting situation. It's almost impossible to pick out her emotions. She can be cold and calculating one moment, then 'annoyed' another time. Her motives are genuine and pure, but they're laced with a pessimistic view of the world. Fleshing out Cinder has been one interesting ride, and I hope that it's satisfactory. But yeah, to a new arc!**

 **Anyways, that's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: February 16, 2018**_


	30. Redbone

**Hello everybody! Welcome to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Before I go into anything else, I want to step aside for a moment and say happy birthday to a fellow reader. Happy birthday, Vaughnilla! Thank you for reading this fic, and enjoy the birthday present!**

 **Let's get into a couple of announcements, particularly milestones. This fic officially passed the 300K word benchmark! That's a lot of words for an entire year and a month, and I'm glad we made it this far. Also, we managed to pass 100 Favorites and 125 Followers! That just blows my mind. This is just humbling. Thank you everybody for sticking by this story through thick and thin. And may we continue to have great times with this story for the year to come!**

 **In other news, there's the retrospective at the end of this chapter. And that's really all I have to say in terms of news. Thank you to my beta reader as usual! You do some great work! So without further ado, let's get right into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

 **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** and I both let out a hiss as the three demonic dogs bounced at us, jaws wide open. Oh gods, it's a trap! Before they could reach me, my Stand grabbed my neck and slammed my head into the counter, pulling me away from the chaos.

My face started sinking into the surface the moment I made contact. Safe… I looked back just in time to see the three dogs collide with each other and entangle themselves in a mess. They barked and growled at each other after landing, fumbling around in a dog ball. I let out the longest sigh once I completely merged into the wooden counter. Whew, managed to get away from that ambush. That was close. Who knows what could've happened to my body if they bit me?

I slid my body under the countertop, hiding my body from view entirely. This should give me some time to think. I should be safe as long as nothing sees me. Even if those hounds managed to find me, they couldn't really hurt me. I sighed as I rubbed the side of my head. So this is an actual attack from a Stand user, huh? It feels different than fighting Gwen or dealing with Russel. The ferocity of a Stand user purposely trying to kill me is completely different than anything we fought before.

The realization finally dawned in my mind. My gods, somebody's actually trying to kill me this time around! And not just an animal like **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** killing in the name of self-preservation or anything like that. No, this is a sentient being who wants me dead. I clenched my fist. But who could it be? I remember Ruby telling us that there's a group of people who are looking for a certain Stand user. Could it be that they're trying to kill everybody off?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. I held my breath. Who could it be? All I can make out from my place under the counter were a set of brown dress pants and leather dress shoes. I had to restrain a groan. It's so inconvenient not being able to bend my head without appearing out from my hiding spot! Who is it?

A masculine groan escaped from the person's mouth. "Aww, gods no… she's gone. The girl just disappeared." The man threw a table on its side with a frustrated grunt, causing me to flinch. "Oh gods, the boss is gonna kill me if I don't find her! He's gonna have my head!" He moved to grab his hair, I think. "And **「** **REDBONE!** **」** What are you doing all tangled up? What happened to the traitor?" I bit my lip. Traitor?

" _Gone hiding,_ " one of the dogs barked, finally managing to pull themselves away from the rest of the group. It looked like the biggest hound out of all of them. The pack leader, if I had to guess. " _But I can still smell her within the building. We would know if she left. She's here somewhere._ "

"I guess— That's fine. Whew, I'm still okay for the moment." He sighed and started to mumble, which I managed to pick up. "Good grief… out of all of the users in the White Fang, why did I have to be the one who can track down certain individuals?" I bit my lip again hearing that. He's White Fang? "And to have this be one of my first missions with it after that matter with all the stolen Dust…" He exhaled yet again. "So many things to do, so little time. The boss honestly doesn't make any sense. Why go after the cat faunus traitor from over a year ago? She's not important at all, she's probably going to try and stay low, there's no reason to—"

The alpha hellhound sniffed again and growled. " _She's closer than I thought. Within this room, in fact. My nose doesn't lie._ " It glanced around. " _I can't spot her, but wherever she's hiding, she can spot us from there._ " I froze hearing that, if that was even possible in my current state.

From my peripheral vision, I think I can make out the man's legs shaking. "Oh gods no… she can see all of us? Then the boss made the right call after all! If she can see you, then that means she's a Stand user. But if she's a Stand user—" He gasped. "Oh gods no! We already said too much! She's hiding somewhere within our sights, ready to strike against us! And she probably heard everything! I have to find her now! **「** **REDBONE,** **」** did she already move?"

His Stand scoffed. " _Not a bit._ "

I could make out the sounds of teeth biting against something solid. "Oh gods, what is she planning now? If we let her leave this place, I'm going to lose my head!" He took in a long breath. "But at the same time, I don't want to know what her Stand ability is. If it allowed her to hide without you being able to find it, then it has to be a very dangerous ability!" He let out a hum. "But maybe we can try smoking her out. **「** **REDBONE,** **」** find a gas line and open it up. There should be one in this place." The hellhound growled at leaped over the counter.

The mystery man then dug his hands into his pockets, pulling out a tiny North Mistralian pistol from the Great War. It reminded me of the weapons used in Menagerie, except far more primitive. "Now, I'm sure there should be a gas stove in here. It's pretty easy to smell. Hmm…" He started for the counter. Wait a minute, this is my chance! I can take him down right here. All I have to do is wait for him to get close to me then…

He gasped in surprise the moment a dark hand appeared from under the counter, grabbing him by the lapel of his suit. Both my Stand and I appeared on top of the surface soon after, the two of us each shooting the masked man a dirty look. The White Fang assassin yelped, jerking his gun up to the image of my face. I shot out at that moment, snatching his gun hand and sliding my body past the weapon. My Stand's claws popped out. " **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS!** **」** " I yelled.

All this person could do was hold his free arm up to his face before my Stand struck. A flurry of slices danced across his body, turned his clothes into ribbons. He howled in pain as dark red streaks flashed across his arm and body, followed by the ugly hissing sound of blood spewing from his arm. The jaguar-esque Stand curled a hand into a ball. Let's end this!

"WAAAAOOUUUU!" **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** slammed her fist, striking the man square in the chin and launching him through the air. Moments later his body slammed into the wall of the restaurant, sending wooden splinters into the air. He groaned a moment later, rubbing his head as he tried standing back up. My eyes fell to the floor, glancing at the weapon he just dropped. I snatched it up in an instant and pointed it at him. One bullet. All it takes is one bullet to the face and it'll all be over. My hand started shaking.

My eyes fell to his cut sleeves. No, not yet. Every cut I made was healing up. He must've called his Stand back. And I could hear the sound of hissing from the kitchen. He must've opened up the gas line before I did that stunt.

It's not safe being here. This place might explode in a ball of flames soon, or right now if I fire the pistol. With a hiss I lowered the gun and started backing up towards the front door, keeping my eye on the man the entire time. It's best to get away and get either Ruby and Weiss before coming after him again. That's going to be the safer option.

With that plan in mind, I stepped out of the store before turning and running. Alright, all I have to do now is head back to the Unity Amphitheater, go get Ruby or Weiss and then come back and hunt this guy down. Wait a minute… My eyes widened as I looked at the street in front of me. I don't recognize this place. I know I walked through this area before with those copies of my parents, but how did I get here? How am I going to get back to the Amphitheater? Oh gods… Now I feel stupid for not paying attention while I was walking over here. Oh wait, maybe if I just call Team RWBY— no wait. Don't have my scroll on me.

I glanced back. He's bound to recover eventually, and I can't afford to stand around this place and think about what to do. I slipped the stolen gun under my vest. I'm just going to have to lose him in the crowd. I'll just run in the direction of where people are gathering. That should buy me some time until I think of a decent plan to fight against him. I leaped onto a nearby dumpster before pulling myself onto the roof of a building and running off in a random direction.

The wind whipped against my face as I bounded across the buildings. What to do, what to do… I need backup, that's for sure. That guy's Stand must be good for tracking or something. Which means no matter what, he's bound to find me again. But if I managed to get even one other person with me, we can bait him into a position where we can take care of him. I don't even need a Stand user. Just somebody who knows me and is willing to help out. But I just need to find a friend—

Wait a minute. I stopped and dropped low. Normally, that would be a good idea. Having numbers would be great. And I did promise team RWBY not to do this kind of stuff alone anymore. But there's a tiny problem: the ability of **「** **REDBONE** **」** allows it to mimic anyone I know. I don't know to what extent this Stand user can replicate a person, but he managed to make an almost perfect copy of my parents. That says a lot about how powerful his ability is. In fact, the only reason I'm here right now is that his Stand started to break down at the last moment. But even then, I didn't realize how bad it was until all of the hellhounds were at my neck! If he can replicate people that perfectly, then who can I really trust?

Just like that, everybody around me could either be a real person or a hellhound. I bit my lip. Maybe hiding in a crowd wasn't such a good idea after all. And if this guy already knows my team and where they are, he can copy them and ambush me there. It would be foolish to go back to the Amphitheater then.

A sweatdrop started sliding down my face. I'm all alone. No backup, no scroll, and no weapons aside from an old-fashioned gun that may or may not work. I took out the weapon and checked the magazine of the weapon. The gun has twelve rounds in the magazine, plus one in the chamber. I sighed. I have to go back and fight him by myself. He can easily overwhelm me without a doubt. But what choice do I have? I have a painted target on my back, and it's never going to go away until that guy goes down.

I slipped the gun back into my vest and started back for the tea shop. I never thought I would see the day I actively had to put someone down. Now that I think about it, everything I did back in the White Fang was just raids, maybe property destruction if something goes wrong. And sometimes people got hurt when they got caught in the crossfire. The first time the White Fang actively tried to target the public was the day I left. And now they stooped down so low as to assassinate people. I never had to kill people during my time with the White Fang.

And if nothing goes wrong with this plan, this will be my first premeditated kill. I would be killing one of my own kind for the sake of others. A bitter smile grew on my face. That would be pretty ironic. The daughter of a former White Fang leader murdering a White Fang member in cold blood. The same girl who left when the majority of the White Fang wanted to start killing. The roof of the tea shop started appearing back in my sight. But then again, my team won't allow any Stand user to abuse their powers for their own gain. I will be no different.

A small ring of dust flew up into the air as I landed on the ground and yanked out the pistol with a single clean action. My thumb snapped the safety off. I won't let this guy hurt me or my friends. I won't let him attack a crowd of innocent people for their own gain. We might share the heritage of our ancestors, but I won't let him destroy the peace so many lives were lost for. I won't let him punish others for the sins of their grandfathers. My heart pounded in my chest as I approached the restaurant. No amount of power should come at the cost of others. That goes both ways.

My eyes flickered back and forth around the area outside the store. Nothing. No people, no hiding spots. Not even any movement. Didn't this place have a ton of people walking around before? Where did they go now? I mean, on one hand, it means that whatever I do won't get anybody hurt. On the other hand, it's putting me on edge. Is this also part of his Stand ability? This has to be an ambush in the making. There's no way that this isn't a trap.

I pulled the gun up to my eye level, jabbing it through the door of the store. What the— I blinked. He's gone! I scanned the room. The blood splatters where he used to be was still there, and one of the tables are still flipped. But not a single sight of him. Oh gods, I let him heal up enough to escape unnoticed!

But if that's the case, that means— I snapped the gun behind me. Nobody stood there. Wait, what? Nobody's attacking me? I can feel my heart thump as dread filled my chest. He could be anywhere at this point. Maybe in the building, maybe in Vale. How in the world am I suppose to track him down? That's like trying to beat Ilia in a game of hide-and-seek! As far as I know, he could've changed clothes and taken off his mask, and I wouldn't know any better.

The gun slipped back into my vest. If I can't track him down, I can do the second best thing: make sure that he keeps his attention on me. I'll figure out a way to warn the rest of the team. I can ask someone— Wait. Let's not do that. Maybe find a terminal and call them, or maybe buy a burner scroll and call them through that— Gods, I left my lien pouch at the amphitheater as well. Past-me would be livid right now with my lack of preparedness. I had to put everything in the back pouch, did I? And to think that I never stopped to grab anything that could've been useful here.

Fine. I sighed. I'll just find a terminal then. I started walking in no direction in particular. Okay, where can I find one of those? I know for sure that the CCT Tower at Beacon has one of them for sure, but it'll take too long trying to get back. Plus, it would be a bad idea to lead a hostile White Fang member there, where he can impersonate my friends and confuse us even more. Public government buildings should have a few. But I don't know how to get to them from where I am right now. Hmm… aren't stores required to have a terminal for people to use? Maybe I should just go into a store and use that—

"Speak of the gods. I can't believe my eyes. 'Sup, Blake?" I turned around to see a familiar monkey faunus with a goofy grin on his face walking towards me. He raised his hand towards me and gave me a quick wave. "How's it going?"

"Sun?" My bow twitched seeing the boy. Why is he here? I glanced around the area for any other people. Nobody was in sight. Huh? "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at Beacon?"

He shrugged. "I was. Woke up this afternoon with a ton of energy, even after that simulation thing that happened yesterday. Even something like that won't keep me down, after all. The rest of my teammates decided to stay back, but I felt a bit antsy, so I decided to take a walk in Vale." He stretched his back as he walked towards me. "But man, did the concert end already? Where's the rest of your team? I thought they would be with you?"

"Well, the show isn't over. It didn't even start in the first place. They're still in the—" My eyes narrowed. Wait a minute. I jerked the gun out and pointed it at him.

The monkey faunus' hands shot up within an instant. He was maybe a meter away from me at this point. "Whoa! Blake, what the hell? What's with the gun—"

"Stay where you are. Make any move, and I'll shoot." The boy complied, swallowing as he eyed the barrel. I started pacing around him. "How do you know that my team was going to a concert at this time?"

"Well… you guys were gone for the whole entire day." Sun scratched his head as his face started turning red. "There was that one band having a show tonight, and I assumed that Team RWBY was going to that concert. Neptune and Scarlet were planning on going just for the laughs, but yesterday just sapped all of the energy out of them."

My eyes narrowed. Something's definitely off about this. "What's your name?"

That caused the boy to raise his eyebrows. "Huh? I'm Sun Wukong."

"Where did you come from?"

"I used to be a citizen of Vacuo, moved to Mistral."

"What are your weapons?"

"Shotgun nunchucks that can transform into a bo staff. Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang."

"If you were able to have a date with one girl in the school, who would it be?"

"You."

I flinched as the gun let out a rattle, spitting fire and launching a lead round towards the boy. The bullet slammed into his kneecaps, inverting it and sending him toppling to the ground. Despite that, the boy didn't look like he was in pain. If anything, he had a look of surprise and disbelief before it morphed into demonic fury. Good. I didn't accidentally shoot the real Sun. "Nice try, **「** **REDBONE.** **」** "

Fangs started sprouting out of Sun's mouth as his facial structure became more canine. " _What? How did you know?_ "

"Two things." I pocketed the gun before picking up the ejected shell. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** formed behind me again, feline eyes staring at the transformed hellhound. "One: the event I was going to was an exclusive event. People had to buy an album in order to get the chance to go. And I doubt that Team SSSN would spend money to attend a concert 'just for laughs.' Two: you responded way too quickly with the last answer. The real Sun would get flustered with that question, because he's wishy-washy with his feelings toward me. He has never admitted his crush on me this brazenly before, so why do it now?"

My fingers rolled the casing in my hand. "You've made your mistakes. Now it's time for me to stop you and your user." **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** shot over to the other Stand, gripping it by the neck and jerking it up into the air. "But first, a quick question. Who is your Stand user and where is he?"

" _I won't give away Master's identity,_ " the creature hissed. A quick slice by **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** formed a set of four bloody scratches across the creature's body and face. A howl escaped the hound.

"That's okay. I can just finish off the Stand user here by beating you into submission." My eyes flickered around the area. Still nobody in sight. That's suspicious. Wasn't there at least three of these guys? Why aren't they trying to ambush me yet?

An ear-piercing howl escaped from the **「** **REDBONE** **」** hellhound, forcing me to wince. My faunus ears flopped to the top of my head. Moments later my Stand slammed a fist into the hound's muzzle, silencing the noise and replacing it with a high pitched whimper. As much as I hate dogs, this doesn't feel good. Not one bit. But I have to keep doing it. Everybody's safety relies on me being able to stop that White Fang member from targeting all of my friends. My Stand winded her hand back for another punch.

Distant barking reached my ears from behind me. My eyes widened. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** faded away just as the other two hellhounds bit into my shoulder. I gritted my teeth. My Semblance kicked in a moment later, sending me flying to the side while a shadow of myself was body slammed by the attackers. Already it broke up into pieces as the other hellhounds bit into it. The hellhound I originally captured flopped onto the ground, already back to its original form. A whine escaped its mouth as it tried rubbing the blood off of its face.

Only one thought came to mind as I watched all three hellhounds in front of me. Run! I started making a beeline towards a nearby wall. If I get caught by **「** **REDBONE,** **」** I won't be able to fight back when the White Fang member comes around to restrain me. There's no way I can do anything before he kills me. I gritted my teeth. And to think just a couple of moments ago I made the decision to stand my ground and fight them.

But that was then, and this is now. Until I can figure out something— anything to beat this user, I have to play it safe. I dove into the wall and started scaling the building without missing a beat. There has to be something, anything about this Stand that I can exploit. I mean, these hellhounds aren't regular search dogs. Well, the demonic look is a factor, but I mean in terms of ability. There has to be some kind of pattern that I can use to my advantage. One Stand user can't possibly have three beings without having some kind of disadvantage I can take advantage of.

I reemerged back into the third dimension, pulling myself onto the rooftops and making my way in no random direction in particular. Okay, think back to every single encounter with **「** **REDBONE** **」** so far. The first time I met two of them at once in the form of my parents. Then they took me to an empty restaurant with the cook, who was the last hellhound. The other time it was one hellhound becoming Sun, and the other two didn't even change forms. They just rushed towards me the moment I saw through the ruse and started attacking its… pack member, I suppose? And they came from all directions. I groaned. Both of these scenarios have no pattern.

Wait a minute… That's odd. I rubbed my temples. Why did only one choose to attack me instead of just using the whole pack? Considering how the hellhound was behind me, wouldn't it make sense to just strike me down? And why were the other two off in random directions? Any search dog worth their salt would remember my scent and follow me, no matter where I happened to be. So why would they split up? No pack of search dogs will ever need to split up unless—

It clicked in my head. Unless they can't detect me through my scent. If they can't find me through their scent, they would have to split up to look for me. Then they have that howl where they can call the rest of their pack to surround and take me down. But now that I think about it, it's strange. The first time they didn't howl or anything. They brought me over to a tea shop to the last one. And one of the hellhounds found me in the form of Sun, but still didn't howl. They need to fulfill some kind of condition in order to attack me. There's still no good pattern from what I know.

A groan escaped from my mouth as I jumped down from the roof and landed on the sidewalk. There are more people here for sure, but it's sparse. Enough for me to tell who's who; enough for the Stand user to hide his Stand without me noticing. I don't really know… is this more ideal than being alone? Maybe? It'll have to do for now. But it's still not obvious what I can potentially do to stop this Stand user. But I guess I just have to keep running until I figure out the weakness of **「** **REDBONE.** **」**

My ears caught the sound of several yips. The hairs on the back of my neck shot straight up. Did they find me? And they're just going to just straight up chase me in their hellhound forms instead of trying a disguise?

And why are there several barks escaping from inside the building? I thought there were only three! My breathing became ragged. Do I dare look? My head started turning, shaking all the meanwhile. I need to know for sure. But I can't— I don't— No. Stop… struggling, me. I need to know the truth. I need to act. Alright. I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

I jerked my head only to see something furry slam right into the window. A scream escaped from my mouth as I fell onto my butt. Oh gods! Look at those pointed teeth! Those sharp and uncut nails! Those tiny, beady eyes! A whimper escaped my mouth as the tiny golden retriever yipped, licking the window as it stared at me with those demonic eyes. Several other puppies noticed as well, clambering towards the window to look at me.

Conflicted feelings ran through me as my face grew warm. Oh, gods. I got scared by a bunch of puppies. I shot up and brushed myself off. I hope nobody saw that. To get spooked by a bunch of tiny dogs who aren't even close to the size of the beasts I'm going against… I shivered. I think I might be losing my nerve.

At the same time… It might be a decent hiding spot from those hellhounds. Who would suspect that I would go into a kennel? Plus, I might get some ideas on how to fight off the White Fang user. Besides the demon dogs from hell, they act like regular dogs.

But the dogs… I shot a glare at the pawing demons slobbering over the window. Why does it have to be dogs? Why couldn't they be ferrets or marsupials or hedgehogs or even snakes? No, it has to be a kennel filled with the boring pets. I sighed. I guess people just like cats and… dogs more than the more interesting types of pets.

My heart started beating faster as I approached the shelter. Come on, Blake. It shouldn't be that hard. You managed to tolerate that corgi Ruby and Yang owns, and he's… an absolute menace on the face of the earth. And Zwei has to be a young dog as well. A melodic bell chimed as I walked through the entrance. These guys right here? They're just little pups. They shouldn't be nearly as bad. Mainly because they aren't big enough to actually do anything. They aren't hellhounds, after all.

"Good evening, miss." I looked up to see some girl behind the counter giving me a polite smile. "Is there anything I can help you out with?"

"I'm just, uh— looking around." My eye turned towards the shelves of various pet items, nodding my head for a moment. "Well, actually I think you can help me." I walked over to her. "You see, my friend has a dog who has been very bad. He bites and tears things, he pounces on others without notice and nips me all the time, he barks at everything— and don't get me started on all of the barking he's done." I rubbed the side of my temples. "He barks at everyone that passes our room, he barks at night. Nobody can get any sleep, and I'm starting to feel it get to me."

"That sounds… pretty bad," the girl noted, putting a hand under her chin. "Did you try to send the dog to a trainer?"

I nodded. "We already took him to training for a couple of months now, but it seems like nothing's working." My eyes glanced down and chuckled. "I guess you can say I'm getting pretty desperate. Do you have anything that could help with that? Anything to help shape him up?"

The worker let out a hum before nodding her head. "We have a ton of training tools and discipline aids we can use to correct the behavior of your friend's dog. Typically most of this behavior can be fixed with a clicker and proper training, but considering how the problems are still there, I don't think those will work as you might wish. Well, we have some in-house trainers, and we're willing to take a look if you want to schedule an appointment. There are also some dog trainers that we know of in the city that we can contact, if you would like the help."

"Thank you, but I want to talk to my partner— friend first before committing to an idea like this. It is her dog after all."

The attendant smiled. "Of course, of course. I perfectly understand."

"But until I get the chance to have that talk, let's talk about the training tools and discipline aids." I leaned into her face, way too close for comfort. The attendant— I think her name was Azure from her name tag— leaned back as a sweatdrop slipped down her face. "Can you give me some information about that? I need it." The girl was sweating beads now. I widened my eyes, which were thankfully still bloodshot and tired from yesterday's simulation. "Please. Anything for a good night's rest."

She held her hands up, nudging me away. "Sure, I understand your position… Could you lean back a bit? You're kinda too close to me for comfort." I leaned back, letting out a sigh. "Thanks. Well, there are muzzle guards that stop the dog from barking entirely, but it's kinda inhumane to keep those on a dog for an entire night."

"He's going to bite out of it or figure out a way to rip the thing off," I groaned. Come on, please tell me where I can find something that I can actually use. I couldn't say that to her face, so I just rubbed my eyes instead. Just keep the lie straight. "That dog's surprisingly wily. I've seen him bite through his harness and slip away while my friend was walking him, so is there anything else?"

Azure scratched her head. "This is a serious problem… Hmm… We have compressed spray bottles used to distract animals from bad behavior, but I don't think anyone wants to stay up spraying him every time he barks. Electric collars offer a hands-free option, where it will shock the dog after a bark. But again, if your dog barks that often it's kinda cruel having a collar like that on all the time. This is more difficult than I imagined…" She snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! That might work!"

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The girl goes under the counter, rummaging around for something. "Well, we got a recent shipment of these recently, but nobody's ever tried them out before. But this might be something worth trying." She slammed some wrapped package of a silver tube on the counter. My face twisted in confusion.

"A whistle?"

"A dog whistle." Azure popped back up. "When you blow on it, it creates a pitch with a frequency past the sound of human hearing. However, it can be heard clearly by an animal, like a dog. As a result, it can be used to train dogs while making sure that nobody else gets annoyed."

She did an absent-minded gesture. "The issue with dog whistles in the past was the fact that Faunus with ear traits could also hear at that frequency. As a result, the sound would annoy those particular Faunus to no end. I don't know if you know, but normal ones tend to be highly regulated due to this fact."

She pointed at the product on the counter. "This particular one was supposedly made by a small Faunus startup company. The idea is that when it's blown, it should create a sound that isn't nearly as annoying to the Faunus as before. I don't quite understand the technology behind it. Something about combining a certain whistle design with a certain Dust mixture to soften the screeching sound? But it managed to get approved by the Council, so it had to pass something."

"That's… nice." I looked up. "Don't you have regular dog whistles?"

She nodded. "We do, but we don't sell those without forcing anyone who buys one to have a permit from the Council. We also require that you sign a waiver stating that we're not responsible for any lawsuits any Faunus might want to file." Azure picks up the dog whistle on the table and waves it around. "But this type of whistle isn't regulated yet, considering how new it is. It's still okay to buy them without all of the red tape." She glanced at me. "I'm willing to sell this at a discount, if just to see if this really works. I'll throw in a guaranteed return policy if this doesn't help stop your dog from barking during the night, if you want."

I hummed as I looked at the whistle. That might work. "Thanks for the offer. I'll consider it. Can I look at it?" The attendant shrugged and handed it to me. I held it up in the air. "So you're saying that this is specially designed to make sure that Faunus aren't affected by the whistle, right?"

"Mmhm. Well, at least it won't affect them as much. I can't imagine that a sound outside of the human hearing spectrum would be pleasant to hear for any kind of Faunus. I'm pretty sure that it would still be annoying to hear. But ideally this shouldn't cause any pain for Faunus-kind."

"Okay…" I gave the whistle one more look over for any damage before I glanced at the attendant. So how much does this cost?"

Before she could answer, I heard the sound of the bell ring again. Azure held her hand up. "Sorry about that, let me take care of the customer that just came in." She looked up. "How may I help you—"

"No need, ma'am! I found something even more interesting. Heya, Blakey!" I froze in place when I heard that energetic voice. You got to be kidding me… I turned around to see Nora skipping along towards me. "It's great to see ya! I can't believe you were in this awesome pet shop!"

I bit my lip. Okay, is this guy even trying? Out of all of the people **「** **REDBONE** **」** can impersonate, the hellhound decided that using Nora was a good idea. On one hand, it's kinda concerning that he actually knows that JNPR is a thing. Just how long has he been stalking me? Long enough to know about these guys, that's for sure. But on the other hand, is he a moron? He chose Nora, the one person who never leaves Ren's side to be here. My free hand went for my gun. This is such an obvious trick, I can just shoot **「** **REDBONE** **」** and be done with it—

"Oh, you know this girl?" Azure asked. "Do you happen to be the dog owner with the barking problems?" My mouth dried up hearing the attendant's voice. This wasn't a mistake. This was part of his plan. Of course he must've realized Nora wouldn't leave Ren's side.

But Azure doesn't know that. And I can't just shoot a self-proclaimed friend in front of her. Not without calling attention to myself. If I shoot this obvious fake right now or even use my Stand, she's going to call the police on me, and then I would be hunted by both **「** **REDBONE** **」** and the VPD. I might be good, but there's no way I can escape both at the same time. And even if I get captured by the VPD, the White Fang would just need to raid the prison to get me. I won't be able to get away.

My eyes narrowed at the fake that's pretending to be my friend. If I do nothing, 'Nora' is going to get me in some kind of grip and signal the other hellhounds. They will come in looking like a friend, drag me out somehow, then transform and pin me down for that White Fang user to come and kill me. Which means that I have to figure a way to weasel out of this right now—!

Before I could act, the fake Nora put me in a headlock, pressing me against her chest. "The dog owner? Ohh… you mean Yang!" She shook her head. "No, I'm just a roommate looking for Blakey here. She likes to wander around Vale, like a stray kitty, you know? And I'm going to bring her back home!" She ruffled my hair as she gave the attendant a toothy grin. A very toothy grin. Her canine was big and sharp. "Silly Blakey. You know you can't always wander around whenever you wish right? Come on, we gotta get back to our leader." I shuddered at the thought.

"I mean, if you can give me a bit more time to look through some of these training tools, I'll come with you," I whispered through gritted teeth. "Mutts shouldn't be pests, and I'm going to make sure they don't mess with me."

"Heh… Haha! That's funny! Oh, I didn't expect that from you, Blakey! Oh, come on, dogs aren't that bad! You don't need to be so grumpy!" Fake Nora's face went serious. "It's time to go back."

The bell chimed once more, revealing Jaune and Ren running into the store. "Oh my gods, there you are Blake!" Jaune sighed. The two boys started towards me. "What are you doing here? Come on, let's go back home. Everybody else is waiting for you." Whelp, it's now or never. I tore through the package and brought the whistle to my mouth despite the protests of Azure. Everybody's eyes widened as I took a deep breath and blew on it as hard as possible.

My eyes widened at the ugly squealing noise that escaped from the whistle. In an instant, I can feel my brain convulsing in pain. Holy— ow! This is loud! The cat ears under my bow twitched and tried to fold themselves in to stop the noise. It feels like it's in my head! Oh gods— All the sound in the world faded away, replaced by the demonic wail that escaped from the whistle. My hands were twitchy. I wanted nothing more to cover my ears from the noise. I wanted to end the pain now, but I kept blowing for my life.

'Nora' let go of me, allowing my body to drop to the floor. Fake Jaune and fake Ren were covering their ears as they collapsed as well. All of the puppies were wincing and covering their ears as they shrunk into a ball. My skull feels like it's going to crack… No more! I stopped blowing and spat the whistle out into my hand. Oh my gods. This was the humane version of the dog whistle? If that's the case, then what does an actual dog whistle sound like? My cat ears were still ringing, but at least the pounding in my head stopped.

Azure gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh my gods… what in the world? Why did they all collapse?"

With a heavy breath, I slapped the dog whistle back onto the counter. "I've never heard an actual dog whistle before, but I don't think this is less annoying than that." I want to check if my ears are bleeding, but at the same time, I don't really want to reveal to her that I'm a faunus. But I think the ringing is gone, so I guess there's no need to worry about tinnitus this time around. I glanced at her as I staggered up to my feet. "You might want to go into the back room and lock yourself in."

"What? Why?"

"Let's just say it's going to get a little messy in here," I sighed as all three hellhounds started morphing back to their original form. "It's for your own safety."

The woman blinked. "And what about you?"

"Don't worry, I'm a Huntress. This is what I do." I pulled out the gun as my Stand appeared behind me. "Just hurry and hide. And no matter what, do not open the door."

She nodded, making her way into the back room before slamming the door shut. I heard the click of the lock soon after. Now that she's safe, I glanced at the cameras within the store. One. I shot it off of the ceiling with a deafening bang. Two, three, four, five… One by one every camera I could find was blown to smithereens. I pointed the gun at the last camera and blew it off of its hinges. And six. Yeah, this is going to look bad on me, but Beacon should cover for it. The last thing we need right now is anybody else figuring out that there are Stands in the world.

I dove into the floor and crawled under a nearby floor shelf. Maybe a minute later that Stand user burst through the door. "Argh, my ears! That cat… who the hell does she think she is? I'll crush her for doing this—" A gasp escaped from his direction as he approached the floor shelf I'm under. "What the— **「** **REDBONE!** **」** Where's the target?"

" _In the building for sure,_ " the alpha noted. The rest of the hellhounds stood up and shook themselves off, occasionally brushing their ear. " _We managed to lose her when she blew the dog whistle. But we do know her ability now. She can merge into flat surfaces. That's how she can escape from our sight while we can still smell her._ "

He tsked. "Great. Just great. So she could be hiding behind anything and I wouldn't be the wiser?" The man sighed. "What a terrible day. Can't poor Perry get a break? First I get clawed at. Then I get choked and punched indirectly. After that, the girl probably burst my eardrums using that dog whistle. And now I'm probably going to get shot? And for what, to wrap a catgirl in a bowtie as a present to the boss?" I brought one of my arms out from the floor, pressing it against the bottom of the shelf.

He stomped his foot on the ground. "I refuse! No more! I'm sick of this cat and mouse game, and I'm sick of worrying about keeping my head! **「** **REDBONE,** **」** get close to me! We're going to search for her the old-fashioned way—"

I pushed hard, sending the shelf toppling over. A grunt and curse escaped the man's mouth as the metal object slammed into him. I pulled my torso out from the ground a second later, firing two rounds at his face. The first one slammed into his side, a spray of blood escaping from the hole made. One of the hounds jumped in a moment later, spitting a rubber dog toy in the path of the second bullet. The two projectiles slammed into each other and bounced away, leaving the user untouched.

A wave of pain swam through my free arm as I was ripped from the ground and back into the third dimension. What the— I looked up to see the other two hellhounds gnawing at my arm, jerking the limb around. Several streams of blood coated my pale skin with crimson. Oh gods! **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** flew over and jammed her fingers into their eye sockets, causing both of them to howl in agony before letting go. I let myself sink into the ground and crawled away from the hounds and under one of the shelves pressed against the wall.

My face winced as I pulled my 2D image onto the wall itself. Ow… I slid the gun into my vest and pressed against my bleeding wounds. There were way too many puncture wounds in my skin, and blood still flowed out regularly. Not good. I gotta get out of here and find a place to heal up. I can already feel myself getting lightheaded. I started towards the back exit.

"Oh gods, where is she now?" I could make out the sounds of crashing. "She's gotta be here somewhere! Nonono! I am not going to lose my head for failing!" I grimaced as the sounds of destruction came close. "Oh gods, what is the White Fang going to do to me? If this girl gets away, she's going to destroy months of preparation! Our attack's going to be ruined— Wait a minute. What's this?" The destruction stopped. "This is clearly a blood trail… and it leads right here!"

I jerked up as one of the shelves I passed was ripped away from the wall. The blood! I'm making a bloody trail! "Gotcha! I can just follow this to her!" I doubled my efforts to reach the exit. Come on! I'm so close to the exit! I have to get out of here! All of the shelves started collapsing, each one coming ever so closer to me. The door's right there, I just need to slip through—

A gasp escaped my mouth as I pulled myself through the crack in the door. I faced a dirty narrow alleyway full of graffiti on the walls. The area was dark, one of the few places where the sun doesn't shine. Several wide dumpsters were pressed against the walls. Some of the trash didn't even make it into the bin itself, instead being scattered around in a messy circle. There's barely enough room for a garbage truck to come through and pick up the trash. I wrinkled my nose when I took a whiff. Smells like a dump as well.

It was in this place where I pulled myself out from the wall. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** disappeared from my sights. I winced as my flesh started pulling itself back together, my Aura working overtime to heal up the punctured flesh. Let me think… I have maybe four bullets left in the gun. This White Fang person is going to find himself outside soon. He's most likely prepared a defense for when I shoot him, most likely in the form of using his dogs to take the shots for him. He will eventually catch me if I don't end him right now. The only option that will give me my best chance at ending the fight now is some kind of trap. But what kind of trap can I set up in less than a minute?

My eyes were drawn towards a nearby dumpster, a couple of meters away from the exit I just went through. Maybe… is it possible to drag items into the second dimension? I narrowed my eyes. I'm pretty sure I did it some time ago… But then again, didn't the gun also merge into the surface with me? It might be possible.

The sounds of crashing came closer. Well, I'm about to find out. I slammed my hands against the object and started pushing it. Sweat slid down my face as the dumpster groaned, giving maybe an inch. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** reappeared in front of me, snatching the dumpster before pushing it with ease into the wall. A gasp escaped my mouth as the brick wall rippled, swallowing the giant metal bin whole. Before I knew it, all that remained was an image of the dumpster. I guess I have my answer then. Well, I should get in the wall as well.

I dove in with ease, merging into the wall and setting myself next to the merged dumpster. No, wait… I need something to bait him into attacking. The thing is, I don't think he can touch me while I'm merged. Is it possible for me to get hurt while I'm in my 2D form? Probably if he destroyed the wall, but all he has is his dogs. We're going to get stuck in a stalemate, and he probably has the resources to break it. I need to goad him.

Instead, I pulled myself out just as the White Fang user kicked the door down. This Perry guy staggered out, his hand pressed against his blood-soaked side. A growl escaped his mouth as he spotted my form easily. "You. Do you know how much trouble you put me through?" The three **「** **REDBONE** **」** hellhounds snarled as they slinked towards me, all in a tight-knit pack. "I've been having the shivers thinking about what the boss would do to me if I fail."

He glared at me. "You've been a pest this entire time. You insist on running away, hiding under things and shooting me and making my life a living hell!" I paid no heed to him, instead watching the hellhounds approach. Come on… just a little more. "You traitor! It's no wonder the boss was paranoid that you're still around! You know too much! You've been a thorn in our side ever since the day you abandoned us! You sold us out to the enemy!" He bared his teeth at me. "It's time to take you back and make you face the consequences."

At that, the hellhounds charged. Perfect. " **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS!** **」** " I yelled. The feline Stand appeared a moment later, shoving the dumpster out of the wall and into the dogs at breakneck speeds. Their snarls were replaced with pained whimpers as the dumpster crashed into them with a loud clang. I let out a gasp as all three dogs were sent flying, smashing into a nearby wall. Wow, that was forceful. They broke off some chunks of brick. Perry gasped as well as several dents appeared on his of the dogs looked like they were in a daze. The three of them let out a symphony of whines, trying to stand up for a moment before they stumbled back down to the ground.

Before the dumpster could fly any further, my Stand snatched the side, preventing it from rolling any further. The Stand user flinched back when we met eyes. I let one edge of my mouth curve up. "Here. Catch." Both **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** and I kicked the dumpster before he could respond.

The man let out a curse as he jerked to the side in an attempt to escape the blow. It was in vain. Seconds later the heavy metal dumpster slammed into him, knocking him off of his feet and dragging his body along for the ride. That should knock him out long enough for me to shoot him. I narrowed my eyes. Wait a minute… my eyes widened as I noticed the other dumpster a couple of meters behind him. What in the— Oh no—

An agonizing scream escaped his mouth a second later as the two dumpsters sandwiched the lower half of his body. I winced at the sounds of his bones being ground to dust at the impact. I think I could make out a growing pool of blood right beneath him. Maybe there was something sharp that I didn't notice that punctured his body when he made impact. This guy— he tried pulling himself out from his position, but the dumpsters won't move no matter what he does. I think I can make out streams of tears running down his face.

His **「** **REDBONE** **」** hounds faded away, leaving me and the White Fang user alone in this disgusting alleyway. I can already see his Aura crackling. No matter what happens next, he's done for. There's no way that his body can recover from being crushed into little bits. He's as good as dead. But just in case— I pulled the pistol out and counted my bullets. Three in the magazine, one in the chamber. Enough to finish him off and still have some to spare.

With that, I started approaching the man. He winced at the sight of me, doubling down on his efforts to get out. "N— No! Get away from me! Look, all I'm trying to do is follow orders! And— and plus, I gave you a choice to come with me without any fighting whatsoever!" Sweat ran down his face when he noticed that I didn't stop. "You have to understand, I didn't want any of this to happen, I'm just some regular dude who wants to make a difference in the world!"

He yanked off his mask, causing me to narrow my eyes. He's the same guy who was in front of us in the line. He continued to look at me. "Before I was just Perry, some twenty-something who slaved behind a cubicle just trying to keep my head down. I had a baby brother who got into an accident, and he died because they prioritized a human patient over his life! The establishment let him die!" He tried to stare straight into my eyes. "I'm not a cruel man, you have to believe me. I just want to make sure that no other Faunus family has to suffer like that—"

"And you decided the best way to do this was to impersonate the people I love and hold dear to my heart and try to attack me that way." I pointed the gun at him, summoning **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** behind me for insurance. "That is unforgivable. Now talk. You mentioned something earlier about an attack that took months to prepare."

"Y— You heard about that?" He winced. "I can't say a word. I won't say a word. You won't get anything out of me. We'll rip away the fake peace and show to the populace what is truly going on. We'll overthrow the establishment and give Faunus peace of mind that no one will try to ignore them. And the other Stand user will make sure that your friends are out of the way. The White Fang will bring true peace to all of us Faunus." Perry broke eye contact with me, a tear slipping down his face. "I'm so sorry, Plado. I failed you." He started muttering: "Delta, bravo, uniform—"

"Hey, what are you doing?" I pointed the gun at him. "Stop it! Tell me the name of the other Stand user!"

He ignored me. "Kilo, delta, yankee, kilo, delta, papa—"

What is going on? Why is he chanting the phonetic alphabet? "Foxtrot, victor, sierra, confirm." A mechanical chirping voice escaped from his head. My eyes widened. No way, they put a—

His head exploded a second later, sending bone shrapnel and a shower of gore directly at me. I recoiled in disgust as it washed over me. Oh gods! Oh gods, there's so much blood! I glanced up, only to gag at the stump where Perry's head used to be. Holy— He's gone. There's nothing left of him.

A light yellow wisp started slithering out from the stump. My eyes widened. Huh? What the— What is that? I stared at the smoke trail, watching it clump up as it rose into the sky. Bit by bit, more details were added to the smoke until it formed the serene face of a man who I just watched take his own life. Oh my gods… is that… Perry?

Unlike the paranoid person I knew just a couple moments ago, this Perry seemed so much calmer, happier, less on edge. The man stared at the sky, smiling at… something up there. Could it be the brother who died at the hospital? The Plado person? He never once looked down at me. Like he's above life, which he is in a sense. With a light breeze he ascended into the skies, reaching out for the clouds before they swallowed him whole.

My mouth just dropped. What was that? Is that— is that Perry's spirit? Oh my gods, is there an actual heaven up there? I've never seen anything like that before. Could it be that this is due to me being a Stand user? I grabbed my face. This… this is so much to take in. I jerked up when a small detail reappeared in my mind. Oh gods, another Stand user! That's right!

I started limping towards the pet store. I need to get myself cleaned up and I need to contact the others now. They're in danger, and I have to warn them! I need to hurry… The store should have a terminal… I just need to give them the call. I just hope Azure doesn't panic too much when I come in covered in blood.

* * *

A hum escaped my mouth as I rubbed the cross pin on my cape. It's been awhile since Blake left. Is something going on with Blake? Like did she eat something bad? This is a long time for just a bathroom break. Maybe she decided to leave and read after all— No, that's not right. I glanced at Ninjas of Love sitting in the back pouch. She doesn't have her book with her. I mean, on one hand, at least she's not leaving us. On the other hand… I'm actually a bit concerned. I glanced at the rest of my team. Yang was scrolling through her device, while Weiss had her mouth slightly ajar while she took a nap.

"Hey guys," I whispered to my partner and sister. Yang turned towards me normally, while Weiss snapped up, letting out a tired yawn before glancing at me. I let out a hum. "Well, so Blake's been gone for some time now. Do you think that she's okay?"

My partner shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she decided to leave and read somewhere else."

I pointed at Blake's novel. "She didn't take her book, and I've never seen her carry more than one. Plus, all of her stuff's here."

Yang shrugged. "Hmm… now that you mention it, I don't think it should take that long to go find a restroom and use it. Maybe we should go check on her. But at the same time…" My sister glanced at her scroll. "The main event is going to start soon. I don't really want to miss these guys when they come out!"

"I'll go then," Weiss sighed as she got up. "I kinda have to go use the restroom too, now that I think about it."

My sister nodded. "Thanks, Weiss. You're a lifesaver." Yang snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, you should take Blake's earplugs with you. Show's going to start soon, and we don't want poor Blakey to lose her hearing when she comes back, do we?"

Weiss let out another yawn. "Right." And with that, my partner quickly snatched the foam pieces and left. I leaned back into my seat and hummed. That's weird. Why would Blake just up and disappear like that? And not just that. She left all of her stuff here. Even for her it's pretty strange—

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The voice from the PA caused everyone in the amphitheater to roar. "The moment is here! Let's get this show on the road!"

The blonde girl cheered along with the rest of them. "Ooh! Ooh! The performance is starting! Gods, I can't believe I'm finally going to see these guys in person! This is going to be amazing!" I let out a laugh. It's not every day where Yang beats me in sheer energy and giddiness. Oh yeah, earplugs, that's right! I fumbled for them and shoved them into my ears. Yang in her excitement remembered to do that as well.

Everything went dark, before several spotlights appeared on the back curtain of the stage. Before there was nobody standing on the stage. Now six guys stood around, posing as smoke spilled across the stage. The spotlights above were moving all around the stage, never quite illuminating the men. "Good evening to you Vale!" one of the men spoke. He held his hands out to his ears as the crowd went bonkers. "Love the energy tonight! You guys better keep it going, because this is one experience that you guys don't want to miss!" The man pointed a finger at one of his band members. "Sound off!"

"G. Free!" Synth noises escaped from a man playing the keyboard.

"M. Fyre!" A wicked drum solo sounded off a second later.

"J. Prince!" I could make out the gentle yet firm sounds of the electric bass being played.

"Little J.!" He played a romantic tune from some kind of electric guitar. Huh. I didn't know that was even possible.

"R. Spaaace!" The man in question let his name stretch out, showing off his vocal skills in their full glory.

"And R. Lazer here!" The lights shot towards all six men, revealing them in all of their glory. R. Lazer gave the crowd a confident smile. "We're the Achieve Men, and we've kept you all waiting long enough! Alright guys… one, two, three, hit it!"

The music started playing, their opening being their popular romantic cover of _Diamond_ _Eyes,_ but something felt… off. I frowned. Something's different about how they play live. Not like the tone's wrong or something. The exciting passionate feeling is still there. But it's like… hearing the song itself. For some reason, the music feels more… filling, like I... like I can hear it in my head as well as my ears. It's so… soothing. My eyes started drooping. Despite the energy of their opening song, I feel even more sleepy than ever. Every single note felt perfect, resonating within me. So why do I feel so…?

Yang collapsed next to me. What in the— My eyes rolled into my head as I collapsed as well. I thought I felt something vibrate close to my leg. What could it be? The last thing I can remember was staring into the overly dilated eyes of my sister before I blacked out for the second time in two days.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 3/2/18**

* * *

 **Fox's Bizarre Adventure - Act 2**

Normally people would panic at the thought of falling several floors into darkness. Doubly so if they happen to be blind. But when you think about it, the fall isn't as bad as people make them out to be. A fall from a couple of stories isn't that big of a deal, at least for Huntsmen. With Aura and a proper landing strategy, anyone in our profession can survive falls like that without a parachute.

There was just one problem with the situation Coco and I faced, though. Landing strategies rely on us knowing where the ground is in the first place. There's a reason why most Huntsmen tend to just use rope or something similar when they ever have to descend into a dark place. The landing strategy was not just to avoid getting hurt from high falls; it's also supposed to minimize the pain we have to go through when we slam into the ground. Aura can only do so much for the pain, and falling from several stories without a landing strategy is extremely painful. And well, the odds of a blind guy and a girl wearing sunglasses making it out okay was pretty low.

I snatched Coco's other hand and spread my body as wide as possible, catching some air in the process. But what kind of Huntsmen would I be if I didn't know how to deal with situations like this? **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** appeared in front of me. Almost immediately I can feel more air slamming into us as the molecules around us vibrated like crazy, slowing down our falling speed. My eyebrows wrinkled as I gazed into my mental image. Come on… where's the ground? This fall can't possibly be that long— There!

My guardian spirit shot off, slamming both forks into the concrete before disappearing. And like that it shattered, crumbling into pieces and forming an almost gravel-like pool. Moments later I felt the rocks envelop the both of us, sending a cloud of dust into my lungs. It felt like a bed full of nails slammed into the front side of my body as my Aura flared to take the blow. Ugh… I gritted my teeth. Gods, that doesn't feel good. Well, there's one good thing about this. At least I'm not limping or something I groaned. It might not be the neatest solution out there, but if it stops us from being hurt from the fall, it's good enough for me.

"Coco," I coughed as I sat up on the rubble. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I could make out the other figure adjusting her weight on the gravel bed. She let out a gasp just a moment later. "Oh gods, it's so dark. I can't see. Where's my scroll?" I heard her patting herself down before patting down the area around her. "Nonono, there's no way it can be gone! It was attached to me just a while ago! There's no way I'm going through this place without any kind of light!" She twisted towards me. "Fox, can you see it?"

A smirk grew on my face. "I would if I could." I waved my hand in front of me. "Can't see anything, remember?"

"You know exactly what I mean!"

"Mmhm, I do. Start patting a little louder, would you?" My mental image cleared up a bit as she started slapping the ground. "Thanks." I focused myself. It should just be a rectangular thing. It's unlikely that the thing would fly off to who knows where. After all, I didn't feel Coco smash into anything while we were falling down into the hole. So it has to be somewhere within the area. I can make out lab equipment, several old trinkets, giant boxes, something similar to swiveling whiteboards, the rubble around us. But try as I might, I can't make out a scroll within all of the clutter.

"What in the world?" I furrowed my eyebrows. Come on, where in the world is it? It's like it disappeared or something. Maybe it shattered when we landed? No, not likely. I would know if that was the case. It has to be here somewhere.

"Hey Fox?" Coco asked. "Find anything yet? Really not liking not being able to see right now."

"Sorry, can't find it. It's almost like it just disappeared." I could hear her breath hitch. "Don't panic, I still have my scroll on me." I dug the device out of my pockets and held it out. "Just use mine for now until we can actually find yours."

"Whew, thanks Fox." She went silent for awhile. "Uh, Fox? I still can't see anything."

"Hmm? Oh, right. Plexi, turn on flashlight."

" **FLASHLIGHT ON.** " Coco let out a sound between a hiss and a groan moments later. "Ah! Gods, that was pointing at me—" I heard a groan escape from her, followed by the sound of rustling clothing. "Wow, that's bright. That thing nearly blinded me, and I have sunglasses on!" The sound of footsteps came closer to me before a hand plopped on my shoulder. "Fox, why in the world do you have your flashlight intensity up so high?"

"Why would I ever need a flashlight? I'm blind." I held my scroll in the direction of Coco's voice. "Besides, why do you have your sunglasses on inside an underground bunker?"

"… I should be really angry at you right now." Moments later I felt my scroll being lifted out of my hands. "But I also really want to see. I'm going to get even with you once we get back to the surface." My team leader let out a hum. "I wonder if foot rubs and massages will get you off of the hook."

Another smirk grew on my face. "Aren't you supposed to owe me after this favor?"

"I'm also the team leader, so I call all of the shots. I don't owe you squat." I heard tapping noises. "How in the world do you turn the intensity down?"

I didn't say a word, instead pursing my lips as my mind went back to Coco's missing scroll. How could something like that just… disappear? There's no way something like that could disappear just like that. Could it be a Grimm creature that no one can see? No… if that was the case, they should've at least made enough noise to catch my attention. But that's not even close to what happened. I narrowed my eyes. It's very odd.

"Hey Coco," I started. "What do you see around you?"

"Hmm… Well, there's a bunch of old lab equipment, like what you would find in a stereotypical lab. It's not nearly as cramped as I expected it to be, but I can feel my claustrophobia eating at me. By gods, how do people work in these conditions? I mean, I get that it's supposed to be an underground lab, but still. Just how in the— Oh, there's my scroll."

She started to walk off, roughly around a meter to my right. "Wow, you can't believe this, Fox. Turns out it fell into a groove that is almost the same size and shape of the scroll. One hell of a coincidence, that's for sure. No wonder you didn't notice it when you were checking with your Semblance. It must've looked like a loose tile or something." I let out a hum hearing that. Huh. Was it really? I mean, it didn't sound like the worst theory out there. It is possible that something like that would happen. Well, mistakes like that could happen. Just because I can 'see' using my ears doesn't mean that I can't identify everything correctly.

"What the— My scroll just flipped out of the hole." That got my attention. Huh?

I clicked my tongue. "Say that again? Did you just say that your scroll flipped itself out of a hole?"

Coco let out a hum of confirmation. "It did. That's so weird. I'm pretty sure scrolls aren't supposed to do that last time I checked. But then again, it shouldn't matter too much. I'll just pick it up again— Agh!" What the— My head shot towards her location just to catch her toffee brown Aura jerk away from the ground. "The scroll moved!" Coco's Aura outline extended its finger. "Holy— the scroll's moving on its own, Fox!"

I let out a grunt as I focused on the outline of the scroll on the ground. What in the— It was! The device was sliding across the ground. But that's not the main thing that I'm concerned about. No, that would have to go to the fact that there's Aura in the shape of a thorny vine wrapped around it as it was being dragged around. There's no way… Yet there's no doubt about it. There's a third person in here with us. But that can't be possible, this place was abandoned for years! And I didn't detect anything that was like opened cans of food or anything. This can't be some homeless user with a guardian spirit of their own. Who would be in here?

"Step back and don't touch your scroll." Coco let out a confused hum, but still nodded and took a couple of steps away. "Someone or something is using their Semblance or something to move it around." **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** appeared behind me. "I think that somebody's close to us, but I can't tell where they are at the moment."

"Well, why not use your Semblance and Aura senses to find the person?"

"I am right now. The person doing this isn't in the room at the moment, and the strand of Aura leads out of the laboratory." My head twisted around, trying to follow where the strand is going.

"And as far as we know, we're actually going in blind. No pun intended." Coco let out a groan. I ignored her. "We have absolutely no idea about whether or not this person is friendly, we can't use Dust rounds unless we want to risk turning this place into our tomb." Wait a minute… why am I suddenly sensing so many Aura strands? I let out a gasp when I turned my head upwards. The walls… all of them are forming the weird thorns. Who in the world is doing this?

I flinched as moments later I heard several glass objects shatter, followed by a yelp from Coco. "Fox, the glass! Somebody's shattering the glass from afar!" I glanced at one of the side counters. What the— Several of the thorns were curled around something round. Most likely the test tubes in the room. I felt a bead of sweat slip down my neck. Okay, something is definitely not right here. Just what kind of spirit are we going against? From the sounds of it, this person managed to shatter dozens of tubes across the counter at once.

No more thinking. We need to know where the guy is right now! **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** slammed one of its tuning forks into the ground, sharpening the outline of the room in my head. Then it did it again. And again. I can feel a migraine building up as the outline grew past the room we're in. Come on, the person has to be here somewhere. But by gods, if this person managed to have a guardian spirit that can easily go hundreds of meters away, I am not going to be pleased. Where is that person?

And then, a lucky break. The thorny vines disappeared, pulling back towards a figure in the room next to us. Found him. I started towards the figure. From a rough glance, the person was a giant of a man, with muscles that would put a bodybuilder to shame. At the moment he was kneeling down. I wonder why? That's okay, though. If he's not moving, then it'll be easier to take him out. Just bash through the wall and hold him hostage. Something's nagging me in the back of my head, though. Why didn't he appear when I was using my echolocation? He's a big man, so it's weird that he never came up—

I jerked back as he shot up to his feet. What the— I gotta smash through the wall now! **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** twisted its tuning fork hand to the side, ready to karate chop the concrete in front of us. However, before I could react, he turned around and did the impossible.

His Aura walked into and phased through the wall. It was like it never existed. A sweat broke down my face. Don't think, just act. "Coco! Shine the light this way! Somebody's coming!"

"Wha— huh? There's no one there! I don't see anybody!" My eyes widened. No… That's impossible! My mind went back to the days when I had to fight for my life. Many users were beaten to beyond recognition. Most of them managed to make it to a hospital before they breathed their last. But some of them… their bodies couldn't take the damage. And every time I watched a user stop breathing, I could see what's left of them drift up to the sky. Their souls, I suppose. I never thought for a moment a soul can still stick around after their time has come… But if I'm right…

The ghostly man stuck out two fingers as he gave me what looked to be a quick salute. A deep, booming voice escaped from him. "Hello."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Stand Description:**

 **「** **REDBONE** **」** **\- Has a pack of three mutated hellhounds. All three hellhounds are able to morph and take on the exact identity of a person the victim is close to relationship-wise. The pack needs one hellhound to touch the victim in order to create a beacon for the user and the rest of the pack to follow.**

* * *

 **Song References: Perry's** **「** **REDBONE** **」** **was inspired by Childish Gambino's Redbone, an R &B song originally released in 2016. To be honest, I always wanted to have a Stand named after this song. It's just a good Stand name, you know? But as I dug into it, I realized that the song lyrics have an emphasis on paranoia, particularly paranoia of getting caught for infidelity. Like Blake's infidelity towards the White Fang cause. Granted, Blake's situation is a lot more metaphorical in the betrayal of beliefs rather than emotions, but it surprisingly fits the situation I wanted to put her in.**

* * *

 **Retrospective: Well, after the rocky nature that was the writing of Feel Good Inc, Through Fire and Flames and Redbone were wonderful experiences in comparison. Like Feel Good Inc, they were Stands that I've always wanted in the story. However, I never floundered with their solutions, which is probably why I enjoyed them a lot more.**

 **Now the simulation arc in general was inspired by this actual course I read on Cracked back when it still had in-house writers. There's this company, On Point Tactical, which had a class called "Urban Escape and Evasion." It teaches civilians how to survive in challenging urban situations/destabilizing city due to a riot, and they taught all of these cool stuff. But one of the things that stuck out to me reading about it is the test they have on the final day. Basically** **, they kidnap you, put you in a random part of a city, and you're tasked with performing a scavenger hunt for some kind of objective while hired bounty hunters attempt to track you down. That is one of the wildest things I've ever heard of back when I was young, and definitely inspired the kidnapping part of the simulation. It's so awesome and out there, which felt just right at home with Beacon's curriculum. Just Ozpin things.**

 **As for Through Fire and Flames itself, I came up with it walking around my high school just talking with my friend. I think we were talking about wax stamps and how cool they are as a way of sealing letters and in general, and that definitely stuck in my mind long enough for me to create a Stand around it. That's really all I can say about it.**

 **Now Redbone, like I said before, was a Stand I've always wanted in the story. The arc and Stand... actually thinking about it now, has the bounty hunter aspect I took out during the simulation arc. Huh. Well, Redbone as I originally conceived it was inspired by a mishmash of Jason Bourne and Animorphs. Animorphs, for anyone who doesn't know, is a children's book series in the late '90s and early 00's about a group of kids fighting a war against parasitic aliens who can take over the minds of any sentient being. Said kids have the ability to turn into animals, which is where Animorphs come from.**

 **Looking back on the series, this is a surprisingly dark series for children, taking on themes of control, war, betrayal, morality, horror, sense of identity, and so much more. Like, I read this in second grade. Wow. The late 90's was a weird time. But back to the subject at hand. Animorphs stays honest in its portrayal of these child soldiers fighting to keep humanity safe, and it never came off as dumbed down or too difficult to understand. I personally feel that to this day it's been neglected despite its success in the early 2000's. This series has so much potential as a Netflix series or even a normal TV series. It has a ton of messages to tell people that works now more than ever. I heard there was a movie for it in the works, but I don't think it'll do the series justice.**

 **But back to the subject at hand. I loved the idea of using Animorphs, so I took the main ability they had and applied it to Redbone, but in reverse. Instead of human transforming into an animal, it's an animal transforming into a human. Then I applied the Capgras delusion by using friends and family. The Capgras delusion is the suspicion that a person you know has been killed and replaced with an almost identical copy, which relates back to this idea of paranoia. No friends/family actually died to Redbone, but the point's still made.**

* * *

 **So, all I can say is I sorta dread showing the next chapter. That Stand is... unpleasant to say the least. And remember when I said I would put up a trigger warning for some really messed up sections? Well, this is it. But I would say it's also my favorite Stand of this arc. Why would that be? Am I out of my mind? Who knows, that's for you guys to decide next time. But with that note out of the way, on to the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! Yeah, Redbone is a bit weird. I would say it closest to a swarm Stand, but much more limited. I would call it a pack Stand rather than a swarm Stand. Like a variant of a swarm Stand.**

 **Guest1: No, Ilia isn't the Stand user, unfortunately. I've written this before V5, and Ilia was completely in the back of my mind throughout the entire arc, aside from the cameo. But I got to agree, Ilia is awesome in the show. I wonder what RT will do with her, to be honest. She is refreshing in how they inject those shades of gray into the show.**

 **tuskenpaw: Ninjas of Love is first and foremost a book of fantasy. The text is just wish-fulfillment and indulging actions that won't happen in the real world. They allow Blake to mentally act out her desires that she wouldn't otherwise have. It does relate to her, even if it doesn't relate to the plot.**

 **Well also it's because I want to keep practicing third-person perspective without sacrificing time writing another story, but mainly the above.**

 **Guest2: Thank you, Guest2!**

 **Vaughnilla: The secret of the Cupid is a mystery I love writing towards. It's something I can't wait to reveal.**

 **Once again, happy birthday, Vaughnilla! I hope Redbone is a satisfying chapter for you as a birthday present!**

 **doa570047: Thank you, doa570047! I'm surprised as well by this achievement. But it's definitely noteworthy. Writing 300K words for one story is pretty impressive. And it was a joy writing the misadventures of RWBY. Shopping for earbuds and standing in line never felt so interesting for me.**

 **I will agree that Redbone is similar to Highway Star. Actually, I didn't realize that until now, considering I took more of a bounty hunter/manhunt spin with the formula. And as for the concert, that's definitely not being ignored. We'll see in the next chapter.**

 **mastergamer14: I will say no, the formations on the cliffs aren't wall eyes. Admittedly, it is a reference to them, but wall eyes don't exist in this story. But I'm actually surprised with your second question. There will be characters who are products of merging in the story, although not by the wall eyes. In fact, there's already one character like that in the story right now.**

 **As for ACT Stands... now, this is a weird topic. Originally I wanted at least Ruby and Weiss to have ACT Stands since their songs have parts. The issue is that I like their current moveset. I liked how they worked and I liked using their movesets in new and creative ways. So I try to be derivative of that, but anything I came up with could be justified within their current abilities. In fact, Through Fire and Flames was supposed to be Ruby unlocking ACT 2 before I realized that Silver Eyes was way more interesting to reveal than what I had in mind. So I scrapped the idea of ACTs.**

 **Short answer, probably not. I want to explore having an ACT Stand, but probably not in this story.**

 **Well, that's all for today! I'll see you guys on the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: March 2, 2018**_


	31. Hocus Pocus - Part 1

**Hello everybody! Welcome to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **So, we just passed another milestone: 25,000 views! I know that I already mentioned all of my thanks to you guys in the last chapter, but I feel like it needs to be repeated: thank you to everyone who has read this story, whether it was from when I first posted to maybe last chapter. It makes me happy that people are enjoying it, and I honestly hope that each new chapter will continue to be enjoyable for everyone reading it.**

 **Aside from that, the only thing I want to mention this time around is that there will be a content warning.**

 _ **~~THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER DEPICTS SEXUAL ASSAULT AND MAY BE CONSIDERED DISTURBING TO SOME. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.~~**_

 **There's not much else for me to say this time around, so I'll go right into the story. Thank you to my beta for reading through this particular chapter.**

* * *

 **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**

* * *

When I heard I was going to a concert that I didn't have to perform in, I was actually a little excited for once. After so many years of performing for the Atlesian elite, it's a breath of fresh air getting to see what it's like to watch a concert like a normal person. No need to worry about performing, no need to think about the consequences of messing up and humiliating my dad. No worrying about the reputation of the Schnee family name. Just a show intended to entertain a normal audience. It's something that I didn't even know I wanted to see.

Which is why my search for Blake was starting to get on my nerves. I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Blake? Blake, where are you?" I let out a sigh as I continued to walk through the empty hallway. Where in the world could that girl be? It's already bad enough that she forgot all her stuff in the stadium. But now it's like she's disappeared. "Come on, everybody's waiting for you. The show must've started already." Still no response. I shook my head. This is ridiculous. On the day where we were supposed to have the time of our lives, I'm dealing with a runaway Blake. Just like the end of our first semester.

I sighed. I can't believe that Blake would do this again. Couldn't she at least pretend to care this time around? She even made the promise! It's such a simple thing, and she let her own thoughts get the better of her.

And what is with this amphitheater? It's like a maze! I can't figure out where I am! I sighed again. What a pain. I swear, if I search through every bathroom in this building and Blake isn't there, I'm going to scold her until all of her ears fall off! But until then, there's nothing I can do except check every room one at a time.

My fingertips rubbed against my temples. Gods… This is such a chore dealing with Blake. I hope Ruby and Yang are having more fun than I am.

* * *

" _Ruby,_ " Mom whispered in my ear. " _Wake up._ "

"Ugh…" The first thing I noticed when I came to was the musk in the air. It felt heavy, like the sky fell down on top of me and was slowly squeezing the life out of my body. There's something about the air that felt… unclean, unnatural. Like the smoke byproduct of activated red Dust, or maybe like my living room after my family had been sweating in it on a hot summer afternoon. Actually, the feeling is more subtle. There's no way for me to describe it, just that it feels… wrong.

My eyelids managed to crack open. I gasped a second later, my eyes widening as I stared into a neon pink sky. What happened to the ceiling? It's gone! I jerked myself up. My jaw dropped. No, not just that. Everything's gone! The chairs, the stadium, the people. It just… stopped existing. It's like I never was at the Unity Amphitheater!

But where am I exactly? I glanced at the area around me. I was currently resting on a patch of grass in what looked like a plaza. The plaza itself wasn't really different from something you might find within a park. Then there were several buildings that reminded me of the old civilian colleges that the rich kids would go to for their education. You know, the ones with buildings made back when Vale was still a young Kingdom. Their rough, stone look made everything feel refined and old.

But what's weirder was how these buildings were placed. For example, some of them were upside down, balancing on a few spires. Then some of them were in the air without any kind of support or anti-gravity engines. Weird-looking stairs would connect the floating buildings to the ground. They would curve in wild patterns, forming loops, corkscrews, and upside down-ys like a roller coaster. It shouldn't be able to hold itself up on anyway, but somehow it just does. It reminds me of that children's book author who wrote about a cat with a top hat and a tree man-thing talking about not cutting down the Forever Falls. It's that kind of abstract.

One of the buildings started flickering, phasing out for a split second before becoming solid again. I blinked. What the— is it just me, or did that building just glitch out? A hiss escaped my mouth a second later when the grass underneath my hands glitched a second later, sending a jolt through the palm of my hand. Ow! I pulled myself up. Okay, that is not normal. I'm definitely not in the Unity Amphitheater. The sky shouldn't be neon pink. Life doesn't just— just glitch out.

We've been transported somewhere. I swallowed. Oh gods, we've been transported somewhere. There's no other explanation; this has to be the work of an enemy Stand. Rose appeared in front of me, arms up for any attack that could come.

What could this place be? Am I in a mind palace like with Neo and her **「** **CORNERSTONE?** **」** But last time I checked, she was staying in hiding with Roman. They should've gotten their quiet life like they've always wanted. Did the two have to bring themselves back into the open again? Why would she attack an entire stadium this time around?

I glanced around. No, something's different this time. I had to enter the mind palace by entering through a door. But I got teleported here without me activating it. Then Neo had an actual house filled with memory-linked items. This place looks like an empty college campus. Nothing but people and buildings lying around a plaza. Unless Neo's Stand somehow evolved or something like that, there's no way that this could be her doing—

Wait a minute. There are people in here with me right now? I did a double take. Dozens of people were pulling themselves up right now, groaning and rubbing their heads. Fear shot through my heart once it sank in. There are people in here with me. And I think I recognize a couple of them. Not by name, though: I've seen their faces at the concert. So I'm not the only person affected by whatever the Stand is? But that means— Oh gods. The Stand user just attacked an entire audience. It's a large-scale attack.

We should've seen it coming. Everybody dreaded for this day to happen, and it finally has. A Stand user attacked a big part of the population. If that's the case, then I need to find Weiss and Blake and— Yang! My hands covered my mouth as I gasped. I need to find Yang as soon as possible! The rest of Team RWBY can use their Stands to protect themselves, but Yang's completely defenseless in this world! No amount of hand to hand combat experience is going to hurt a Stand!

I started running towards the closest group I could see. Come on, where's Yang? She's gotta be here somewhere! I gasped. Now that I think about it, this place is a lot bigger than the mind palace. That means she could be anywhere on this whole campus! Rose disappeared as my Semblance started kicking in. My eyes flickered between every person here. Come on, where is she? I can't find her in the plaza! But that means that she's in one of the buildings, and who knows which one? I gritted my teeth, redirecting myself towards a big cluster of those buildings. I don't have much of a choice, do I?

After rushing through the streets and glancing at each building there, I skidded to a halt and stopped in front of one glass building maybe six stories high. Huh, that's… different. It really stuck out from the ancient-looking architecture around me. And I thought I spotted someone next to the glass. I glanced up. Up on the third or fourth story was a familiar head of long, blonde hair waving around, like she's talking to someone. My eyes widened before I cupped my mouth. "Yang!"

Yang turned around and pressed her face to the glass. I could make out her mouth moving, but I can't tell what she's saying. "Yang, just stay there, okay? I'll use my Semblance to come up and get to you! Don't worry, I'll get us out of here!"

Before she could respond, I ran into the building. The first thing that caught my attention was the architecture. Instead of the sleek, modern feel I expected from the exterior, there was a more worn yet sophisticated look. It's more like what I expected from an old prestigious, university, like the older-looking buildings I passed by earlier. Everything inside was made out of some fancy colored wood, and all of the fabric was blue and yellow. The room's ceiling was also really high up, towering two stories or so. It reminded me more of a mansion entrance rather than a lobby.

I furrowed my eyebrows. That doesn't look right. Something like that should take up multiple floors, but it's unnoticeable from the outside. Maybe it's like that time-traveling terminal booth from that one show: way bigger on the inside than the outside. Must be a quirk of this Stand.

There was a surprising lack of light for something with a glass wall. There wasn't any kind of light source inside the building, aside from the windows and the burning candles, and the light from each of those sources didn't spread far. The neon pink glow makes this place look eerie, and the candles lining the room didn't do much to help with that.

Then there were the cobwebs and heavy layers of dust that rested on everything in the room. I know there have to be people within this building. I saw Yang from outside! But the fact that nothing looks touched here makes this place feel abandoned and hollow. It's like standing in a haunted mansion. I shivered. Something's wrong with this building. And not just the glitching or how everything seems to make no sense. No, there's an eerie feeling about the place, something wrong. I can feel goosebumps run down my skin.

But I can't worry about that now. I have to find a way up to Yang! My eyes surveyed the room as I walked through it. Okay, so when I was outside it looked like Yang was on either the third or fourth floor. If I can find a stairway or an elevator or even a map of the building layout, I can make my way up to my sister. Then, from there, we can find Weiss and Blake then round up the rest of the civilians. All while we're figuring out what to do to get out of this place. A drop of sweat slipped down my face. There has to be something more about this place than just the glitchiness. This can't be it.

Whatever's going on, I do not want to be around to find out. There are only three people in this building with Stand powers. Three people to protect maybe hundreds of civilians against whatever this Stand can do. We don't nearly have enough users to both protect the crowd and find a way to break out. The scale of this attack is huge. Who knows how bad this could get? I hope I can gather everyone fast enough so that I never have to know.

My eyes brightened up as I spotted a set of three elevator doors. Yes! Found it! I slammed my hand against the 'up' button. Now just to wait for the elevator to come to me, and I'll find Yang in no time! I let out a questioning hum. But where could Weiss and Blake be? My partner should still be in the building, and Blake should still be there as well if she didn't decide to weasel out of the concert. They should be affected by this as much as everyone else.

But now that I think about it… I never really figured out the range of this Stand attack. Just how far _is_ the range on this particular Stand? It's enough to affect an entire amphitheater, that's for sure. Plus, I don't know what the trigger is yet. What caused everyone to be transported to this place? I know for sure it must've happened right after the Achieve Men went onstage and started singing their first song. I started feeling drowsy then. So something must have happened during their first song to cause this situation.

Wait a minute, does that mean the Achieve Men are Stand users? I wrinkled my eyebrows. No, that shouldn't be possible. One Stand for one person, from what I've seen so far. If all of the Achieve Men were Stand users, then we should be seeing five different Stand abilities. And everything around me looks like it was done by only one person. And how likely is it that five people can share the same Stand? No, I definitely think this attack is from a single person.

But now that poses a different question: who's the Stand user? There's like five different potential candidates! And that's not counting the crowd or even animals that could've been viable users. After seeing **「** **DOWN UNDER,** **」** I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be something like a flea Stand user or even a non-living user!

The elevator chimed, bringing me out of my thoughts and back into the present. Stand users will find other Stand users. Something tells me I'll just end up running into them eventually. My main priority should be to make sure that nobody else is attacked or killed by the Stand. Survival over figuring out how to escape. The Headmaster has helped us so much by keeping all these incidents secret, but Beacon can only do so much if so many people die. People will get scared, and whoever's doing this will get closer to ending the world! That can't happen.

Another chime escaped the elevator. That burden makes it even more important that I find the rest of my team as soon as possible. I started towards the doors as they opened up. We can figure something out, but not until we're all back together—

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes widening as I stared at the silhouette of some kind of… thing in the cabin. More specifically of its back. I couldn't make out what it was, exactly, it was too dark inside the elevator. For sure, though, I knew that whatever it was had a humanoid shape. The creature was in a fetal position and hadn't moved an inch since the doors opened. The person was cradling their head, like he or she was trying to comfort themselves. It was large and beefy, almost like a bodybuilder. I can make out every muscle on him, even from the darkness. That's strange… It's almost like he's naked—

I blushed. Oh my gods, could this guy really—? What? Why?

All of a sudden the guy jerked up to a standing position. Holy— I stepped back. Now with his head uncovered, I noticed how there was some kind of crown-hat… thing on his head. His breaths started getting heavy and aggressive. He stood up, proving to me that he was completely nude. Thankfully I don't see his… his thing, but still. Rose appeared next to me, fists raised up and ready for any kind of fight. I think this might be the Stand. I glanced around. Alright, I might need to change my plan.

Looking at the Stand right now, I think it's a better idea for me to take it on and finish it off as soon as possible. The sooner I can finish this guy off and free everyone else, the less likely someone's going to get hurt. And if he's the only Stand in the area, nobody else should be hurt by this. Rose floated in front of me. Well, all I have to do at this point is just figure out what it can do and we'll be done in no time—

The man glitched out, disappearing from the elevator entirely. At the same time, all of the candles went out, leaving me in the dark.

What the— I glanced around the room. I can see just enough to make out the shapes around me. Where did he go? A low, predatory hiss sounded off from behind me. I twisted myself at a moment's notice, getting Rose to swing a fist at the sound only to catch nothing but air. The creature itself was a few meters farther away from me, still with its back towards me. Huh? How did it get over there while I was looking at it? That shouldn't be possible.

My gut twisted again when I saw another figure, this time female, stand up. I couldn't tell in the darkness, but she looked naked as well, aside from a crown hat like the one the guy was wearing. Okay… so maybe there are more than I thought there would be. But I can still handle two monsters. I just have to play it safe. Be more cautious—

The rest of the elevators chimed, their doors opening. I looked behind me and gasped. There was another one of those naked crown monsters in each cabin, bringing the count up to five. My breath hitched. I'm not liking my odds anymore. Five of these things and I don't know what they're capable of? Maybe I should go back to my old plan of finding everyone before fighting back. Something tells me that they might overwhelm me before I figure out what they can really do.

Then they turned around. The worry in my chest just turned into dread. All of them stared at me with glowing blue eyes— Three sets of female eyes and two sets of male eyes. But that wasn't what made it creepy. It was _how_ they stared at me. All five of them seemed like they were leering at me. Like they were starving lions, and I was a slab of meat that just got thrown into their habitat. Hell, I thought I could make out one of them licking their lips with a very long tongue.

All of them started breathing harder, letting out a bassy growl. In my head, all of my alarms are ringing. This is out of my league. I'm going to lose this fight if I try to take them on. I— I'm going to—

Then they did the strangest thing that filled me with both confusion and dread: they began thrusting their hips towards me, the rest of their bodies being pulled with the motion.

Nope. No, just… nope. Rose disappeared before I broke out into a sprint. Not getting into that. I've seen enough from Blake's "romance" books to know what happens next. I'm only fifteen, for god's sake! But something about these monsters made me think they wouldn't care. Ew, that just feels so, so wrong on so many levels. What kind of filthy place did everyone end up in?

Sensual moans emitted from the creatures behind me, followed by the sounds of bare feet slamming against the ground. Oh gods, they're chasing after me! I need to find a stairway or something, now! Something, anything! I ran up to the nearest door and started jiggling the door handle. It refused to budge. I sprinted towards the next one and tried it as well. Nothing. I could feel nervousness swell up in my throat. Are all of these doors locked? The only way up is to use the elevator? No, that can't be true! One of these doors has to open up!

This can't be happening. I slammed my back against the wall. All five of the creatures were still charging after me, crotches swinging to and fro. The rest of their bodies flailed around, trailing behind and flopping around. Somehow their ridiculous run made this situation seem even scarier than it already was. Like they were feral beasts willing to do anything to satisfy themselves. I gulped as they made a beeline towards me. No! This is not how it's going to end!

I raised my right hand up. My Stand appeared in front of me a moment later, swinging a karate chop and slicing it clean off. Several seams formed on the palm of my decapitated hand. In a blink of an eye, rose petals formed within the seams, splitting each segment into ten separate, cleanly cut pieces. They all flattened and became sharper as Rose caught them all in one hand, watching as each took on the shape of a basic double-edged knife. Ten daggers, five targets. My Stand took one by the blade and pulled back for a throw. It shouldn't be too bad.

One of the monsters howled as a throwing dagger dug into its thigh a moment later, sending him tumbling to the ground with a groan. Not much blood came from the wound, surprisingly enough. But despite the growls and moans the injured monster sent towards me, it couldn't get back up, collapsing just before it could push itself up to a standing position. My Stand immediately snatched another hand knife and prepped it. Four more to take care of. The next two knives also hit their mark, sending two of the female monsters sprawling to the ground.

The last two were more persistent. After seeing the others fall, the two of them started to adopt an even more erratic running pattern, zigzagging to prevent Rose from getting a solid bead on them. All while they continued to pick up speed. I gritted my teeth as Rose missed the next three knives, all three sticking in the elevator door. Four more knives left. I need to make these count. Gods, if only I brought Crescent Rose with me. As great as these throwing knives are, they can only move so fast. There's no way Rose can lead the shot if the knife is slow enough to dodge! I need a gun!

Wait a minute… why couldn't I make bullets? I could maybe take my toes and reform them into ball bearings that I can fire with Rose. Jaune does it almost all the time with his own Stand. Why not use it for me— One of the monsters groaned as he thrusted towards me. Oh gods! I threw myself to the side, thankfully avoiding his lewd move. Rose reacted immediately, dropping the knives next to me while landing a solid punch. The creature roared as it flew across the room.

As for me, I snatched a knife made out of my index finger and jammed it into the wooden floor. I pushed off of it a moment later, narrowly avoiding the belly flop of the remaining female monster. "Rose!" My Stand complied, snatching the grounded monster's head and slammed her into the wall, throwing a flurry of punches into the woman's back. I let out a yell as familiar craters rippled against her skin. The wall itself started to fragment due to the sheer amount of punches. I'll end this now! This'll free everyone from this world!

One final roar escaped Rose's mouth as she threw the woman across the room. The monster slammed into the reception desk before lying still. I let out a gasp before I stood back up. Is that all of them? I glanced at all of the individuals lying on the floor, either in pain or in the case of the last woman, straight up unconscious. That was a little scary, I have to admit. But I managed to get out of there just fine. Alright, then. I raised my stumpy right arm up. Let's just recall my hand back to me, then everything will be fine— Wait a minute. My eyes narrowed as I counted up the bodies. One, two, three… four. Where's the last one?

From across the room, I spotted one of the male monsters get back up. Wait a minute, how did he get— Oh! Wasn't that the guy I launched across the room earlier? I never really stopped him, did I? Well then. I dropped the stumpy arm while Rose picked up the three remaining hand knives. I'll just need to take care of him right now, then. He jumped onto the reception desk, his pervy glowing eyes leering at me. It should be pretty simple, considering how all of these guys managed to fall from a single dagger—

The male monster let out a screech, causing me to wince and cover my ears. Agh! I have earplugs in, and it still hurts! While he screeched, he thrust his groin back and forth rapidly, pumping his arms at the same time.

What in the world is he doing? It looked like he was ready to burst, and he was trying to finish as fast as possible. He looks so dumb doing it, but every thrust is so sincere, so committed. Weiss would say he looked like a moron. Pretty sure the CCT would say even worse things than that.

But somehow that was enough for the rest of the monsters, who started thrusting their hips all over the place as well. They all let out really dumb, deranged screeches that bordered on insanity. Almost like that dude on RemTube who would wear a pink unitard and just do insane, crazy things while ranting about things that annoyed him. Oh man, I remembered Weiss' face when Ren of all people showed us one of his videos.

But back to the matter at hand. I couldn't help but be awestruck at the sight of all of them having a seizure on the ground, swinging their hips around for no reason at all. This is— What in the— My mind is going completely blank watching this.

With a final screech, they all threw themselves back on their feet, jerking the hand knives out of their thighs and throwing them to the side. I snapped back to reality and paled at the sight. Their blue eyes were all drawn to me. Maybe they're like raptors. They can't see me if I don't move. The monsters licked their lips before flickering them up and down in what could only be a seductive way. And with another yell they started crawling towards me on all fours, butts sticking up in the air. Yup, time to run away again.

Rose threw one of the hand knives into the air, sticking it to the ceiling while I recalled the rest of the knives back to my body. The monsters moaned in delight as they approach, eyes gleaming at me. They won't ever touch me. Just have to time this correctly… I need them to be as far away from my goal as possible. I backed myself against one of the doors this time, pressing my feet against it for stability while grabbing the locked door handle. By now I can see milky white saliva flying out of their mouths. I tried pulling Rose back, but she wouldn't come back.

What the— what's going on? I held up my hands, only to notice the stump where my right middle finger should be. Oh gods, I forgot about that! I have to be complete in order to pull my Stand back. But then— oh gods, I can't spring myself over these guys with my Semblance! My eyes widened in horror as their crotches made circular movements roughly three meters away from me. No! I'm not going to die here! An image of Yang flashed in my head. I have to save her! I'm the only one who can!

I let out a yell, holding my left hand out to Rose. She grabbed my pinky and ripped it off in one go, causing me to wince. I'm not going to let these guys get me! Moments later Rose joined in my scream as she flung the finger as high up as possible. My body exploded into rose petals soon after, soaring up to reconnect with the flying finger. I reformed myself right as I passed over the monsters, stretching my arm out to grab the finger knife stuck on the ceiling. Come on… just a little closer… geez, the ceiling's a lot further up than I expected it to be. I gritted my teeth as I felt my body start to reach its apex. I'm not going to make it!

Rose shot out a second later, bridging the gap and ripping the blade out. I glanced down at the rest of the monsters. All of them are currently looking at me in confusion. Good: the longer they're confused, the more time I have to get out! Rose threw the knife into the elevator door with a roar, with my body transforming and following close behind.

A grunt escaped my mouth as I reformed my body and slammed into the elevator cabin. The rest of the creatures screamed in fury, yanking their crotches around in pursuit. I got back up and slammed the button for the third floor. Come on, come on. I started button mashing like I've never button mashed before. Close! From the corner of my eye, I can make out the monsters. The aluminum doors started closing. They're so close! Hurry up! One of them was about to stick their arm through the door. No, you don't! Rose slammed her fist into that monster's chest, sending the female flying in pain just as the door closed.

Whew. I sank to the ground and started breathing heavily. Oh my gods. What in the world is going on? What in the world are those… things? The monsters themselves aren't too hard to handle, but there are so many of them, and I still have no idea what these things can do.

So far all they've done is chase after me. But what happens if they get me? Five might not seem like a lot for Huntsmen, but when they have Stand abilities… I'm going to be cautious right now, but there's something about not knowing that freaks me out.

This is all so much to take in. I let out a long sigh. Whoever this Stand user is, he or she is strong. To attack so many people at once without caring about whoever happened to be in the crowd… what kind of person would do that? I know Torchwick wouldn't and couldn't do that. The White Fang might… but there were Faunus in the stands as well, so would they really? at the same time, I wouldn't dismiss it. Blake believed that the White Fang lost their way. Attacking a stadium filled with Vale's populace would still sorta make sense with their ideas of taking down all humans at all costs, as hard as it is to admit.

The elevator chimed, stopping in place. But I can't worry about that now. Well, not yet, anyway. I called back Rose and zipped through the doors as soon as they opened, running through a brightly lit hallway with a bunch of closed doors. All of them locked, I assume. Right now, I have to find Yang and get her and any other person in here to someplace safe. I don't want to know what happens if those monsters touch us.

Soon enough I managed to find an open door. I bit my lip. Could this be where Yang's hiding?

A familiar mane of blonde hair flipped towards the door as I ran through. My sister let out a gasp of surprise, jumping up to her feet. "Ruby?"

"Yang!" I rushed over to her and gave her a hug. "Thank gods I managed to reach you! Come on, we need to get out of here now!"

"What?" a small voice asked. "Who are you?" I narrowed my eyes. Who was that? I looked to Yang's side to see a pair of two children where Yang was sitting, a boy and a girl who were hugging each other. They looked maybe nine years old, six years younger than me. The two of them looked like twins, considering they share brown hair, their eyes have the same shade of auburn, and their skin has the same paleness to it. I glanced at Yang, silently asking who these guys were.

"Oh, these guys woke up with me in this building. They apparently went to the concert with their parents, but since they don't seem to be in the building I decided to watch over them." Lilac eyes narrowed as Yang's eyebrows rose. "But why leave? It's probably safer in this building anyway. I couldn't barricade the door on account of these guys," She gestured to the two, "But we can hold out here for now."

"Because one: this place isn't going to disappear ever unless we find the person causing this, and two: because there are monsters that can teleport around, and you don't want to touch them. A barricade won't work." I flinched when the twins squeaked in horror. Oh… maybe I shouldn't have said that in front of them. I put on a smile. "But don't worry, we can figure a way out of here."

The girl sniffled. "But how?"

"We need to get to the top of this building," I answered. "You see, I was outside when I woke up, and there are these floating buildings that are connected by weird bridges. If we can get to the roof, we can get to a place without the scary monsters and maybe find a way out of here." I went over to her and gave her a small, comforting squeeze on the shoulder. "We'll make it out of here, okay?"

Her lips quivered for a moment before she nodded with a sniffle. "Okay."

At that Yang smiled. "Alright then, kiddos." She kneeled down next to them, gesturing particularly to the boy. "Persi, get on my back. My sister Ruby will take care of you, Glade, okay?"

The girl nodded, running over to me and grabbing my hand. I had to hide a squee as she laced her fingers through mine. She might not be much younger than me, but it's still so cute! It's like she's the younger sister I'll never have! But at the same time… I raised my eyebrows up as I remembered what Yang said. What? Why did Persi need to be carried? Glade gave me a glance before she blinked. "Oh, you don't know. My brother has a special condition. I think my parents call it SMA."

"SMA?"

"Spinal Muscular Atrophy," Yang called out while she wrapped the boy's hands around her neck. "I guess people also call it Kugelberg-Welander disease. You probably didn't learn this, but it's one of the disorders you would've learned about during your last year in Signal about genetic disorders. Biology stuff. The idea is that Persi used to be able to walk, but his motor neurons couldn't produce enough of a certain protein so the neurons start breaking down. Once it reaches a certain point, he can no longer move his legs, and when something isn't used, it degrades and becomes weaker. That's why he can't walk."

She let out a groan as she lifted up the boy. "He had a wheelchair to get around, but it's not here. Until we find it again, it'll be easier to just carry him around on my back." Yang tried to look behind her. "Are you still okay back there?"

"There's a lot of hair in my face," he muffled back. The girl had one of her eyebrows twitch.

"I like having long hair. You can adjust it so that it's easier to breathe. Just…" Her face scrunched in agony. "Don't mess it up too much, please." With that, Yang turned towards me. "So how do we get out of here?"

"Follow me." I ran out of the room with Glade trailing behind me. Yang and Persi followed closely behind. The sounds of four pairs of feet slapping against the wooden floors rumbled throughout the hallway. "Basically any kind of closed-door won't open ever. I've tried. The only doors that do open are the front entrance and the elevators. So the plan is that we get back to the elevators and take it as high as possible." I pointed up. "That should take us to either the roof or to the highest floor, which we can use to get to the top. We'll have a lot more options if we do that."

The elevator lobby started appearing in my vision. The only thing we have to worry about at this point is if one of those monsters exit the elevators once I hit the button. The best option we have is for me to bring out Rose and beat them back long enough to get everyone in and hit the button. I can still sneak through with **「** **RED LIKE ROSES,** **」** so I don't really need to worry about being abandoned, unlike the rest of the group. I mentally nodded my head, affirming myself. Now that's a solid strategy. All we need to do now is to get back to the elevators and prepare for—

We all skidded to a halt as a young man wearing an orange and white striped shirt stood next to the elevator buttons, mashing them as quickly as possible. I let out a gasp. "What the— What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm getting to the roof!" The guy looked towards us while still spamming the button. "You said it yourself. The roof's the best place to be right now. Why wouldn't I be up there after what you just said? I don't want to run into those monsters and die! I have too much to live for!"

My eyes widened as we heard the elevator bell ring out. The man immediately started towards one of the doors. He's going to get himself killed! "No! Get away from the door—"

Before I could say anything else, one of the elevator doors opened, revealing one of the monsters. Everybody froze in fear. Now that I'm in a well-lit area, I can make out the creature in full detail. Thankfully, the guy isn't really naked, instead having on something reminding me of a white skintight latex suit. This particular monster happened to be male, and he was nothing but pure muscle. You could even see veins pop out from the creature's skin. His face is covered by some kind of headwear. It's sorta like a balaclava, but it was made out of the same sort of skintight latex. The only things exposed were his mouth, chin, and glowing blue eyes.

"AGH!" The young man collapsed to the floor. "Go away!" He tried crawling back. "Get away from me!" The rest of the elevator doors slid open, revealing three more monsters: two female and one male. Oh gods, I have to get in there and save him!

"Glade! Run over to Yang! No matter what happens do not look at the monsters!" She was all too eager to agree, letting go of me and stumbling her way back to my sister. Now that I didn't have to worry about her anymore, I readied myself to charge into the fray. One usage of my Semblance: that's all I need to get to the man and drag him out of here. Once I get him out of here, I can bring out Rose and fight off these things long enough to get everyone in—

Everybody jumped at the sound of several doors slamming open. I jerked my head behind me to see all of the hallway doors swinging on their hinges, letting out an occasional squeak as they waved to and fro. My stomach churned in dread as the latex-white monsters stumbled out, swinging their hips around. Oh my gods. There must be almost a hundred of those things, considering just how many doors I vaguely remember passing. I had to get creative fighting five of these guys! And now we have to go up against hundreds of them, not even counting the four in front of us? How am I supposed to do that?

A scream erupted from the elevator lobby, forcing me to turn back. I couldn't help but let out a gasp. One of the bulky masculine monsters already had the man by the neck. Then for some reason… their crotches just started moving. Like if an alien baby was implanted, and was wiggling around, trying to get out. All of the monsters, even the women, had that twitching bulge pull them towards the man. I couldn't help but shudder as the four monsters in front of us gave the poor dude a creepy grin.

"Help!" The man threw a hand towards us as the monsters surrounded him. "Help me!" Despite his pleas, nobody moved a muscle. And as for me… my mind kept drawing a blank. I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to help the guy, and that every second I spent standing around is putting him at risk of those… things. But I couldn't muster the will to get Rose to save him. Not when the hallway was filled with monsters walking towards us. Not when I have to choose between him and the rest of the group. And I know who I'm choosing. I sent Rose behind Yang and the two kids, keeping her ready for the approaching horde. A tear slipped down my face. I'm sorry.

His eyes widened as I summoned Rose. Before he could let out one last cry for help, his face was shoved into the monster's crotch. An eep escaped from Persi as he buried his head into Yang's head while Glade did the same, except in my sister's back. There was nothing Yang and I could do but watch as the rest of the monsters joined the fray, humping and slathering their crotches over the poor man. Yang let out a small choking sound.

And it got worse. As all of the monsters humped the man to the ground, they started vomiting some kind of pale white liquid all over the guy. I dry heaved at the sight. Then the smell hit me, and I dry heaved again. Oh gods, that's foul! It's like it combined sweat, diarrhea, vomit, and all of the terrible smells in the world. All of that was spilling all over the guy, staining his skin white. The monsters all let out a nasally scream as they continued violating the man.

Then, they all backed off. The white liquid started tightening around the man's body. Everybody watched in horror as his body started… mutating, changing, and warping. His muscles started bulking up. His body started to resemble that of the monsters that he had just been attacked by. His glazed eyes were covered up by the white liquid, leaving nothing but a haunting, blue glow.

He stood up, sniffing the air around him. The rest of us stood completely still, unsure of what to do. He looked around, looking at himself, the monsters around him, at us. His lips quivered for a moment, almost like he was going to scream in horror in what he has become.

A feral scream escaped from him as he thrust his hips around. That wiggly crotch thing poked around, causing every other monster to let out a primal call. I felt a drop of sweat slip down my face. This isn't good. Not good at all. Oh gods, we can't let these guys come near us! I can't allow this to happen to me, Yang, or those kids! But at the same time, we're surrounded by these things… screw it!

"Yang, when I give you the call, you get everybody into an elevator and hit the button for the highest floor." I ripped off my right arm, twisting and morphing it into a crude single-handed sword. I glanced back at the other three, who had looked surprised by the rosy stump where my arm had been. "I'll distract these guys long enough to make sure they won't get you."

My sister must've realized what I was doing, because she started towards me. "Ruby, don't do this. I thought we had this talk before, I don't want to lose you too—"

I smiled, throwing my hand out to stop her in her place. "Who said I was going to be the one to stop her?" My eyes narrowed. " **「** **RED LIKE ROSES!** **」** " Rose zipped past me a second later, slamming a fist into the chest of one of the monsters. The creature doubled over. Before anyone could blink, she snatched the stunned monster and swung it into the rest of the creatures, knocking the rest of them into the walls. I waved the sword towards the door. "Come on! Let's go! I'll fend these guys off if they get back up, but we can make it!" I turned around and saw the confused and shocked look on Yang's face. "Yang!"

She shook her head. "Wha— Yeah, right." She tugged Glade. "Come on, you heard her. Let's go." The monsters in the hallway shrieked in anger behind them as they broke out into a sprint.

"Come on! We don't have much time!" I made my way behind them. "Rose! Fend them off until we get out!" My Stand nodded, zipping over to the nearest monster and smashing her fist into its face. While Rose was handling those monsters, I kept my arm sword pointed at the ones within the lobby, ready to fight back if they ever decide to get back up and step towards us. Thankfully, none of them dared to stand. Hmm… why is that? I think I'm starting to understand how this Stand power works.

We managed to make it into the elevator in no time. I let out a sigh as I hit the button to the roof, and the door closed without any monsters getting even close to the lobby. "Whew," I sighed as I watched the counter go up. "We lost them. Thank gods we managed." Another sigh escaped my mouth. "But that guy… I wished I could've done more to save him. If only I didn't hesitate…" I shook my head. "He didn't deserve that terrible fate."

"Mmm," Yang responded. The elevator went silent, aside from the occasional whimper from one of the kids. But it wasn't long until Yang spoke up again. "Hey, Ruby."

"Yeah?"

"Well, you know— I don't know how to put this. If anything, I still can't believe it myself." From the corner of my eye, I could make out Yang trembling. "There are so many questions that I want to ask about everything, but one thing in particular's bothering me."

I raised my eyebrows. "If you're talking about what's happening us to us right now… there's no easy way to explain it. The monsters and all that—"

"No, it's about something else. Something from so long ago." She let out a sigh. "It's been over a month since everything started getting all weird. I remember how it all started with you saying that Mom was alive, Mom was still appearing even though she… left us. To be honest, I had thought you were losing it after that injury you got. But I'm starting to believe you now." What the— what is she trying to get at? Wait… my eyes widened. No way. But normal people can't see—

Yang finished her thought: "I saw her. Mom, that is. She appeared behind us and stepped in to fight those monsters. It's just like what you said. She came in to save us." She turned to look at me. "You saw her too, right?"

* * *

"Ugh!" I grunted as I stomped back towards the entrance to the amphitheater. My thumb ran across my scar as I rubbed my forehead. Where in the world is Blake? I searched all over for what felt like hours, but she's just not here! It's like she left the building or something! At this point, she's just wasting my time. I sighed. Whatever. If she wants to go disappear somewhere and do who knows what, she can go ahead. As for me, I'm going to go back and try to enjoy what's left of the concert. I rubbed the bridge between my eyes. But still, I thought she managed to get past this phase. Apparently not.

A yawn escaped my mouth as I glanced at all of the empty food stands. Huh. I guess the employees go watch the concert while it's going on. It kinda makes sense; after all, nobody's going to buy any snacks or anything like that until an intermission comes along. I felt my stomach rumble. Hmm… I could use something to eat. I mean, there should be some employees standing at the entrance if I remember correctly. Maybe I can ask them.

The entrance came into view, revealing three employees with their backs pressed against the door. All of them had looks of horror on their faces. I raised an eyebrow. What in the world? "Excuse me," I called out, waving my hand at them. None of them noticed me at first. I tried again, this time a little louder. They look stuck in their own imaginary world.

My eye twitched. This is unacceptable. I cupped my mouth and took a deep breath. "Hey!" They all jerked their head towards me. I started towards them. "Hi. Can any of you guys—"

"No!" One of them threw their hand up, stopping me in my tracks.

I narrowed my eyes. "No? You didn't even let me finish." I stepped forwards. "Look, all I'm asking is that—"

"Don't come any closer!" There was an inflection of fear in the worker's voice that made me pause. What's going on? The worker started shaking. "You can't come through this door. I'm sorry, but there's something… weird going on in there. Everybody inside's unconscious, and then there are these ripples in the air bouncing around the entire amphitheater. Ma'am, you're better off finding the nearest terminal and calling the VPD. We can't move from this spot, we refuse to! We're the only people keeping this door closed and preventing the things from getting out!"

That caught my attention. Air ripples? Wouldn't that be impossible to see? "I have to see what's going on." I marched forwards, gesturing one of the employees to the side. "Scoot over. I need to know what's happening."

Again the guy whimpered. "No, you can't come closer! We can't protect you from whatever's going on inside—"

"I'm a Huntress, now move over!" The worker shut up, meekly stepping to the side so I can look through the window. I gasped. In the air there were weird lines twisting around in the air, making strange geometrical shapes. Then they shifted, becoming two bolts of electricity running across the walls. Now it's a series of ripples. Right after that was a wavelength, running to the beat of some song. It's ever flowing, ever-changing. The visuals were psychedelic, similar to those sound visualizers that would show up when somebody played music.

Oh my gods, who knows what kind of damage that can do to people? My eyes widened. And Ruby and Yang are in there! They must've already been hit by the waves! Who knows what could've happened to them!

And the moans… I can make out a faint chorus of groans and moans escaping past the door, accompanied by a haunting soundtrack in the backdrop. It's the song in particular that caught my attention. It's nothing at all like the Achieve Men's usual music. The rapid, almost organized drum pattern they prefer to use was now slower, more intentional, more moody, more synthetic. The keyboard had a soothing pattern, something that actually invoked a sense of dread. Combine that with the more prominent guitar, bass, and the sad choral moans of the audience and now you have a song that sounds sinister.

I winced before stepping back. What the— For one moment, it felt like it tried to get inside my head. One of the workers let out a hiss. "Get back! That is what I am talking about! There's something terribly wrong here. The band's not playing the original program, and the audience looks to be unconscious. We need to call the police now and get help, or maybe some actual Huntsmen—"

"They can't help with this," I sighed. It can't be possible, but it is. We must've been attacked by an enemy Stand, right in the middle of the concert; not to mention right before the Vytal Festival. If the audience dies during this event, Vale's going to get a lot of flak, and the negativity that would arise from this… I tightened my hand into a grip. I won't let that happen!

 **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared behind me as I beheld the wavelength within the amphitheater. I don't have a lot of time. What in the world can I do to take down that Stand?

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 3/16/18**

* * *

 **Fox's Bizarre Adventure - Act 3**

To say that we were surprised was an understatement. Both Coco and I shrieked in terror as we fell back, away from the ghostly figure. Oh my gods, we have to get out of here right now. I started crawling backward, keeping my hand on my leader all the while.

"Fox!" Coco cried as she crawled back with me. "Tell me you can sense that thing, right?"

I let out a hum, nodding my head as my mind tried to process what was currently happening.. I shouldn't be surprised, really. I have a guardian spirit protecting me. And I've seen spirits before. This should not be surprising at all. But an actual ghost? No one who's died in my sights never had their souls trapped here in the realm of the living. My fingers started shaking for the first time in a long time. All of this is new territory for me. We're probably going to die if we don't get out of here right now—

"Wait, wait, wait; just hold on for a moment!" The burly figure stuck his arm out. "I don't mean any harm! This is an honest misunderstanding! Just stop for a moment and let me explain my side of the story, will you?" We didn't pay him any heed, and continued our backpedaling away from him. The ghost let out a sigh. "This is all a big misunderstanding, believe me." He started towards us. "I don't intend to harm you in any way, so please—"

"Nope, not happening!" The sounds of a finger tapping on a screen registered in my ears. Coco started hyperventilating. "I've seen enough horror movies to know that this is the part where you gloat about how we disturbed your slumber and that we're cursed to be haunted for eternity, and believe me that I'll be pissed if a ghost messed with my career!"

He tilted his head to the side, scratching his head at the same time. "I don't get it. One: what is a horror movie? Two: how could you guys disturb my slumber or something? I've been awake the whole time I've been here. And ghosts don't really need sleep."

"Aha!" Coco's Aura extended a finger towards the man. "So you are a ghost!"

"Well, yes. But your imagination has driven you astray. Since when did ghosts hurt other people?"

"How about the fact that—"

As the two of them started debating each other, it suddenly occurred to me that we should check what's actually behind us. **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** appeared for a second, smacking the ground behind us before fading away. I let out a long sigh as the vibrations recreated the room. Okay, so we're currently— A solid object appeared in my mental image right behind me. Oh crud—

I winced an instant later as I felt my shoulder bump into the side counter. My gods, how did I miss that? From the sounds of it, Coco didn't run into anything major either. The sound of metal snapping caught my attention just a moment later, followed by several objects whizzing down towards us. I chewed the side of my cheek. Side tables… chemicals! Oh crud— I threw myself over Coco, bracing myself for whatever burns or other horrifying effects this can have on my Aura.

But they never came. One second became two, two became four, and so on until it finally hit me: none of the test tubes were hitting me. Huh? What just happened? I brought my focus above me. Right above us were the same vines that tried to shatter the glass just a couple of minutes before. Said vines were coiling up in certain areas, as if they were wrapping around something. Bringing my focus behind me revealed the ghost with his hand out. The vines extended from his palm.

"Whew," he sighed as he gestured to my left. The vines flew over the table before setting down whatever objects he caught. Most likely the test tubes, judging from the clinking sounds. "Now that was lucky. It wouldn't be good if the contents of these test tubes landed on you. Are you aware of chlorine gas? Nasty weapon, that's for sure. When you breathe it in, it gets absorbed in moist tissues like your eyes, throat, and lungs, and forms an extremely strong acid, basically eating you from the inside out. Can even affect people with Aura, which is why it was considered a weapon of mass destruction. They were doing experiments on the substance here. You're lucky that I caught them at the last moment."

I said nothing, instead twisting my head towards the ghost in surprise. "Wha— You're not going to kill us?"

The ghost let out a confused 'huh.' "No. After all, I don't want to do that to two strangers that just fell in. That would be a disgrace to my fam— my father's name and my pride as a gentleman." The vines faded away, leaving just the three of us. "After all, it would be uncouth of me to treat any guest that didn't intend on destroying this bunker in such a manner." He gave us a bow. "If I may, let's start all over from the beginning. May I know your names?"

Both Coco and I stared in the direction of the ghost. Can we trust this guy? On one hand, he seems really nice. After all, he didn't attack us directly, and he did save us. As far as we know, he might actually be telling the truth and actually caught the chlorine gas ingredients. But then again… We are still in his 'domain', more or less. I'm still running on limited information. Could he be hiding something important?

I sighed. There aren't enough facts to work with. Way too much of my judgment has been based on assumptions. And I've been overthinking everything recently. Isn't that how I got into trouble with Jaune a couple of weeks back? But at the same time, I'm the only person who can protect Coco and myself if it does turn out this guy is hostile. Is it worth the risk? My forehead wrinkled. Years ago, 'no' would be the cut and dry answer. But now, when not every user I meet wants to kill me? It's a lot harder to say.

Coco beat me to the punch, though. "Well, what about all of that creepy stuff with the room right before all of this?" I turned to sense her Aura. She was facing in the general direction of the ghost, holding her hand in front of her like she was holding her— I mean, my scroll. "You were shattering all of the glass and everything! How would you know that the glass you broke didn't have chlorine gas to kill us?"

"For one thing, the majority of the destroyed test tubes here are empty," the ghost started, crossing his arms. "I would know, the Great War ended right as the experiments with chlorine gas started to bear fruit. They didn't have the chance to actually use any of the glass you see here. I think it was only that one side-table that still had any material inside. Two." The ghost scratched the back of his neck. "To be honest, I was trying to determine what exactly you were doing in an abandoned place like this. It's obvious that you're not raiders, but I had to assume the worst." He placed his hand on his chin. "After all, I remember right after the war ended, couples would often find secluded areas and… celebrate together loudly."

"Huh? What do you mean— Oh." My team leader let out a sound of disgust. "Ew, no. It's nothing like that between me and Fox. We're Huntsmen teammates—"

"Sorry for interrupting." He held out a hand. "But what's a Huntsman?"

I let out a hum. "You don't know?"

He shook his head. "Not a clue. After all, I have been dead for a couple of years. Keeping track of the world when I'm here is surprisingly difficult, especially ever since the radio broke down. Actually, I should've asked this question first: what year is it?"

"Uh…" I coughed in my hand. "1013 A.D."

The ghost let out a small sound. "One thousand— that can't be right. Are you absolutely sure you're talking about one thousand and thirteen years after Dust was discovered, right? A.D. still means 'After Dust,' right? No mistake? No changes to the calendar system since the Great War?" I nodded. He pressed his hands against his face. "My gods… Eighty years. It's been eighty years since the end of the Great War. How long was I down there? How much has changed over the years? How much of history have I missed?"

Against all odds, the giant ghost started fretting in front of us, causing Coco and I to shift our weight in discomfort. "What kind of historian and archaeologist am I to miss eighty years of Remnant history? There is so much to catch up on, so much to learn about the new state of the world, whether there are new cultures that sprang up, so on and so forth. I wonder if the old gang are still alive. After all, living to be one hundred back during the Great War was almost impossible. Unless there were advancements in medicine over eighty years—"

I coughed into my hand. "Can I interrupt for just a moment?" The man stopped his speech, turning his head in my direction. "Let me make this clear: no, we aren't here to raid this place or do… teenager stuff. No, we were clearing out Grimm in the area when we stumbled upon the bunker, and a sudden collapse caused both Coco and I to fall in."

"Mmhmm." Coco stepped forwards. "We need to get back to the rest of our team. Do you know a way back up to the surface?"

"Of course!" The ghost's figure flickered in pleasure. "I've been here for quite some time, and I managed to memorize the location of every single corridor and room in this place! If you would like it, I can show you the path I normally take to get to the top of the bunker."

"That would be wonderful!" my team leader said. "Yeah, go ahead and lead the way."

"Alright then!" The ghost turned around. "Now, give me a moment. I've got to think about the route regular people would take. After all, being ethereal means that I can phase through anything. And well… I never really needed to use corridors. Now, after I walk out of the room, do I need to make a left or—"

I leaned towards the fashionista and brought my mouth close to her ear. "Wait, Coco. Why are you pointing my scroll towards the ghost? I thought you couldn't see him."

"Well, I can see an outline of his Aura using the camera app," she whispered back. "I got reminded of a ghost story from an old psychic I ran into way back. Crazy old coot, but she mentioned using a digital camera to capture a person's Aura. Honestly, I can't believe this is working."

"By the way, before I forget to ask again, can you tell me what your names are?" The giant of a ghost turned around. "I would refer to you two as just 'Sir' and 'Lady,' but having a name afterward just feels more appropriate."

"Right." I finally stood up. "I'm Fox, and this is Coco."

He bowed. "Sir Fox. Lady Coco. A pleasure to meet you two."

"Um… It's just Fox and Coco." I brushed my pants off. "We don't use titles such as 'sir' or 'lady' anymore."

"I don't know…" Coco let out a chuckle. "I don't mind being called 'madam.'"

"… Right. But what about you?" I tilted my head towards the ghost. "What should we call you?"

The ghost sighed. "Really, I don't know if you would be interested. After all, I am a ghost. Names would be useless if everyone I know from the past has long since passed away. And plus, I've never been… much for my actual name. It's something I'd rather keep to myself."

"Well, we do have to call you something." I shrugged. "Maybe just give us the first letter of your name?"

He let out a hum. "That is acceptable. You may call me J. And I believe this is yours, Lady Coco." A vine floated in the air, pressing a scroll into Coco's hands before fading away. With that J. turned around. "So, ready to get out of here?" He started floating towards one of the exits. I gave one more gesture to Coco. She shrugged her shoulders, tilting her head to the side a bit before nodding. We started following J. The ghost took a deep breath. "If you don't mind, can you indulge me and tell me of the world you live in now?" I nodded. He continued, "So, tell me…"

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Before we get into anything else, I should mention how I created the calendar for this story. This is mainly just quick world building so I could actually write what I wanted to write, but this is how I wrote the history of Remnant:**

 **AD = after Dust;** **BD = Before Dust**

 **1000 BD = First orally told story of the history of Remnant**

 **500 BD = Beginning of written history**

 **0 AD = The year Dust is discovered and used to fight the Grimm**

 **27 AD = Formation of the first Kingdoms**

 **923 AD = Start of the Great War**

 **933 AD = End of the Great War**

 **1013 AD = Current year**

 **It's mainly story notes for me, but I realized how it a casual mention of this might be confusing for some, so I thought it was worth mentioning here.**

 **With that out of the way, let's get straight to the reviews!**

 **Guest 1: Thank you, Guest 1! I would say it's a little closer to Jonathan than Joseph, but that's not known yet.**

 **Mkoll: Oh yeah, the one from RTAA? I can't believe I forgot about that! Granted, I probably wouldn't use it in the first place. I think it's okay to say what it is. The string of code references the villains from JoJo, particularly their initials.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! Glad to hear that you're still enjoying the story!**

 **tuskenpaw: Yeah, I had a lot of fun with the pet store scene. It's a nice moment to world build and I personally liked the back and forth in the Redbone fight. And as for Ruby and Yang, they've reached a world of weird. But hmm... where is the Achieve Men in all of this? That's for the next chapter to answer.**

 **TheSetupMage: True, the entire band is the one incurring the sleep, but the question is: is it because they are Stand users? I do believe Perry said that "...the other Stand user will make sure that your friends are out of the way." Only one... Who could it be?**

 **And yeah, this is one of those weird moments where I introduce the Stand name at the end of the arc instead of the beginning. So I'll give the name here: Hocus Pocus. I mean, I guess it's also in the chapter title, but still.**

 **doa570047: Ayy, I get the Phineas and Ferb joke. In all seriousness, apparently this Perry's a bloodhound Faunus. I know, I didn't believe it myself until I rewatched the show. Definitely a missed opportunity for RT to make a P &F reference. But hey, I'll take it if it helps with connecting Stand user to Stand.**

 **Ah, yes. I love 'who is real' moments as well. It's all about the probing, the testing. It helps affirm two character's relationship to each other. I personally feel like this particular moment is heavily reliant on people watching and understanding RWBY for it to make sense in hindsight, but I loved writing that scene.**

 **The dog whistle permit thing was actually inspired by RWBY Chibi's skit with the dog whistle. I remember watching it and thinking: 'Wait, if dog whistles can be heard with Faunus with animal ears, why can someone like Ruby buy one?' So dog whistle permits were born. Thank God Chibi is non-canon, otherwise, I would've also tried to explain why Ruby has a dog whistle in the first place.**

 **And yeah, my God Sande Mountains is OP. It has the perfect mix of defense and offense as well as being versatile. And after hearing the building idea, I'm just thinking "Well, shit. This can actually work." Hell, I'll write this idea right now:**

 **/-/**

 _ **"HAHAHA! It's no use, Blake Belladonna!" Tyrian paced below me on the roof, his Stand matching the grin on his face. I felt the breeze flow through my hair as I struggled to swim towards the rooftop I floated above. It's no use. It's like trying to swim through gelatin! "It's all over, my fearless kitty. I've made the air around you the consistency of jello and suspended your body. Your Stand is useless if you can't touch any surface to merge with." He let out a cackle. "So, what are you going to do now against my 「BLANK SPACES?」"**_

 _ **「SANDE MOUNTAINS」formed in front of me. I narrowed my eyes at him. "You'll be surprised. 「SANDE MOUNTAINS!」" The moment I screamed its name, my Stand shot down towards the rooftop, barely managing to merge its toe into the tiled surface. It drew its fists back. "WAOU!"**_

 _ **One punch shook the building as it sunk down into the ground, knocking Tyrian off of his feet. He let out a gasp. "What the-"**_

 _ **"RARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA-" I felt my body jerk down as the building kept sinking into the ground, dragging everyone down. It's not being destroyed, mind you. I glanced down to see the ripples on the concrete surrounding the building. This is it!**_

 _ **"WAAAAOOUUUU!" With one final punch, the building sunk completely into the ground. The only thing that showed it was still there was the image on top of the concrete. As for me, momentum carried me, sending me slamming into the floor. It swallowed me up in an instant.**_

 _ **"No... IMPOSSIBLE!" Tyrian stood up, his face contorting in fury. "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ESCAPED! I'LL KILL YOU!"**_

 _ **"Not going to happen." I brought my head out from the ground as** **「SANDE MOUNTAINS」** **grabbed the edge of the roof. "Not once I send you away."**_

 _ **With a hefty roar, 「SANDE MOUNTAINS」 threw the building back out from the ground. A yell escaped from Tyrian's mouth as he was sent flying into the Mistralian sky.**_

 _ **/-/**_

 **So... yeah. BTW, the above mini-scene is non-canon. This doesn't actually happen, I'm just having fun.**

 **Shad0wReaper133: Thank you for picking up on the minor grammar and formatting mistakes at the beginning of this story. I've fixed them up now. To your other comments, there's really no point going into the discussion on multiple first-person POVs and how Stands work at this point of the story. There's already more than enough content touching upon why I chose to write the story that way, and I do my absolute best to establish POV as soon as possible. If it's still not enough, then I'm okay with you dropping the story. There's no harm, no foul with that.**

 **If you're still reading to this point, then thank you for still giving me a chance!**

 **Guest 2: Hell yeah for bullshit Blake Stand.**

 **Okay, but for your questions about Requiem Stands, I don't intend on bringing them into this story. It's mainly because I feel like Requiem Stands filled a very specific function in Part 5: to get past King Crimson. That Stand is the epitome of bullshit. Legit there aren't any Stand introduced in the story that can beat its powers. Maybe Star Platinum, but even then the context of the fight matters. So in my eyes, Requiem Stands were created to deal with King Crimson by getting past its ability.**

 **However, I feel like the main antagonist's Stand ability in this story is something that can be dealt with the Stand powers I'm using in this story. So Requiem isn't needed, in my opinion.**

 **Well, that's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next update!**

 **Next Chapter Update: March 16, 2018**


	32. Hocus Pocus - Part 2

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Don't really have much to say about this particular chapter, so let's get right into it! Thanks again to my beta for reading through this particular chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

I was left speechless as Persi, Glade, Yang, and I rose up the elevator. Dread started filling my chest. So many thoughts ran through my head as I processed what Yang had said. _"I saw her. Mom that is. It's just like what you said. She came in to save us."_ That can't be possible. I know for a fact that Stand users can only see other Stands. For her to see Rose meant that some time while I wasn't paying attention, Yang managed to get hit by the Arrow! I gritted my teeth. This can't be real. She can't be.

"Ruby?" I glanced up into my sister's lilac eyes. "That was Mom back there, right?" I kept my silence. She continued on: "Was it or was it not? You have to answer me, Ruby! Mom couldn't possibly be alive after all this time! Who was that who just came in to save us?"

Persi sat up. "Yeah. Who was that woman?" My eyes flicked towards the boy. Him too? When did he get hit by the Arrow?

Glade nodded. "Was that really your mommy that helped us out there?" And Glade— No way. That's impossible! There's no way that the Cupid struck all three of them! What are the odds of that?

"Yang." I grabbed her by the forearms, causing her to jerk back in shock. "I need you to answer me this question. Did you see a Grimm in the form of a human baby? Did it have an arrow in its hands? And did it ever cut you with that arrow?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Yang raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Nothing else came into our room from when I woke up to when you came in. Geez, Ruby. There wasn't anything like that."

"What about headaches? Sudden pains throughout your whole body? Feeling like your body's being ripped apart or— or burning or—"

"No! I've never felt that, and neither did Persi or Glade! Ruby, what's going on? You're getting so worked up about this. Not at all like you are normally. You're scaring the kids!" True to her words, Persi and Glade buried their heads into Yang, trembling at my sudden outburst.

"Sorry." I let go of Yang's arms and slunk back. "You're right. But at the same time, it's something that I would rather keep quiet. Knowing about this is dangerous stuff. Normally people shouldn't be able to see those kinds of figures, but all three of you guys can. But, none of you guys came even close to that Grimm baby thing. So none of you guys could have been hit by the Arrow at all." I placed a fist under my chin and let out a hum. "Is it maybe that this place is special? A place where it's possible for anyone to see the figures? Sounds like the best possible explanation at this point."

Yang gave me a confused look. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Just thinking out loud," I waved off. "But yeah, it's not the best idea to talk about what just happened." I held a finger out, interrupting Yang before she could protest. "All you guys have to know right now is that Rose is my guardian angel, and she'll protect us from the monsters. It's more important to focus on surviving long enough until we can find the way out." The bell in the elevator chimed as we slowly came to a stop. "Trust that Rose and I will get us out of here!"

"…" Yang gave me an unusual look, her forehead creasing, but she still nodded. "Okay then. Lead the way, Ruby." The doors opened up a moment later, revealing the rooftop. The outside reflected a more modern type of construction with how it was mostly flat. Oh yeah, wasn't it always like that on the outside? It still doesn't make much sense. I looked around. A few fans and air duct funnels stuck out here and there, but they didn't really add much to the image.

One thing that struck me then and there was the staircase connecting this building to one of the floating upside-down buildings. I had to let out a whistle just taking one look at it. Wow… it really is a lot like that children's book author. The best way to describe the stairs was abstract. They curve in such an unusual pattern, forming loops, corkscrews, and other strange patterns that should be more or less impossible to make in the real world. There's no way people could actually use them as actual stairs, even if that was possible. We have to walk a ton in order to get higher up. I took a deep breath and sighed. What other choice do we have? Go down?

I looked at the side of the building and gasped. The hundreds of people that used to be in the plaza were gone, replaced with those creepy monsters swinging their hips around without a care in the world. I bit my lip as I stared at the terrifying scene. How did they get attacked like this so quickly? Did I spend more time in the building than I thought? Who knows? But we can't go back now. I let out a slow, deep breath. We just have to keep moving forward.

Yang paled as I stepped towards the staircase. "You're kidding, right? There's no way that this thing is safe."

"Nope." I popped the 'p' at the end. "But we can't go down anymore. We'll just get overwhelmed by the hundreds of monsters on the ground. We need to get to higher ground, where it's less likely there will be those monster things in the way. Besides, I can transform into rose petals if I fall off."

Before Yang could let out another complaint, I stepped on the first step and immediately started twisting as I walked through a corkscrew. My eyes widened. I'm not falling? This is just getting weirder and weirder. But oh my gods, I didn't fall! "Yang, did you see that?" I turned to her. "I just went upside down, and I didn't fall!"

She nodded. The rest of the kids looked surprised as well. I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, I guess that means that we don't have to worry about that part anymore." I gestured to them. "We've got a long walk ahead of us. Come on, we gotta get to the top!"

* * *

I bit my lip, pacing outside the amphitheater entrance. Now, this was a frustrating puzzle. I let out a growl as I combed through my snow-white ponytail, staring at the closed amphitheater door. Inside the wiggling waves taunted me, inviting me to come in. But if I do, then I'll be affected by the music, and who knows what would happen then? So now I'm left with this dilemma. How in the world am I going to go in there without that creepy music affecting me?

"You." I pointed to one of the workers with Feld on his name tag. "Tell me, where were you when the waves hit?"

"Well, uh, I was guarding the door from the inside. I was listening to general updates from the control center when the music started playing. I felt lightheaded immediately, but I thought it was just nausea or something, so I walked outside to get some air. A couple of minutes passed, and I came back to see these two holding the door back." He gestured to the other two. "They were the ones who insisted on keeping the door closed."

I nodded, turning towards the others. "And you two? What happened inside?"

One of them, a guy by the name of Ferrum, shivered. "I was at the side of the wall, making sure that everyone was okay. Then the music started playing. All of a sudden, the cheering of the crowd just started slowing all of a sudden. Everyone started nodding off. In the beginning, I thought that the introduction song just didn't click with the audience, but as people started falling unconscious, I started getting this feeling of dread. That I had to get out of there as soon as possible. Then—"

He choked, holding back a sob. "Then while I was going up, there were these parents already on the ground, trying to drag themselves and their two children out of the amphitheater. The children were already unconscious, and the parents must've been at their absolute limit. I remember— I remember their whispers to me." The man pressed his hands against his face. "They wanted me to get the children out of there. And I tried. But then the ripples of the air formed right after I touched them— I had to run." A tear slipped down his face. "I couldn't save anyone. Not even those children. I'm so useless—"

I grabbed his shoulder. "You're not. You did whatever you could." I bit my lips, thinking back to the training on civilian emotion management. "Don't think you're useless. You're telling me exactly what's going on, and that gives me a better idea of how to fight off this thing. By surviving, you're giving these individuals a chance to survive."

My eyebrows furrowed as I stepped away. This gives me a lot of good information in terms of how to fight this thing. However, I'm still missing one crucial piece: how I can get in the amphitheater without falling unconscious? I could go in and dip back out, but there's no way I could maintain that system for long.

There has to be something the workers all had in common that allowed them to get out without falling unconscious. Maybe the last person might have the key. I turned towards her. Faye was her name. "Alright. And what about you?" She didn't respond, instead just staring into space somewhere as she bobbed her head to some kind of music in her earbuds. I waved my hand in front of her. "Hello? Are you there?"

She jerked back, glancing at me before realizing my presence. She ripped out her earbuds, taking a shaky breath in. "Oh, sorry. I'm still a little shaky from everything. Listening to my own stuff keeps me distracted. I don't really want to think back on what just happened."

"It's okay. I understand. But if there is anything that you can offer me, anything that you think will be useful to help me save those people, I am willing to hear you out."

The worker swallowed, frowning for a moment before nodding her head. "I was the one closest to the stage, right below one of the speakers, in fact. It was maybe my second week here, you know, just getting comfortable with working and all that. There isn't a lot I can add to what everybody said already. Everybody fell asleep, from the audience to the Achieve Men. It's like that one show where for a couple of minutes everybody around me fell unconscious. Except they didn't wake up afterward this time." She wrinkled her eyebrows. "Wait a minute…"

"What?" I leaned in. "Did you realize something?"

"Maybe…" She shook her head. "I'm not sure. It's just a farfetched theory, as far as I know."

"Nothing's that far-fetched in a situation like this," I replied. "It's okay. Any idea you have could be the key to stopping this thing."

She nodded. "Okay. I think there's something about the music. Something about it is making all of the people falling asleep. The thing is, I had my earbuds on while the concert was on, listening to my own stuff." The woman held up her pair. "It's pretty good at blocking sound, so I use it in place of earplugs." I nodded, rubbing the base of my chin. Could it really be? If the actual music is what's causing everyone to fall unconscious…

Ferrum stepped forward, his eyes slightly widening in realization. "Now that I think about it, it does make a bit of sense. Feld over here was close to the exit, so he managed to escape from the music before it could really get to him. And I was given a set of noise-canceling earplugs if I ever have to get close to the speakers. Gods, they are loud. You can lose your hearing just by attending a concert. Being next to the speakers at full blast without any kind of protection is just _asking_ to go deaf at the age of forty."

"Hmm… okay." I nodded my head. The idea that the music is causing this makes the most sense at the moment. It can't be the waves since the Ferrum guy already stated they didn't appear until he touched one of the audience members. The Achieve Men doing this is out of the question as well, since Faye said that they were affected by this, too. If I can get something to plug my ears and go in, I should still be okay."

I narrowed my eyes. But now there's another problem: who in the world is the Stand user? Who's making the music that's causing everyone to fall asleep? There's no way the Stand user _is_ the waves. That's probably the Stand itself right there. But if it's not that, what could it be? It could be a person, an animal or even a plant for all I know! My mind's drawing a complete blank on the matter— Wait, Weiss. Think about this more calmly. Whoever it is, they must still be inside the amphitheater. And plus, I don't _have_ to find out who the user is. I can always target the Stand instead and figure it out from there.

"Alright." I pulled out the pair of earplugs that was originally for Blake and started putting them into my ears. "I'm going in. Can you guys try speaking to me just so I can check that these are working fine?" There was a muffled sound escaping from Feld's mouth. "What?" I squinted at his moving mouth, but I couldn't make out a single coherent word. "I think it's working fine. That's good." I walked over to a nearby souvenir station and grabbed a plastic toy sword.

Ugh. My forehead wrinkled as I looked at the sloppily-made item. It's generic junk people sell when they need quick merchandise. It doesn't hold a candle to Myrtenaster. But then again, I didn't want to bring my rapier into a stadium full of civilians. What kind of message would that send to the crowd? I let out the sigh. The toy will do.

I dusted my hands, returning to the door and taking a couple of paces back. "Here's how we're going to do this. I'm going to launch myself in the amphitheater. I might be able to walk in there, but I expect the wave thing will attack me. So I'm going to need to go in fast." A pale white glyph formed behind me, followed quickly by a straight line of glyphs. "When I count to three, open the doors for me to fly in, then close them immediately. No matter what happens afterward, don't open the door until I come back over and knock on it. Is that understood?"

All three of them tilted their heads for a bit before giving me a thumbs up. That should be good enough. I put myself in a ready position as the rest of the group lined up next to the doors, ready to throw them open at a moment's notice. Okay, Weiss. Keep breathing steadily. This is for the sake of everyone in that room. I took in one more deep breath, focusing on nothing but the doors in front of me. "One… two… three!"

The doors propped open right as I pushed off. All of the glyphs let off a beautiful glow as I was launched off, speeding into the room. Almost immediately afterward I felt a wave of dread hit me. Ugh… I can feel goosebumps forming on my skin. On one hand, I can't hear a single thing that's going on, which has to be a good sign. I'm not going to fall victim like these others did. On the other hand, it just feels so weird. It's still affecting me even with the ear protection. Maybe it would work better if I can completely block out sound… I'll just have to make do with these.

I felt a rumble under my feet as the doors behind me slammed shut. The wavy Stand in front of me reacted, taking on its electric form. It twisted and turned, sparking towards me with an unnerving buzz I can hear through the earbuds. Well, no running away now. Another glyph formed below me for a split second before sending me flying towards the psychedelic waves. The zig-zagging lines reacted in an instant, sending the lightning arcs up towards me. I cocked one of my eyebrows up. You think a bunch of lightning bolts will stop a Schnee?

Another glyph formed in front of me, and I used it to spring off and shoot towards the roof. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** flew out, swinging its saber rapidly against various segments of the roof. Immediately after making contact, Dust crystals grew from the cuts and formed a series of lines and pathways. A long, reasonable chunk of Lightning Dust also sprouted out from the center of these channels. I sighed. I don't have any metal to conduct the electricity properly, but if my calculations are right, the Dust I created to make this should be enough.

Right as I reached the apex of my rise, **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** struck the Lightning Dust with the blunt end of its saber, sending sparks into the improvised circuit board. The static ran through the lines, causing the yellow Dust to glow. Almost immediately after, the arcs flew towards the Dust pathways, missing me and striking the roof instead. Little ripples of lightning bounced within the Dust crystals. I watched in pride as the arcs tried to curve towards me, but no matter what, they just couldn't rip away from the roof and come after me.

The side of my lip pulled up. No more static to worry about now. What kind of idiot did this thing think I am? Did it really think that I wouldn't try to redirect the arcs of lightning? It's basic electrical engineering. Lightning is formed through positive and negative charges forming in the air. And if I can make one location charged more negatively than anything else, it becomes an improvised lightning rod where any sparks will be attracted to! I started falling towards the wavy Stand as **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** yanked its saber out and struck another part of the ceiling. This time an orange Dust stalactite formed, which my Stand quickly snatched it to interrupt my fall.

I adjusted the earplugs as I swung around, wincing with every swing. Geez, this stalactite is hard to hold on to with just my Stand. At least I don't have to worry about falling into those waves. But okay, I've got to find where the Stand user is right now. I glanced around the amphitheater. Okay, the Stand user has to be a person that's still awake, right? I narrowed my eyes for a moment before they shot open with surprise. My gods, what's happening with the crowd? All of them were still unconscious, but a growing amount of them had begun to foam at the mouths. And it's hard to find the odd man out in the dark. Where in the world could this guy be?

Think… the music is the thing that's causing everyone to fall asleep… so the guy has to be either onstage or next to the audio equipment. How else would he or she manage to target so many people at once? My eyes flew towards the stage. Just like what Faye said, all six members of the Achieve Men were unconscious. But I don't see anyone onstage. And I can see the sound mixer on the side, yet nobody's manning it. This is strange… The only thing on the stage are the band's instruments, but those couldn't possibly be Stands. Every single Stand we met beforehand came from living beings!

Before I could dwell on this any further, I felt something change in the air. What the— I turned around to see the waves stop spewing electricity, instead forming cubes and launching them at me. My eyes widened for a moment before I threw myself onto one of the incoming geometric shapes. Oh gods! What in the world— These things are tangible? I pulled myself up. I thought they were just effects! But the fact that I can touch them— just what is this thing? I started leaping from cube to the cube, making my way up towards the ambiguously shaped Stand.

Come on! With a loud cry, I leaped onto the cloud, grabbing on tight with my hands. Even though I shouldn't be able to hold onto it, somehow… I just am. I'm actually holding onto air and not falling off. But that's something that I shouldn't worry about right now. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** readied their sword to cut it down. I'm most likely not going to find the Stand user at this rate. That's okay, though. All I have to do is beat down the Stand, and that should be enough to cancel out the effect—

What in the world? I narrowed my eyes. Is it just me, or are there tiny people running on these little waves? Wait a minute… it is! I leaned in. Huh? Why in the world are there people in there? Could they be the people in the amphitheater? My eyes widened as I saw a small group of four walking up one of the strands. Oh my gods… that's Ruby and Yang with two kids! But that's impossible! I glanced at my teammate's bodies. Sure enough, both of them were knocked out cold. How did they get here if they're over there? Can this Stand absorb souls and put them here? What's the point of that? Can I communicate with them?

There's only one way to know for sure. I opened my mouth.

* * *

"Yang! Ruby!" I flinched when I heard the familiar voice of my partner. Everybody else stopped walking up the staircase as well. Yang let out a confused sound. What the— Did Weiss just speak to us from the sky? I looked up and met a set of giant blue eyes staring at us from the sky. I flinched again. Holy— Is that Weiss? How did she get up there? She leaned a bit back, revealing more of her face. It is! That is Weiss!

"Rubyyy," Glade cried as she ran behind me. "Will you bring out your guardian angel to fight the face in the sky? Is she going to hurt us too?"

I shook my head. "No, she's one of the good guys." A smile grew on my face. "Weiss!" I walked as close as possible to the edge of the staircase as I gave her a wave. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! How did you manage to get up there in the sky?" I shook my head. "No, that doesn't matter. Look, Yang and I are with these kids in this weird reality. Did you find the Stand user yet?"

A frown grew on Weiss' face as she narrowed her eyebrows. Did she see us? I'm pretty sure that Weiss should be able to see us if she called out our names. I cupped my hands and took in a deep breath. "Weiss! Did you find who is doing all of this?" This time she let out a hum that vibrated the staircase. She turned around and pointed at something in her ear. Are those Blake's earplugs? Why is she wearing those?

Weiss tapped the foam plugs in her ears. "I can't hear anything. The music is what's causing this. I'll end up like you guys if I take them off." What? The music? I raised my eyebrows. What music? The only music that anybody heard would be the Achieve Men— My eyes widened. That music! There's something about the music that sent us all to this weird monster realm! So that means Weiss is wearing the earplugs to block out the sound! She didn't get sent to the sky for some random reason, she's looking into this place through the real world!

Oh gods. She's looking into this world. I let out a hum of my own. That's a telling hint. She's in the real world, but she can't hear any of the music due to the earplugs. That's the trigger to being dragged into this place. Now the question is where are we? We have to be somewhere where she can just look into our realm… I can't think of any real solution. I think the best I can say is that we're probably inside the Stand or something. There are two problems with that, though. One: I have no way of proving that we are in fact within the Stand. Two: even if we _could_ prove that, how would that help us find the Stand user?

That's what we need at the end of the day. There's too many of those monsters to actually make a difference in hurting the user. If the buildings themselves are the Stand or at least part of the Stand, then there's no way I could hurt it enough to change something. But maybe Weiss can figure out the Stand user. She might be able to get us out of here. My eyes widened. Wait… I know how I can signal her!

My side exploded into rose petals, disrupting my balance and forcing me to look down. Whoa! I can't even see any kind of ground below us. It's like staring into a deep chasm or something. But I don't wanna overdo my Stand ability. Betting on whether I can stop my fall with **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** isn't something I want to try today. I glanced back at the rising rose petals. Already they were partially merging into letters. Not completely, of course. I still need this to be floating for Weiss to read properly.

The heiress narrowed her eyes as she read the improvised text. "User found?" She looked at me. "Are you asking if I found the user yet?" I nodded my head.

Yang let out a grunt of confusion. "What are you guys talking about? None of this is making sense. What in the world is a—"

"No, not yet," Weiss interrupted, drowning out Yang's words. "From the looks of it, everybody in here is unconscious, even the band members." She let out a yelp as she shook in the sky for a moment. "Okay, this thing is starting to get angry at how I'm still on it. But you have to help me with this, Ruby. There's no living being that could possibly be causing this. I met up with the only three conscious people in this building, and none of them are users. They didn't attack or try anything while I was with them. Do you have any other idea of who could potentially be causing this?"

A hum escaped my mouth as I frowned. There's no living being that could've caused this? But that doesn't make any sense. It has to be something or someone. In all of the fights we experienced ever since the Stand Arrow came along, the only people we fought were Remnans. Well, except for the tapeworm, that was an animal… parasite… thing. If it isn't any kind of living being whatsoever, what could it be? Just inanimate objects? I've never heard of a Stand user like that… ever! Whew, what I wouldn't do to have Arslan or Fox here to give insight.

But then again, maybe we do need to consider that an object could become a Stand user. But there are so many questions that come from that happening. For example, why would an object attack a crowd out of nowhere? How did somebody get that object into the building and get it to cause so much damage? Who does that object belong to, and how did they manage to get into contact with a Stand user? Can an object even have the sheer will needed to create a Stand as powerful as this? I wanted to rub my temples. Ow, my head… How are we ever going to find a Stand user that is just an object? If only I could get out of here… it would be a lot easier than if it was just Weiss.

The rose letters morphed in the air, forming another set of words. Weiss read it before groaning. "You're joking, right? There's no way— How is an object a user, and how in the world am I going to find that in an entire amphitheater? There have to be thousands of items in just the seats alone, not to mention whatever the audience stuffed in their pockets and whatnot! I don't have the time to search everyone while the Stand is going after me!" **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared behind her. "In fact, why didn't I do this earlier? I can just end it right now!" The frontier-esque Stand raised their sword to swing down upon us.

"What in the— Weiss too?"

"HAP!" The saber slashed through the stairs, missing us by a solid ten meters in my perspective. Despite clearly passing through, all the stairs did was flicker and glitch out before returning back to normal. Weiss growled and continued to swing at us. "HAPHAPHAPHAPHAPHAP!"

"Oh gods!" Yang yelled as she pulled Persi close to her body. "Ruby, Glade, we gotta get out of here! Who knows what's going to happen if that sword hits us!" In my panic, something nagged in the back of my head. What did Yang say?

Weiss let out a frustrated huff. "Why isn't this thing getting hurt? It doesn't make sense!" **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** stopped swinging their sword. "I'm holding on to it right now, so it has to be solid. It's certainly tangible. But the saber just keeps passing through like it's air! Is it possible that I can't hurt this thing at all?" Her eyes widened. "No way… you've got to be kidding me. I actually have to find the item that is keeping this thing together?" She groaned again. "How can this possibly get any worse?"

She suddenly let out a gasp, taking on a look of surprise. I can make out drops of sweat as her face started twisting in fear. Her mouth quivered. "Oh gods."

* * *

This is not good. One moment I was trying to think about how in the world to look for a Stand in an item. The next… was really unsettling. I can feel something slowly slide up my leg. Something static-y but at the same time wiggly and slippery like a tentacle. I shivered. Nope! I threw myself to the side, yanking my leg away from one of the weird line waves that appeared. I've seen enough of Blake's perverted novels to know what's bound to happen next! I'm not going to deal with this!

 **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** swung their saber at the wiggling limb to little effect. I gotta get out of here right now—! Right then, I felt some kind of tentacle wrap around my stomach, squeezing the air out of me. I let out a gasp for air. Oh gods. It's so tight! I started clawing at the bindings. No! I need to get out of here— I'm not going to let this thing be the end of me! A glyph formed near my thrashing feet as **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** faded away. I'll just leap away from it—

The wavy Stand raised me in the air and threw me into the crowd before I could do anything. I groaned in pain as I slammed against the backing of the chairs. But that's not something I can worry about right now. Ruby and Yang were walking up on one of the waves! And not only that, but they can see me and sort of talk to me. But now I have another problem. It was the last words I managed to read before this Stand through me aside. The problem of having to look for an inanimate Stand user. That's just impossible! How in the world am I going to do that?

Okay Weiss, maybe you need to look at the bigger picture. I pulled myself under the feet of the unconscious populace. Hopefully that should keep the wiggly limbs from snatching me. But hmm… there's something I'm missing here. I quickly see that everybody within the stadium is unresponsive.

In fact, some of them are foaming at the mouth. There was one man dressed in orange and white stripes whose eyeballs had rolled into their sockets. It's like their brains are vegetating or something. There has to be something more to this. Maybe them foaming at the mouth is a pattern that I can follow. I shook my head. No, that's ridiculous. There's no pattern that I can work with. It's all dispersed around, with a few people foaming at the mouth in clusters. This will be a dead end.

Come on, think! I racked my head for an idea that could give me an edge over this monster of a Stand. Music, music… why music? There's undoubtedly easier ways to cause an entire amphitheater to lose consciousness. But Stands are like that. It's not supposed to make sense when you first look at it, but there's always something backing it up. That something is what I need to figure out. And it has to do with the music. That's the cause of everything that's happening so far. But what could that something be?

What can I get rid of immediately? That's the bigger question right now. What's not likely to be the Stand user? Let's see… It might be some kind of electronic, but no speaker on any scroll I've seen can possibly affect thousands of people within a single amphitheater—

It clicked in my head. It's true that there isn't a speaker on a _scroll_ that's loud enough to do that. I glanced up at the wall speakers hanging from all around the room. But there _are_ speakers here that can do the job. Yeah… I might be onto something. Speakers amplify sound, so it wouldn't be odd to have it blare out the song the Stand is using to lull everyone unconscious. But at the same time, speakers can't suddenly become Stand users. No, the actual Stand user has to be playing the song from somewhere and are using the speakers to their advantage.

A glyph formed on the ground beneath my feet as I put myself into a sprinter's position. It's all so simple now. Why have I been overthinking this problem? I don't need to look for the Stand user immediately. I can just track it!

The world around me blurred the moment I launched off. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared in front of me, saber in hand as they soared towards one of the speakers. With one slice, the audio equipment split in half, sending out one last spark before collapsing to the ground. Without pause, my Stand struck again, this time forming a slanted vein of smoothened Dust sloping down to the ground. I landed on it a second later, using the structure as a slide as it broke down behind me.

Did it work? I glanced towards the audience members closest to the destroyed speaker. They seemed to snap out of it for just a second, jerking their bodies for a moment. They groaned, lifting their hands to rub against their heads. Some of the individuals with foam in their mouths were spitting the vile substance out. Yes! I managed to free those people from the Stand! And I also know the Stand user can't possibly be there. Now I just have to whittle down the choices until I'm sure—

People started nodding back to sleep. My eyes widened. What? What happened? Why are they going back to sleep? I destroyed the speaker, so they should be fine! Unless… the other speakers! Of course! That's how stereo sound works after all! Maybe one speaker is broken, sure. But strategic placement of the other speakers ensures that there will always be coverage so that everyone can hear the song. I gritted my teeth. This is another complication that I wasn't expecting tonight. Still, I did manage to get some valuable information on the Stand's location. Definitely not there.

A high-pitched screeching sound registered in my ears. I pushed myself off of the slide, watching as the neon-colored tentacle smash into the structure a second later. Then I have to deal with this Stand as well. A growl escaped my mouth as **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** caught me and placed me on the ground. Now the mass of auditory soundwaves formed several limbs to attack me with. I have my work cut out for me.

* * *

"Ruby! Did you see that?"

I glanced at my sister. "See what?"

"Is it just me, or did that staircase just shrink back?" I raised my eyebrows. What did she just say? The staircase just shrank back? I glanced up and gasped. What the— it's like the steps on the staircase were folding up on themselves! Before it seemed like the stairs lead up for forever. But now, I can see another building far off in the distance. I glanced behind us. And the building we came from was moving ever so closer to us.

What in the world's going on? What changed? I know I didn't try to do anything this time around, so the only person that could've done something is— I gasped. Weiss. Did she figure out something about this Stand? That's awesome! I don't know what she's doing back in the real world, but it's not going to take long until we get out of here—

A gasp escaped my mouth. Wait a minute… I can see the end of the staircase! That's even better! We can just get to whatever this place is and hunker down until Weiss gets us out of here! Then if the Stand user's still standing after all of that, we can easily tag team it! This is perfect— Wait, what's on the edge of that next building? I squinted my eyes before letting out a moan of horror.

Everybody else behind me followed suit. Those white latex freaks were pushing at each other to get on the staircase. While several beings fell off to who knows where, there were dozens of them approaching us, letting that white saliva substance fly around and splatter all over the staircase. I could feel the blood drain from my face. Looking behind me everybody else had that haunted look on their face. Glade and Persi started sobbing next to us.

Yang in particular let out a cry of despair. "Oh gods, how did they get up there? I thought all of them were on the ground. It's like they can teleport or something!" I nodded my head, mouth slightly open at the horde approaching us. As far as I know, they probably can teleport in this Stand world place. Yang continued: "We have to run back!"

I nodded. Yup. There's no better way of putting that. We gotta go— I turned around and let out a groan. Two things immediately came to mind: one, the staircase behind us was shortening faster than before; two: the monsters were starting to stream out of the roof entrance. We're surrounded on both sides! We can't go forward, we can't go too far back. Defending would be useless considering how fast the staircase was shrinking. I'll get overwhelmed even with Rose, and we'll all be screwed. I can try punching a hole through the crowd, but they just have to grab me and it doesn't matter. How in the world are we going to make it out okay?

Come on, Ruby. I furrowed my eyebrows. There's got to be something I can work with. A little detail that I can take advantage of. Something that I can use to turn this around… I glanced over the side of the staircase. I know I can reform my body into whatever I wish. Maybe I can turn myself into a parachute or something and just glide down to wherever I need to be— What the? My jaw fell open when I saw on the side of the building an open window. Why is there an open window just over there?

My heart started pounding as an idea formed in my head. But it's still an open window. Where there's an open window there might be a place to hide away from these things. With that in mind, I ripped my right hand off and threw it towards the building. "Ruby!" Yang yelled as she pulled the two children close to us. "Why did you—"

"Don't worry, I have a plan." The flying hand exploded into petals the moment it smacked into the building, three windows right of where I wanted it to be. I quickly adjusted for that, sending the rose petals a few windows left before allowing them to reform around the windowsill as a hook. "I figured out a way to get out of here without having to jump off of this place. You see that window over there?" I nodded over to it while I reformed the rest of my fingers to become more rigid before slamming them into the staircase.

"Yeah— Wait." Yang shook her head. "You're planning on making it over to the room with the open window, right?" I nodded. My sister hummed. "I would say that's impossible, but at this point I've seen you do more. But what about the rest of us? How are we going to get across?"

"You'll see soon enough. But the moment I give you a signal, run across and get into the building, okay?" Before she could answer me, I threw myself off of the staircase. My body scattered into the wind as rose petals, floating towards the building. It didn't take long before they started recombining, forming a narrow platform roughly fifteen centimeters apart, connecting the staircase to the windowsill.

Bright light caused me to squint as my eyes reformed next to the window. From a quick glance, I can't find anybody inside. And the door's still closed. It's a decent safe spot for now. My mouth formed on the edge of the platform a moment later next to Yang and the others. "Come on! Let's go! We don't have a lot of time!"

I felt two sets of feet stepping on top of me a moment later. It didn't take long until they made their way into the room. I let my body dissolve away before allowing my petals to enter the building and reform my body. The moment I got control of my body back, I gave the room a quick glance. Nothing dangerous in here. I let out a sigh. "Whew, we should be okay in here. Until then, we have to barricade the doors and just hold out until Weiss can get us out."

"What the— You guys friendly?" Huh? I turned around to see the Achieve Men all huddled around a corner, each of them with a surprised look on their faces. R. Lazer stood up. "Did any of those… those monsters get any of you?"

We shook our heads. "No," I responded. "We're fine. How did you guys get in here in the first place?"

"I don't think we know ourselves." R. Lazer shook his head. "We all woke up in here. Like, one moment we were supposed to be playing _Diamond Eyes_ , then just… boom. We're here. Then we saw the monsters attacking everyone from right outside our windows, and we just locked ourselves in."

"That's good. Let's keep it that way." I glanced at the barren room we're in before looking at the door. "I guess we can't do more to barricade this room any further, but we should be out of this place before long—"

Somebody groaned behind me. I whipped around in a flash, bringing Rose out to strike at… nothing. I narrowed my eyes. There's no one. What in the world? A cough escaped from Persi a moment later. I tensed up for a moment. Is… is he okay? Did he somehow get exposed to the Stand fluid—

Persi let out one last groan before he let go, falling off of Yang's back limp. "Oh gods!" I yelled, rushing to catch him. My efforts were in vain, however as he phased through my hands before disappearing entirely.

"Oh my gods! That kid just disappeared!"

I ignored him, instead staring at the empty spot between my hands where Persi should've been. No… no! How did he disappear? Did we enter another trap in this place? Oh gods, did I make a mistake?

Glade collapsed a second later, also disappearing into nothingness within an instant. Yang let out a cry. "Glade!" My mind whirred. Why were they all disappearing? What changed about the situation? I— I don't understand. I just… I just don't.

A chorus of groans and wails erupted from behind the door. The barrier flew off of its hinges a moment later, revealing a wave of the monsters. All of those blue eyes turned toward the six of us, all hungry eyes ready to eat us up. I swallowed, bringing Rose in front of me. "Yang, get behind me and Rose." I stared down the crowd. Weiss… I hope you're close. I don't know how long we can hold on.

* * *

A gasp escaped my mouth as **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** pulled their saber back from yet another destroyed speaker. That… should be all of them. Now there's no way for the music to continue affecting people.

I looked behind me. The audience in the back is definitely starting to stir. From a distance, I could make out some who were spitting out the foam collecting in their mouths. For one thing, I'm glad that none of these guys are going to die anytime soon. And as an added bonus, now I know for sure the Stand user isn't located in the back or in the center. The only people still out were either in the VIP seats or onstage. So whatever is causing this must be within that area. Then there's the issue of that object being able to create music, so it has to be able to do that. So what can create— Oh! I slapped myself. I'm such a moron.

It's the instruments. Of course it's the instruments, their main use is for creating music in the first place! Why would I think it's a scroll or something like that? The answer was in front of me the entire time! I honestly can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. I rubbed my head. So much for overthinking the problem. I ran over and leaped up onto the stage. The trail is faint, but I can just make out waves escaping from every single instrument, almost like spider silk. The symbol, which looked like a naked latex man with a crown, was printed on every instrument. All of them had an unusual brand name decaled onto them: M.N. Monster's **「** **HOCUS POCUS,** **」** designed by Trifa.

I balled up my fists. Now that I know what to go for, I can just smash them up and finally free everyone from this Stand.

All of the instruments glowed in response to my entrance. The wavy Stand floated in front of me, forming its neon tentacles to swing at me. It wasn't nearly as big as it used to be. It used to encompass the whole entire stadium. Granted, it's still big, roughly half a meter taller than me. But the effects must be weaker after I destroyed the speakers amplifying its music. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** formed next to me a moment later, slicing the mic in half. The Stand recoiled in pain, sending an arc of static flying towards me.

A wall of stability Dust formed in front of me, blocking the wild shot with ease. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** soon after flew out to slice the mic stand off from its base before handing it to me. Red crystals started to form on the end away from me while a thin wall of white Dust crystals grew behind me. I glanced around. Let's see, I see five more instruments: keyboard, drums, mic one, bass, and guitar. I have no idea how much time the rest of them have, so I have to make this quick. This shouldn't be as big as a problem.

Before the enemy could even react, **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** smacked the blunt end of the saber against the white Dust. I felt all of my organs slam forwards as the shock wave sent my body flying towards the drum kit. I gritted my teeth. It's not nearly as controllable as my glyphs, I have to admit. But I think I'm finally starting to get used to the power outputs needed to at least mimic my platforms. Now if only I can control it to the way I want it to go reliably, then this would be on par with my normal skills. Maybe even more useful, since I don't even need my own Dust and summoning wouldn't a problem. I shook my head. Don't think too far yet, Weiss. Baby steps.

With a hoarse scream, I jabbed the mic stand into the drum kit. Unsurprisingly, the fire Dust activated, blowing the instrument into bits and sending them flying in all directions. I gasped as a couple of them slammed into my torso. Ooh, oww… I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth as I glanced at what remained of the mic stand. The metal pole was a lot shorter than before, and what's left of it had peeled into something that almost reminded me of metal flowers. It's like one of those old Valean cartoons Whitley would insist we watch back when we were young. The one about the cat and the mouse? That show was really violent and ridiculous at the same time.

But back on track. I glanced back at the recoiling Stand. I'm thinking that striking the instruments with me this close is going to be a bad idea. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** smacked the remains of the mic stand and took it from me as a solid red crystal formed into the center. Almost like a lotus, now that I think about it. If I'm right, there should also be an internal crystal of Concussion Dust. Hopefully it'll just be enough to engulf the stage and nothing else— Oh gods, I really am taking the Nora method with my Stand. I winced. It's not like my Stand ability is good for much else right now. But to think that there would be a day where I would be decently matched with JNPR's demolition expert… I shook my head. Ugh, shouldn't think about that.

All I have to do at this point is leap off of the stage and throw this at the stage, and all of the instruments should be destroyed in no time. That's really it— Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the tentacle moving in a random direction. What in the world? Why would it do something like that—

Before I could ponder the question any further, the loose appendages whipped towards all of the band members, yanking all of them to their respective instruments and tying them up. I let out a hiss. Oh, come on! This thing is holding the Achieve Men hostage? Why this above all things? I gritted my teeth. Well, there goes the plan to just blow this entire place up. It knows that I can't do anything if the band's tied up and held hostage. My gods, this is the worst. At this point, I'm wishing that I had a firearm or something to shoot the instruments instead. A lot less collateral damage than my previous plan.

I shook my head before running towards the other mic. Screw it! I'm just going to have to run in there and smash them into bits myself! The wavy Stand reacted almost immediately, swinging one of the guys tied to another mic stand. From the looks of it, it might be the lead singer— R. Lazer, I think? A glyph formed underneath my feet as my Stand disappeared, launching me into the man. An oof escaped my mouth once I slammed into him, wrapping myself around him.

The Stand went berserk, swinging us around in an attempt to get me off. A grin formed on my face. There's no need for that; after all, I'm getting off on my own. I snatched the mic off from the mic stand. After all, all I need is this! I let go, allowing my body to fly across the room and slam against the wall. Now! **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared then, slicing the head of the mic clean off. Moments later a small chunk of yellow Dust formed over the hole I just made. From the looks of it, the Stand must've realized what I was doing. I let out one last huff before swinging the crystal into the wall. "Checkmate."

 **「** **HOCUS POCUS** **」** swung its tentacles at me, but it was too late. I called back my Stand the moment I felt a jolt. A scream escaped my mouth as the electricity took hold in my arm, forcing my muscles to contract. Come on! Bear it for a moment! From the corner of my eye, I saw the lightning course through the plugs, entering the mixer and transferring it to the rest of the connected instruments. A screech escaped from the Stand as presumably the rest of its bodies were being electrocuted.

And before I knew it, the Stand disappeared, allowing the rest of the Achieve Men to drop to the ground safe. A grunt escaped my mouth as I landed. Ooh… It hurts to move my muscles. I can still feel the effects of the electrocution. With a bit of difficulty, I pulled the earplugs out. What followed was a chorus of groaning and relieved sighs. Whew. I rested my head against the wall. That's music to my ears.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 3/30/2018**

* * *

 **Fox's Bizarre Adventure - Act 4**

"Oh, really?" J let out a long hum as we walked through the corridor. Well, everybody except for J, of course. He was floating through the air next to me. "So you're saying this Cross Continental Transmit System acts similar to the radio, but instead of transferring soundwaves, it transfers a series of numbers to create an image?"

"More like everything," I chuckled. "It can create voices, motion picture-like television programs— you had those back during the Great War, right?" He nodded. I continued: "Then you can read news articles posted almost instantly after an event has happened, discuss with Remnans around the world about common interests, buy and sell items, the list goes on and on. And all of that is accessible with a simple scroll. One of these…" I reached into my pockets before stopping and pointing at Coco instead. "What my team leader is carrying right now."

"Wow… to think that such a technology exists, that the descendant of those old computers that would fill up an entire room. All of that machinery, just to be a calculator for artillery. And just eighty years later it can do that and more while still fitting on a screen maybe two-thirds the size of my hand." J. let out a fascinated sigh. "It's impressive just how much the world has changed ever since my demise. All of these new changes… it would take years on its own to explore just how much the world changed." The figure of the ghost glowed with glee. "It's like archaeology, except I analyze the future based on my own knowledge of the past. I wonder if we can try something like this through some way of preserving bodies—"

"Okay, that's enough fanboying for now." Coco waved a hand in the direction of the bulky ghost. "We're coming up to another turn. Which way are we going this time?"

"You need to explain to me what a 'fanboy' is. But…" The ghost held up his left hand. "We should turn left here. The corridor here has a couple of branching paths, I'll tell you where to go while we're walking there. After… I suppose two or three branches, we should reach the emergency stairwells. And from there, it should be a straight shot all the way up to the first floor. Shouldn't be any more problems to deal with from there."

Coco's head bobbed with a satisfied hum. "Thank you." She sighed. "You know, you're not so bad for a ghost. You're nice. Well, at least nicer than how movies typically portray ghosts."

"Perhaps." The form of the ghost shrank a bit in bashfulness. "I don't really have any context to work from. But then again, I am exactly the same as what I used to be. The only thing different is the fact that I lack a physical form. It doesn't bother me too much. It would most likely be a lot worse if I still felt hunger and thirst. After all," he gestured to the dirty hall, "There isn't exactly much to eat in this place anyways."

"Mmm," I noted.

We continued on in silence. "You know," J. started. "If you don't mind the ramblings of a dead man, When you have an eternity to spend in one spot, it tends to get boring. So I made up my own ways of entertaining myself. And since I happen to be kept in a laboratory, I tend to do a lot of experiments." He raised his hands up. "Not any of the unethical stuff, mind you. That's something I didn't approve of back during the Great War. And it's not like I understand how to work with chemicals anyway. I'm first and foremost an archaeologist. I understand just enough chemistry to know what everyone was doing."

He gestured to the left as we reached another turn. "Make a left here. No, but my bread and butter is learning from the past. I was actually studying ancient Mistralian artifacts found in a caravan that was slaughtered by Grimm. Granted, I lost a couple of artifacts over the years, but ever since my death, I had the chance to study them as detailed as possible— Right turn right here. Now where was I? … Right. Over the course of eighty or so years, I've compiled everything I've noticed into a series of journals as well as personal diaries."

I raised my eyebrow. "That's interesting… but I'm not sure about the point of this ramble, J."

"Ah, but I was just about to get to that." The ghost floated a couple of meters in front of me. "Think of it as a last wish from the dead. On the third basement floor, there's an office containing all of my writings and musings. If it isn't too much of a burden, is it alright if you can make a quick trip over there and take all of my writing up to the surface?" J's head drooped a little. "There's nothing I find more depressing than knowing that there's hidden knowledge that can benefit the rest of society just… not there. After all, that was my job. Save what we know from the Grimm."

Coco's outline rubbed the back of its neck. "It depends. What you're asking isn't too hard, and we're heading back up anyways. I personally don't mind doing that for you after everything you've done for us, and I'm sure Fox won't either. Right?" I nodded. She continued: "The problem is mainly how much stuff we have to carry. It _is_ eighty-plus years worth of research. We'll try to take as much as possible up to the surface, but I can't promise that we can recover all of the books. But don't worry about that. We'll get Headmaster Ozpin to send a team to get everything out."

J. nodded, his energy becoming contemplative at the sound of our Headmaster's name. "That's the unfortunate reality of it. Not everything can make it out in one go. Still, I do appreciate the gesture. Maybe one day somebody will come back down and reclaim the rest of the knowledge." His form beamed. "Even so, it still brings me joy that even a small portion of my work will be used by others. But let's focus on getting you two out of here first, shall we?"

"Right," I said. "So how far until we reach the stairs, J?"

"It shouldn't be too far from where we are." The bulky ghost turned his head to the right. "It should be straight ahead after this turn— What?"

"Huh?" J. was staring at the right turn we were supposed to make. Was there something wrong?

"Oh my gods," Coco muttered. "There's rubble blocking the way!"

What? **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** slammed its hands together. A gasp escaped my mouth. Filling in my outline of the world was a mountain of concrete chunks blocking the turn towards the stairway. Oh my gods…

J's form flickered in confusion. "This can't be possible. I know for a fact that this corridor wasn't collapsed earlier. Why would it be like this now— Unless…" The ghost waggled his finger in the air. "Now that I think about it, the structural integrity of the building should be weak after eighty years without maintenance. Why else would part of the bunker collapse under the weight of a few adults? I'm guessing that the rest of the bunker felt the shockwaves of the cave-in, and certain parts, like here, fell apart."

"Gods, that's not good." Coco groaned. "And it's best not to clear the pile. Last thing we need is everything collapsing on us and burying us alive." She swung her scroll towards the ghost. "J, isn't there another way around?"

"Of course, of course. What kind of self-respecting emergency route would have only one way to access the exit? We're going to need to turn back, but we can make it over there—"

"There's no point in doing that," I responded. "I just used my ability, and it looks like there's no way to get to that particular stairwell. There're more collapses ahead and behind us. Isn't there any other stairwells we can use?"

"Well yes, but this one is the fastest way up to both the office and the surface. It's going to take hours to get to the other stairwells, and even longer to climb up the broken steps." J. floated towards the rubble. "You said that you had other teammates out on the surface, yes?" I nodded. "It would be best that you two make it up as soon as possible before the rest of them decide to go down and look for themselves. And you two can't risk a possible collapse. This stair right here is— or was the quickest and safest way up."

"Gods…" Coco moved her hand to the base of her nose. "What did I do to deserve this?" She shook her head. "There has to be a way through, then. Fox, you figured anything out yet?"

I shook my head. "I'm checking the foundations right now. If they're strong enough, we can create a hole and run through before the pile falls down on us— Nevermind, scratch that plan. There are entire meters of debris sitting on top of this pile. We can't get through this way." I took in a deep breath. Come on Fox, think through the problem. There has to be another path that we're not considering.

Hmm… wait. I took in another deep breath. We're breathing. Now that seems pretty obvious, but if we're breathing, then that means there has to be a way to get air in. And while it's true that there wasn't a door when CFVY first came here, what Great War bunker wouldn't have a door to protect everyone inside? So if the doors were locked, the only way to get air is through— air vents!

My mouth dropped open as I rushed towards a wall. "Whoa, Fox!" Coco had her hands raised. "You figure it out?" I nodded, pressing my hand against the wall and sending vibrations through it. Come on… there has to be an opening somewhere… Just give me a little bit of guidance… There! In my head, there was an opening above me, covered with a slotted grate. While it looked real small, I bet it can squeeze me and Coco through without a problem.

"Coco, you see the vent above me? Help get the grate off for me. I'll boost you up." I cupped my hands and pushed her up the moment my team leader stepped on. "Is there anything holding it up?"

"Yeah, a couple of rusty screws." She yanked the grate off with no problems at all. "Good thing they're weak, though." I felt her weight leave my heads. The sounds of knees hitting metal registered in my ears a couple of seconds later. "Fox, are you sure that this leads to the other side of the rubble?"

 **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」** tapped one hand against the air duct. "Definitely," I said as the air duct maze formed in my head. "Crawl all the way through and make two right turns. I'll follow close behind. J, you can phase through the rubble, right?"

He nodded. "I can."

"Good. We'll see you on the other side then." My guardian spirit flew out, snatching the ledge of the air duct. "And up I go." With a grunt I pushed off the wall and reached for **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ.** **」** My arms slammed into the air duct, and with a little bit of struggling I yanked myself into the tiny slotted hole.

I coughed almost immediately after entering. Whew! That's a lot of dust entering my lungs and my eyes— Ow. I rubbed my face as tears rolled down. You'd think that just because I'm blind my eyes wouldn't work at all, but that's not the case. My tear tracts work just fine, unfortunately. Doesn't really help now when it's so annoying— I wiped the tears away. It's not that long of a crawl. Coco's maybe a meter in front of me right now. Just get through the vents now, and you can worry about your tears later.

We managed to make it through without further incident. "Whew!" I leaped out and landed on my feet, brushing my clothes before turning to face the two figures in front of me. "Looks like we're across. Coco, you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It was a piece of cake. Wasn't as bad as I thought. And plus, here's the stairwell right here! We're so close!"

Everybody turned their heads towards the fixture. That took longer than I expected, but here we are. Up those steps are freedom, sunlight, and everyone I love. After a long journey through this lab, we're finally close to the end. I smiled.

"Let's go, then."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Stand Description:**

 **「** **HOCUS POCUS** **」** **\- The Stand plays a tune upon the user falling unconscious. If the tune is heard with perfect clarity, the victim will fall into a coma as their minds/consciousness are taken into the Stand, which takes on the form of a warped college campus. On said locations are monsters. If they catch the victim, said victim will become one of those said monsters in that world. In the real world, their brains will start degrading until the brainstem is rotted, halting all bodily functions and killing the victim.**

* * *

 **Song References: Trifa's** **「** **HOCUS POCUS** **」** **was inspired by Focus' Hocus Pocus, a progressive/hard rock made in 1971. Now, this song is particularly interesting because there are no lyrics to it. It's just yodeling. And it fits surprisingly well with what the Stand is. There's nothing rational about** **「** **HOCUS POCUS.** **」** **Just a bunch of noise and weird situations.**

 **Plus what really cemented this name was Baby Driver and that chase scene in the opening. That was awesome.**

* * *

 **Don't think there's anything else worth noting, so let's get right into the reviews!**

 **The Wizardous Magicman: Yeah, I wasn't kidding. Now that I think about it, I think the only time I truly was uncomfortable with reading JoJo was when sexual assault was happening. Like, the gore and violence was a "Jesus Christ!" moment, but easy to get used to. The weird and disgusting parts of JoJo made me wince, but they're manageable. But God, Araki's "sex scenes" really get me. It's probably just me, though. I think that will be the only time I toss up a chapter specific content warning.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Oh, Yang will have a lot of questions about the Stand when she wakes up, that's for sure. And yeah, Hocus Pocus is pretty scary. I'm saving that explanation for my retrospective, though. But for a quick answer: have you seen music videos these days? They are horrifying out of context.**

 **Guest: The power of general earplugs to the rescue! I feel unreasonably proud of coming up with that, to be honest.**

 **tuskenpaw: Now that I think about it, it is a bit like Heavy Weather, without the convoluted explanation. Or at least less of it.**

 **Tusk Act 4: Yes! Who knew it was the instruments that were the Stands!**

 **Mathew Cipriano: Thank you, Mathew! Yeah, Hocus Pocus is one of the more disturbing Stands to write for me. And it's also true that this Stand is really hard to classify. But glad you're still reading this, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

 **doa570047: Oh man, Hocus Pocus is one scary Stand. And yeah, Ruby needs to be whole to recall her Stand. I believe I first noted that back during Down Under, although I never really put her in a situation where she needed to deal with that. Feel Good Inc didn't really counter that, Through Fire and Flames' wax ability didn't really stop her from being whole, per say. It's something I'm sure people forgot** **like I almost did when I first wrote this part.**

 **But oh man, thinking about just how far Ruby can push her abilities... there's a cutoff point somewhere. But it's nice to think about how absurd her ability can get.**

 **Using "After Dust" for AD is such a great coincidence. Sometimes I just get lucky with this stuff. But I'll take it.**

 **darkmist111: No worries, darkmist111! Glad to see you back!**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **Next Chapter Update: March 30, 2018**


	33. Under Pressure

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Whew, last week was pretty intense. Lots of midterms and traveling. But this week's Spring Break, and it's a nice, relaxing change of pace from the hecticness of last week.**

 **Quick reminder that the side stories are canon and has info otherwise not stated in the main text. It's going to get more important as we end the third arc and we start with the fourth.**

 **I don't think there's anything notable to talk about, so let's just get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all of their help!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

" _Ruby._ "

One voice broke through to me: a quiet whisper in my ear. I snapped my eyes open and found myself floating in a sea of darkness. Huh? Wha— Am I unconscious? When did I black out again? Huh… I swear one moment ago I was in that room with the Achieve Men and Yang. Then the door broke open and— My head started to throb. Ooh… uh… I don't remember what happened after that. Did I faint? What happened to the rest of the group?

But until I can get any of my questions answered, I'm stuck in a familiar void. Just like a month ago. Something tells me that being here a lot isn't going to be good for my health. Yet here I am. I tried glancing around in the darkness. I couldn't make out anything, not even my own body. I know that it's still there. I'm touching my fingertips, and I can feel my entire body. Still, being here isn't really comfortable. I have no idea if this is still part of the Stand or not, but I need to figure a way to get out of here—

" _There's no need for that,_ " my Stand whispered in my ear. I turned around to see **「** **RED LIKE ROSES,** **」** her white cloak shrouding over the rest of her body. My eyes widened. Huh? I could see her easily, like she was glowing even amidst this pitch-black world. Even so, I still couldn't really see my own body. The Stand nodded her head. " _I don't feel the presence of the Stand surrounding us. The threat is more than likely gone._ "

"Whew." I wiped off my brow. "That's a relief. So does that mean that everybody that was caught in the Stand made it out okay?"

" _That I don't know for sure._ " **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** floated in front of me. " _They might have made it out with their lives, they might not. There's no way to determine the situation in our current state._ "

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I tried to stand up, only to feel nothing pressing against me. It's like I'm floating or something. That didn't really matter to me. I still kept trying. "We can get out of here, then check on everyone! I have to make sure that Yang, Glade, and Persi are okay! Then there's Weiss, the rest of the amphitheater—"

" _I'm sure that they will be just fine._ " My Stand floated around me. " _And you'll be fine as well. Your body will wake up when it decides it's ready to wake up—_ "

"But what about everyone else? How do we know that they're going to wake up as well?" I started to fret. "I can't afford to wait, I have to do something now! Just sitting around worries me." I bit my lip. "What's going to happen to everybody in the stadium after a Stand attack this big? How are they related to the Cupid and the Arrow? Just how long will Vale have to suffer from these attacks until we take that Arrow away? The four of us are doing our best, but it feels like more people are suffering every time we fail to stop something like this."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "And then there's the person that might be controlling the Cupid and how I need to develop my silver eye powers to stop them—" I let out a soft choking sound as I felt my eyes start welling up with tears. "This is all too much… No matter how much I try, it feels like there's no end in sight… I know I need to keep moving onwards, but it's so scary doing this day after day…"

" _It must feel like that. But I know that you will be able to handle it._ " My Stand floated next to me, stroking my hair like how a mother would comfort their child. " _My existence says it all. You're stronger than you think you are. You have the willpower to fight for whatever you put your mind to, as do the rest of your friends. All of them serve as shining beacons of the Remnan spirit. You, too, are a beacon to the rest of these people._ "

She gestured to the darkness around us. " _Even when you're in nothingness and you can't tell where you are, you keep existing. Many give up in difficult times. You do not. Your humanity swims and fights in the abyss. It is one of your strongest assets in a time of crisis. When everything feels like this, when everything seems dark and hopeless, never lose yourself, never forget who you are and what you want. Your path is dangerous, but you know inside you won't stop. You are a hero inside, and the greatest of heroes stay firm and true to themselves until the end._ "

Yeah… I nodded. They do. In the old stories Mom used to tell me as a child, all of the heroes went through challenges and had to struggle to overcome them. None of them became heroes by walking through the world without any issues. They're heroes because they struggled and stood true despite all that, didn't they? I have to be like that, too. Someone who can push through no matter the cost. A person who is fearless. Someone who knows the dangers and the hardship but faces them anyway for others.

The world around me started getting brighter, bit by bit. In fact, everything was getting pinkish red, like I had my eyes closed while a light was shining in my face. I let out a long groan out of my mouth as my body started bobbing. Am I finally coming to?

"Oh my gods!" My eyes snapped open to see the leather backing in front of me. Wait a minute… I'm back in the amphitheater? I jerked up, nearly smacking Yang's head in the process. Oh! Sorry! Despite that, I took everything in. My eyes widened at the sight. We are! So does that mean— Weiss did it! She managed to free us from the Stand!

My sister interrupted my thoughts, letting out a loud groan from my left. Oh gods, Yang! I flopped back onto my chair as I pushed her into an upright position. Alright, from the looks of it she's still okay. I mean, I hope she's still okay. Before I fell unconscious in that world, the monsters hadn't gotten to us yet. And from a glance, she doesn't look different aside from the random strands of hair sticking up. Other than that, she looks fine.

Then there's my partner. I looked over at the empty spot to my right. I blinked. Where is she— right. She defeated the Stand herself. How did I forget that? I glanced around the room, trying to find the white-haired girl. Come on, where could she be? She must've been in the amphitheater somewhere.

Now that I'm getting a proper look around the area, I'm starting to notice the condition of the people around me. The best word to describe the mood is 'confusion.' Everybody's milling about, either checking on their friends, their family, significant other, and so on. Others were on their scrolls, typing something up. I let out a gasp as I glanced at the few people still sitting in their seats. They were clearly foaming at the mouth, but at the same time, it didn't look like they were moving. Those with foam in their mouths didn't make any attempt to spit out the liquid forming therein. I spotted the guy that was transformed in front of our eyes. He wasn't moving, with foam dribbling down the side of his face. Oh my gods…

My eyes diverted. Don't look. I felt my chest start to constrict. I did as much as I could do. He's going to be okay… right? Everyone still foaming at the mouth will make it out fine. I glanced towards the stage. Just stay confident that they'll be okay— Another gasp escaped my mouth as I spotted Weiss with her back pressed against the wall, occasionally twitching. I can make out her gritting her teeth as she squeezed her fists as tight as possible. What the— How did Weiss end up like this?

I tried leaping up to my feet, only to groan as I felt blood rush down to my legs. Pinpricks numbed my legs, forcing them to collapse due to my weight and causing me to bang my head against the seat in front of me. Ow… Ugh… I rubbed the side of my head. That… wasn't pleasant. How long have I been sitting here? Must be long enough that I can feel the pins and needles. My eyes narrowed as I considered my options. Do I wait for my blood to circulate and get my leg back to normal? Or do I weather through the numbness? … Is that even a question?

A groan escaped my mouth as I pushed forwards. Every step took a lot more energy than it should have. Oh geez! Agh, why did this have to happen now of all times? It's such a little thing to think about right now. I have to check on my partner! She has to be okay, right? Weiss managed to win against the Stand, the fact that I'm standing here right now proves it. So what happened?

"Weiss!" I yelled. She turned to look at me.

"Ruby! You're okay!" A smile crawled up her face as I made my way towards her. "Thank gods for that. It took some time for you guys to wake back up. I thought for a moment that I was too late and something happened to you."

"No, we're completely fine." I glanced at her stiff body. "But what happened to you? Why aren't you standing up?"

"… It's complicated." She turned her face away from me as her face started turning red. "Let's just say that in order to destroy the Stand user, I had to take the full brunt of a five gram electrical Dust crystal. And trust me, the side effects are not pleasant to deal with. But the damage isn't nearly as bad as it looks. It just caused my muscles to forcibly contract, like those muscle stimulators athletes use. I can still feel the current coursing through me." Her left arm stopped twitching. A couple of tests from Weiss showed that she had it under her control. "But I think it's finally starting to wear off. I'm going to be fine, Ruby."

"Whew," I sighed, wiping my brow. "That's good." I sat down next to Weiss. "We managed to stop them this time as well. By the way, who or what were the Stand users you were fighting against? I couldn't find anyone while I was inside the Stand."

"Hmm? Oh. It's something that was pretty obvious from hindsight, but it still pisses me off that I didn't realize it a lot sooner. It was the Achieve Men's instruments." She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she let out a groan. "The instruments somehow became Stand users and induced a coma in the entire audience through their music. But again, that still seems so odd. How could a set of instruments have a Stand? And how did the Achieve Men get them?"

I let out a hum as I thought about what Weiss said. A set of instruments were the Stand users the whole entire time? That… doesn't make any sense. At all. For one thing, instruments don't have souls like living beings do. So how would they be able to create a Stand in the first place? Hmm… maybe it's like a Stand that originally possessed stuff. The original user must've lost control of it, and the Stand stayed within the instruments forever. I narrowed my eyes. Is something like that even possible? Honestly, I have no idea anymore. Knowing that there were active Stand users before the Cupid appeared kinda throws another wrench into our progress.

"Hey, there's another one in the back!" The two of us looked over to see two paramedics carrying a person out on a stretcher. On the stretcher was a gray-haired girl with bangs covering her right eye with a black vest. Dark veins ran down her arms. But my eyes were particularly drawn to how burnt her skin was. Heavy burn marks ran down her skin in a zig-zag motion. I raised my eye. What in the world?

One of the paramedics gestured to another running towards them. "Searched for ID. This one's named Trifa Ar… Arg— Yeah, I'm not going to bother pronouncing her last name. It's a weird one." Weiss let out a hum at that. The man continued, "Okay, but we found her lying on the floor with a bottle of sleeping pills at her side. And what's weird is that she has electrical burns all over her body, but there aren't any exposed wires or anything of the sorts backstage, so no one knows where they came from."

The approaching medic shrugged, glancing at the woman. "Who knows? This one's a strange case. One thing's for certain. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible. Come on, no time to waste. Get her outside and loaded into an ambulance. Anyone else?"

"Ruby," Weiss gasped, snapping her fingers in realization. "Trifa… I remember that name. It was on the instruments. Does that mean she's the user?"

"Well…" I looked at Weiss. "I guess. I don't really know what to say myself… But at least we can say that everything should be all fine now. The Stand's been defeated, and hopefully, nobody got too seriously hurt."

My partner let out an unsure sigh. "Um… I wouldn't exactly say that." She nodded over to the audience. Huh? I turned my head and gasped. At this point, there were more paramedics putting several other people on stretchers and lifting them out. All of those who were being attended to had empty stares in their eyes, still foaming at the mouth like before. People milled around their unconscious loved ones, trying to keep their composure. A few failed, openly weeping at the sight. I pressed my hand against my mouth. Oh my gods…

One figure managed to catch my eye. It was the same guy who was overwhelmed by the monsters back on the elevator. It didn't look like he got any better. I watched in horror as the emergency responders carried him out from the amphitheater. He had a woman follow him, the redhead tearing up as she stuck by the man's side. Is that what happened to those who got… transformed inside the Stand? Did they go into a coma? And at this point, I don't know whether it gets any worse or not!

I cradled my face in my palms. From the looks of it, maybe a third of the audience was being carried out via stretcher. That means there must be hundreds of people who are in critical condition. Did we really save everyone? How many of those people are ever going to wake up again to see their friends and family? Just how much damage did this one Stand cause? I know I just promised myself to weather through this, but I just can't stand to look. This— I shook my head. Did we fail Ozpin? Did we fail Vale?

A cold hand pressed against my shoulder. I looked up to see Weiss glaring at me. "Ruby. Don't blame yourself for the people who got hurt. This isn't your fault." She sighed. "I mean, the solution is so obvious now that I figured it out! If I had realized it sooner, then so many more lives could be saved."

"Weiss, you know that you tried your best—"

"Buh-buh-buh-bup!" Weiss lifted a finger. "I'm not done yet. I want to blame myself too, you know. But I know that it isn't my fault either. I did what I could as well. The Stand and the Stand user, _they_ did this." Her eyes narrowed. "This is the level of danger things can escalate to if Stand powers get into the wrong hands. It could probably get worse. But Shouldn't that embolden us? We know the stakes if we fail. Now more than ever it's important to find the Cupid. And we'll make sure that nothing like this will never happen again."

I nodded. "You're right, Weiss. This is why we're still looking. We can't let dangerous powers like this hurt others." I stood up and offered a hand towards her. "Thank you. Can you stand up now?"

She shrugged, giving her arms a couple of test squeezes. "I hope I can. I can move most of my body, but it might still be a little hard to walk." She snatched my hand. "I could use your help if I still can't support my weight. Is that okay?"

"Yeah." With a long grunt, I yanked her up to her feet. For a moment she wobbled, sticking her hand out as her legs shook. But soon enough she managed to get herself under control. Okay, I guess we'll just get Yang, pick up all of our stuff, and then leave— Wait, is Blake not here? I raised my eyebrow. That's weird. I guess we'll go off and search for Blake then.

When we made it back to our seats, Yang was already sitting upright, wiping the drool off of her face. She absent-mindedly combed through her hair as we approached her. "Hey Yang," I started as I started rummaging for my items. "Are you awake now?"

My sister nodded her head. "Yeah… Did I really fall asleep during my favorite band's concert? That's kinda embarrassing. And the fact that I was drooling in front of them— Ugh. I didn't think I would actually fall asleep during the show—" She looked up before letting out a choking sound. "Oh my gods, why does it look like the entire place was trashed? And why are the Achieve Men on the floor? And— Gods, is Little J on the floor bleeding?!" She shot right up. "And why are there paramedics here? What in the world happened?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. How many times did I lie to Yang now about everything going on? Way too much to count at this point. "I'm not really too sure, myself. Weiss, can you tell Yang?"

"Huh?" She shot me a look of disbelief. I shrugged back at her. What am I supposed to say? I don't know what happened in the amphitheater. My partner started to sweat as she tapped her chin. "Well, if you must know, I suppose something happened to the power. Like an overload or something. From there… hmm… I don't know what happened to the other guys. Maybe there was a gas leak or something?"

"That's weird." Yang frowned. "If there was a gas leak or something like that, wouldn't we be evacuating earlier? Why do it now, when the damage has already been caused?"

Weiss shrugged. "A lot's unanswered." She looked back over to the stage. "But I guess the concert's going to have to end early. That's a disappointment." My partner snapped her fingers. "Oh! I just remembered, I never found Blake! It's like she disappeared from the amphitheater or something! We have to go out and search for her!" Weiss let out a low growl. "I am not happy about her leaving us. Once we find her, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!"

"Good idea!" I pocketed all of my stuff and Blake's items. "That's the best thing we can do right now. Let the responders handle everything here and find where Blake went off to." Yang opened her mouth as if to speak, but I held my hand up. "I'm sure she couldn't be far if she decided to leave us after all."

"But wait, what about the Achieve Men concert?" Yang gestured to the band on stage, who was starting to get up now. A couple of the crew members were jumping on to help the men out. "I mean I know I won the tickets through a contest, but shouldn't we wait to see if—"

"Excuse me, everyone!" We turned to see R. Lazer with a megaphone in his hands. His legs were still a bit wobbly. "I'm sorry for all of the technical difficulties. Due to a band member getting injured and our instruments breaking down, we have to cancel the show tonight. We'll release an official statement later tonight, but right now we need to recover. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and have a nice evening." And with that, he braced himself against one of the crewmates and started walking off stage.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," I noted. "I mean I think they'll send consolation stuff to everyone affected, so it won't be too bad. But we need to look for Blake right now. I have no idea where she could be, and she did leave all of her stuff here. The sooner we can get to her, the better."

The blonde girl sighed. "I guess you're right. It's a shame, though. I always wanted to go to a concert, and this happens. This is the worst!" I nodded, opening my scroll. The Headmaster is bound to hear about this soon. I don't know how he's going to cover this up, but he has to learn about something this big— Huh? A message from an unknown number? I clicked it.

 _This is Blake,_ it started. _I've just fought off a WF Stand user at some pet store. He said there was another user in the amphitheater. It's dangerous in there. Find him/her before anyone gets hurt._ I had to stifle a groan. Oh, great. I got the message too late for me to react. Ugh, and to think that we could've had a little bit more of a chance if I just had my scroll on me before the show started… I shook my head. No more self-doubts. I had enough of that. Let's just continue on our way.

"Oh yeah, I guess I should mention this," Yang started as she combed through her hair. "So I guess while I was sleeping, I had the strangest dream where I was stuck in this weird building with these two kids. Then you broke through the door," She pointed at me. "And told us to get to the top of the roof. After that, we watched a guy get— uh, surrounded by a bunch of monsters in these white latex suits. Then our Mom showed up and beat all of the monsters. And then we ran up a staircase that shouldn't exist and Weiss appeared in the sky and Ruby turned into a plank for me to walk into a building. Then we met the Achieve Men there." She rubbed her head. "It was a weird dream."

A sweat drop slipped down my face. "Yeah. That was a really weird dream. it's a good thing that it didn't happen in real life or anything. That would be scary—"

"Mommy! Mommy! It's them!" We turned to the voice and locked eyes with Glade and Persi. Persi was sitting in a wheelchair, and Glade was right next to him. Behind the two were their parents, both looking at us with curiosity. The two kids were pointing at us. Persi continued: "Those were the two girls who took care of us while you and Daddy were gone! The blonde girl carried me on her shoulders and the red girl was able to turn into flower petals! And then she had this cool angel who fought against the monsters and saved us all!"

"That's nice, dear," the woman responded, giving the boy a quick peck on the cheek. "You have a wild imagination, indeed."

The father turned to us and bowed. "I'm sorry if my son interrupted your conversation. He's very imaginative. He likes making up stories a lot ever since his… condition." The man nodded over to the wheelchair. "We'll be on our way."

"But Daddy," Glade whined. "It actually happened! I was there with Persi!"

"And that's nice." He leaned down to rub the girl's head, much to her displeasure. "But we shouldn't disturb those girls anymore. They have to do something now, okay Glade?"

Yang's eyes started widening. "Persi… Glade…"

"There's no problem!" I jumped in, waving my hands. "It's great that these kids like to imagine a lot! I'm sure they'll grow up to be good people!" I glanced and Weiss and gestured towards my sister. "But we have to look for a friend now, so goodbye!" Before Yang could say anything else, Weiss and I pushed Yang along, dragging her out of the building.

"Weiss— Ruby, stop!" The blonde started struggling against us. It didn't do much. "Those kids… this couldn't possibly be a coincidence. Persi and Glade, those were the exact two kids from the dream! And they described the dream perfectly! There's no way several people can share the same dream, so something must've happened! And then there's the fact that you were there, Ruby, and how Mom was there defending us. But something doesn't add up." I gritted my teeth. Come on, think of something to distract Yang with… maybe something about the Achieve Men—

"Ruby, I want you to be honest. Mom… that woman in the dream was actually a Stand, wasn't she?" At just like that, Weiss and I froze. It's like we were hit by a lightning bolt. Oh my gods… Yang knows? How does she know? We spent so much time covering up our actions, there's no way she could've known!

She took advantage of our hesitance, stepping away from us and turning around. "The pieces started fitting together in that dream world or whatever it was. You didn't call Mom by 'Mom' in that place, first of all. Why would you do that, especially after you said things about seeing her a couple of months ago?" I didn't respond.

She continued: "Then there was the reaction you had when you realized that everybody could see the figure. Like you didn't expect any of us to see it. That was pretty suspicious. And then there was the fact that you could only do your rose petal thing whenever this person was out. When I couldn't see her, you used your Semblance. I tried convincing myself that maybe your Semblance evolved, but today says otherwise. The fact that you could only do it with that woman next to you says a lot about who or what she actually is."

"Then yesterday I was confronting Weiss and Blake about the lava incident and the shop explosion. They weren't exactly the most subtle about trying to hide it." From the corner of my eye, I saw Weiss stiffen. "They were being dodgy about it, but if they have Stands as well, then it makes more sense, why they were trying to jump around the question instead of wondering what just happened."

"And there's a whole entire group like you in Beacon, am I right?" Yang held out her opened scroll. On it was the group chat between all of the Stand users we met in Beacon. I let out a gasp. How did she get access to it? My sister must've read my mind, because she continued: "On the day of the cafe explosion, Ruby showed me her scroll for some 'girl stuff.' And, like the big sis I am, I started fooling around after looking at the note and came across the chat. It caught my attention, so I added myself before Ruby noticed. You two, Blake, Jaune, Nolan, several other names I couldn't recognize…"

Yang pressed her hands against her hips. "I didn't understand what you guys were talking about with the Stands at the time, but today made it so much clearer. All this time, you guys have been fighting these kinds of enemies?" I couldn't say a word to defend ourselves. We're busted. The secret's out. Is there even a point trying to lie to her anymore?

I sighed. Time to face the music, I suppose. "Yeah." Everything became silent. I can feel my wrist itching. How is she going to react? Is she going to get angry? Break down like what happened before **「** **BELFRY FALLS?** **」**

"Why?"

"Huh?" I looked at Yang. That… wasn't what I was expecting. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you try telling me about this?" My sister rubbed the side of her neck as she let out a sigh. She had a forlorn look in her eyes. "The rest of team RWBY was in the chat. I thought it was strange that I was the only one left out of this. And I tried hiding how I felt. But it hurts, reading the conversations and not understanding why we can't do this as a team." Her eyes started watering. "Why am I the one left out?" Oh… I held my hand to my face. Did she really feel like we abandoned her? And in a sense, we did! Oh gods, I didn't think of that!

"Yang, it's not like that at all." I went over and gave her a squeeze. "It's just— I was originally planning on going at this alone with Jaune. Blake and Weiss were a surprise, one that helped us in the long run. But we didn't expect them to become Stand users too. You know that time when we said that we set the room on fire with fire Dust? That was a lie. There was a tapeworm that became a Stand user and turned the carpet into lava."

"Yeah, I suspected it went something like that," my sister sighed, returning the hug. "I didn't think for a moment that there was any kind of fire Dust explosion in the room." She looked at me. "Ruby, it's time you came clean with me. Tell me everything that's going on. I know you want to keep me safe just like how I want to keep you safe. But none of us are safe anymore. It's like what you and everyone else on the chat said: it's most likely going to escalate from here. From now on, no more hiding, no more lies. Let's be honest with each other."

I glanced around. There were still a lot of people around us. "Later, when we're in our dorms or something. We can't let anyone else know that Stands exist. We're already pushing it with the massive amount of people that got hurt here. The last thing we need to do is cause a city-wide panic."

The blonde nodded, letting out a hum. "Okay. I guess I understand that."

"But before we can do that, we need to find Blake." I sighed as I fiddled around with my scroll. "When she messaged me, she said that she was at some pet store. But that was a long time ago. I have no idea where she could be right now. I mean I guess I can call the pet store, since she did use their terminal to send the message. But… hmm… should I?" I tapped a finger on the home button on my scroll. "Yeah, I'll just try and call them up—"

"Ruby, hold on for a moment," Weiss interrupted, pointing at a certain individual. She squinted as she stared into the distance. "I think that's her over there. On the sidewalk right there."

I squinted at the person. "Maybe? It sorta looks like Blake, but I'm sure she wasn't wearing that oversized t-shirt with a dog decal when we first came here. And she wouldn't act so… meek." I pointed at the woman, who looked like she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. "That doesn't seem like our teammate one bit. Are you sure that's Blake?"

Before Weiss could answer my question, I noticed a familiar black bow sitting on top of her head. Oh my gods, that is Blake! I let out a cheer before waving at the approaching girl. "Hey Blake! Over here!" The girl flinched at the sound of her name as she turned towards us. "What are you waiting for? Come on, get over here! I have to give you back all of your stuff!"

Blake had a pout on her face as she made her way towards us that screamed of displeasure. Instead of her normal wear, she had a dull gray shirt with an aquamarine dog decaled on top. The canine was actually made out of words. What did they call it? … Visual poetry! Yeah, that's it! But the canine had the words 'I love petting puppies' repeating over and over throughout the dog's happy head. I tried to hide a snicker as I took her stuff out. "Hey, Blake. You have a nice shirt—"

She held a hand out as her bow sank into her head. "Don't. Say. Anything. It was either this or walking around town with my clothes stained with blood. And I'd rather not get profiled by the police again, so can you drop the subject?" I nodded as I tried to hold my laugh in. She continued: "So where's the Sta—" She stopped when she noticed Yang next to us. "—the enemy? What happened to them?"

"Okay, yeah… I need to catch you up on some things." I pointed at my sister. "First, it's okay to say Stand in front of my sister. She figured it out." Blake's eyes widened. I held a hand up before she could say anything, though. "We'll talk about it more once we get back to the dorm, where it's safer to talk. Second, Weiss managed to handle the Stand user, so we're fine on that account. Right now we have to get home and think about everything that's happened so far. So, is that fine with everyone?"

The rest of my team nodded their heads. "Well, okay then!" I started towards the airbus station. "Let's go!" With that, I pulled out my scroll and started typing up a message to the Headmaster about the situation.

"Oh hey, Blake," Yang started from behind me. "I didn't know you finally accepted dogs as the one true pet. Are you ready to accept your lord and savior Zwei into your life?"

"Shut up." Blake let out a whine, pushing her face into her hands. "Please, if there's any God up there and available right now, please, just end my misery."

* * *

It must've been night by the time Team RWBY finally arrived back in the dorms. Yang let out a long sigh as she jumped onto her own bed and started unlacing her boots. "So, you guys promised that you'll tell me everything once we made it back." She yanked them off with little effort. "Tell me everything. What's this about? Why fight?" I glanced at the text I got back from the Headmaster. _Bring her into the search,_ was all he said. Okay then.

I told her everything. From the beginning, when I was hit by the Arrow, to the day I should've been killed by that ancient Ursa, what we know about the Cupid, and all of the fights that happened during our search for the Arrow. I told her everything. I didn't spare a single detail. After all, if she was going to be fighting at a disadvantage, it's best she knows just what she's up against. Yang kept a straight face the entire time, nodding throughout the explanation.

A groan escaped Yang's mouth as I finished speaking. "Well… You weren't kidding when you said that this was complicated. I guess I can see why you wouldn't want anyone to know about what's happening." She combed a bit of her hair. "You said that only Stand users can see other people's Stands, right? Well, I saw yours when we were in that other Stand's body. Maybe I have a Stand too."

"Hmm… I don't think so." I let out a hum. "Glade and Persi were able to see my Stand as well, but that doesn't mean anything. It could be the side effect of that Stand's ability. Something that allows you to see Stands there, but not here."

"There's only one way to know for sure, Ruby." Yang squared her shoulders. "Summon your Stand and throw a punch at my face."

"Wait, what?" I let out a choking sound.

"Yang, you can't be serious," Weiss sighed from her desk. "Why in the world would you want Ruby to punch you in the face?"

My sister gestured to me. "Well, think of it as a simulation. If I can see the Stand, I'll try to block it. A punch is a lot safer than the weirder attacks, that's for sure. And plus, I can just tank it with my Semblance! Trust me, this will work!"

The room lost all sound, going silent with contemplation before I cleared my throat. "… I mean, you're not wrong. It is a lot safer than other things we could do to you. At the same time…"

"What?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "What? What is it?"

Rose appeared behind me, causing my sister to twitch. I narrowed my eyes. So she can still see the Stands? No, it has to be something else. There's no way one Stand can give an entire crowd Stands of their own. The only way somebody can get a Stand is through the Arrow! Then again, there's only one way to be sure about this. Rose shot towards Yang, driving a fist towards her face.

I stopped right before Rose hit my sister in the face. All Yang did was blink in confusion. Huh? How did she not notice the white fist right in front of her, especially after she seemed to notice the Stand appearing? There's no way she didn't see it coming. Plus, why in the world would she pretend that she didn't notice? After going through all of that effort to suggest this in the first place?

Yang raised her eyebrows. "Hey, Ruby. What was the thing you were going to say?"

"You don't see what's going on right now?" I made Rose wave her hand in front of the blonde.

"Was I supposed to see something?" She let out a hum of confusion. "I don't see anything. Wait a minute…" Her face morphed into a frown. "Were you trying to do something with your Stand?"

"Yeah," I responded. "In fact, Rose is in your face right now. There's a fist maybe a couple of centimeters away from you!"

"What? No way." Yang shook her head. "I'm sure I would've seen it moving. There's no way your Stand is in front of my face right now— Hmph!" My sister was interrupted by Rose pressing a hand against her mouth. "Hmmhmm." Yang tried reaching in front of her, only for her hands to phase past my Stand.

The room went silent as my Stand let go of Yang. "So I guess you can't see my Stand after all," I sighed. "I don't think you have a Stand at all."

Yang frowned. "Huh? No, that can't be right. I know for a fact that I felt something right after you decided to pause your speech. Try it again." I did, calling my Stand back for a moment before summoning her again. My sister twitched again. "Yeah, there it is again. There's no way that whatever I felt was just a coincidence. Did you just summon your Stand again?"

I nodded my head. "But that's so odd, even compared to the stuff we've seen before. For some reason, you can tell when somebody summons their Stand, but you can't actually see it." I raised my hand towards my chin as I hummed. "So we know you're not a Stand user at the moment, but you can still notice something happening when we draw ours out. But how in the world are you able to do that? I know for a fact that I don't notice it." I turned towards the other girls. "What about you two?" They both shook their heads. "Hmm… could it be due to your exposure to that Stand back at the concert? There's no other way to know, unless we bring another random person in on this secret."

Blake stepped in. "Well at the same time, we do know something new this time around: Yang's able to at least sense when a Stand attack is about to happen. At least she isn't going to be completely defenseless against any Stand users we go up against."

We all let out sounds of agreement. "True," I noted. "It is a lot better than being completely defenseless. And plus, Stand users aren't the most important thing to worry about." I tapped the edge of my bed. "It's the Cupid that we need to focus on. And you don't need to be a Stand user in order to see and fight against the Grimm baby. I think that bringing in Yang would help us with our search."

I turned towards my sister. "Look. There's a reason why everyone here decided to keep the Stands secret. They're dangerous to Vale. You already know what it's like to be affected by a Stand ability, between what happened way back with Nolan to just a couple of hours ago. Even if you're just here to help us with finding the Cupid, none of us can keep you safe if a Stand user targets you. And chances are, they will. After all, Stand users attract other Stand users. We _will_ run into another one eventually, and there's no way for you to defend yourself when they do come along."

Yang let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know. But it's no different from me just being your teammate. I'm probably going to be a target either way just by being with you guys. At least I can help somehow." My sister gave us all a confident grin. "And if me being here helps you guys stop this Cupid this once and for all, I'm all up for it!" Yang pressed her hands against her hips. "So, what's the situation right now?"

"Well, it _was_ going well," Blake started as she tugged at her collar. "Until this evening. There's something we need to worry about, everyone. I already said to Ruby that while everyone was at the concert, I was being attacked by a different Stand user. He was a White Fang member."

It felt like the room got a lot colder with that admission. Weiss let out a sound of confusion. "What?"

Blake nodded her head. "It turns out a member of the White Fang was trying to draw me out from the theater in order to capture me, while they had another Stand user attack the theater. They wanted to try and take out all of us. I managed to defeat the user ambushing me, but while I was hiding from him, he muttered something about an attack that took months to prepare. Something about an attack that will go to waste if he doesn't finish us off."

I paled when I heard that. A planned attack by the White Fang? The Faunus girl looked up towards the rest of us. "The White Fang are ready for something, and they needed us out of the picture. I think whoever's controlling the Cupid is going to make their move soon. Really soon."

The room went silent. "Oh gods," Weiss muttered. "Those terrorists are planning to do something during the Vytal Festival. I mean, it makes sense why they would choose now of all times to attack. After all, the event's only a couple of days away, plus there's going to be a large gathering of people. If there was an attack during an event of peace… everyone's going to panic."

"Drawing the Grimm in to destroy the city. The concert attack is just the beginning." I narrowed my eyes. "That sounds about right, but then what's the point of doing that now? The Headmaster said the mastermind needs a certain Stand user to bring them back into Vale. Attacking the populace ruins their chances of finding or creating that user. What's the point of destroying the city, then? Unless—" My eyes widened.

"—Unless they figured out who they needed," Weiss finished. "Maybe they found the Stand user, but they can't do anything to kidnap them. Maybe they already have the user, and they're going to flood the city with Grimm and start destroying life as we know it. But whatever it is, the enemies think they are getting close to succeeding." The quietness of the room said it all. "We need to act quickly and stop this attack, and take the Arrow from the Cupid before anything else can happen. We need to do everything we can to thwart their plans until we figure out the culprit of all this."

I nodded. "Right. Which means that we need every second possible to figure this out. We can't be wasting our time at the Vytal Festival. Even though I want to participate in it so much…" I pouted for a moment before shaking my head. Well, there's always next time, I guess. "Everybody, gather around." The rest of team RWBY followed. "This is what we're going to do…"

* * *

What an eventful day. I let out a long breath as I signed the last document needed for the Vytal Festival. And with that, everything's been taken care of. The Vytal Festival is going to go ahead as planned. On one hand, that should be a reason to celebrate. After all, one of the hardest and most tedious tasks involving the Amity Colosseum has finally been dealt with. There's nothing I would like more than to enjoy time off and relax for once.

But my troubles are unfortunately far from over. Particularly concerning was Ms. Rose's message about what happened in downtown Vale. I sighed as I took a sip from my mug. So she's ready to make her move. We're running out of time, then.

The stage is almost set for her last push, and I might be too late to do anything about it. Another sigh escaped from my mouth. Team RWBY is a marvelous team, but even they can only do so much. We are so close, though… we have a strong picture of the suspect. And I'm now free to join the rest of them in finding the Arrow. If only we had just a little bit more time…

Right then and there the elevator opened up, revealing James. "Ozpin," he started, walking towards me with a purposeful stride. "My men just got news that VNN was going to run a story about a potential terrorist attack until you stepped in. I won't beat around the bush: I know it was orchestrated by the White Fang, and that they did this with Stand users. If they have the power to do this, there's no doubt they're going to do it again, and there's still one event coming up with a massive audience. Ozpin, continuing with the Vytal Festival is suicide!"

"Of course it is. I can see that just as well as you do." An awkward silence enveloped the both of us.

"… And?" James gave me a frown. "Shouldn't you cancel the Festival, or at least postpone it until we can find the Cupid?"

I shook my head. "It's not that easy."

"How is it not easy? Ozpin, do you not understand the lives at stake—"

"I'm fully aware of that, James. But have you considered that we are in a no-win situation?" That got him to pause, but only for a moment. I continued, "Think about it. Our mystery opponent has enlisted the White Fang to attack. And they will attack. If we go on as planned, they'll attack the Amity. If we cancel the Vytal Festival, it'll be a lot worse."

"'It'll be a lot worse.'" Ironwood let out a short, sarcastic snort. "How would canceling an event be worse off?"

I sat up. "We'd have to explain to the other Kingdoms and their Councils why we canceled the event. I can't tell them about the Stands, they won't believe me. You had difficulty believing me, after all. Any reasonable lie we can come up with might not be acceptable to the Councilmen. The event is two years in the making, as it has been every two years without fail. They'll investigate the situation, and if a leak of the Stands appears in the news, everyone will panic. Then there's the sheer amount of tourists staying in the city right now. If the Vytal Festival gets canceled, negative emotions form, they'll gather around and complain. That's another crowd the White Fang can attack to maximize the negativity in the city. And where negativity forms…"

"The Grimm follow," James answered, eyebrows furrowing. "Hmm… That would be… not ideal for us. But do we have to take this risk?"

"Yes. If we keep the Festival going, we can predict where the attack will be: at the Amity. It narrows our list of targets, and I can deploy my users with ease. They'll root out the enemy while using the festival as a cover, and protect the civilians if an attack occurs."

"Hmm… So you propose not backing off in the face of danger, but instead fortifying our position and letting the enemy stumble into laid traps. It wouldn't be a bad plan, if it weren't for the Cupid." James tapped a finger against the side of his leg. "There's no way your agents can keep this up if the Cupid keeps making users. They're going to burn out, even if you keep the Amity safe. This is a war of attrition that you'll lose. And that is unacceptable!" He slammed his hand against the table, causing me to blink in surprise. He stared right at me. "We cannot let this go on any further. You'll hit a breaking point, and I'd rather not have that happen. Let me help you in this search for the Cupid."

I sighed. "James, we already went over this. Having an army mobilize right now will unnerve the populace—"

"I'm not talking about mobilizing my army." That got me to raise an eyebrow. Does he really...? Knowing he had my attention, the General continued: "I've put a lot of thought into what you said about acting with discretion, and I've come to the conclusion that… you're right." He pressed his lips into a fine line. "We can't afford to be too bold or act in a decisive manner. As much as that displeases me, I don't want to risk a retaliation attack during the Vytal Festival, or any other action that could set the enemy's plans into motion. So I have a proposal for you."

"Oh really?" I steepled my fingers. "I'm interested. What is it?"

"Well, I'm thinking about covering our bases in terms of surveillance." He tapped his finger on my desk. "I don't know about _your_ secret task force, but from the looks of it, they don't have strong skills in acquiring information. Turns out I have an operative who specializes in just that. Her skill set will drastically help when it comes to questioning any potential suspects."

"Hmm… you have a point there." I cleared my throat. "Having somebody with those kinds of skills will be especially helpful, considering that we're already setting up a suspect list. At the same time, I would prefer to make absolutely sure that any kind of questioning doesn't get out of hand, especially if the person being interrogated is actually an innocent party. All of Remnant is still sore over the torture controversy that Atlas got itself into a couple of years ago."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. But trust me when I say that this person is not going to raise concerns like last time." James finally decided to take a seat. "Let's just say that my operative is very… persuasive when it comes to getting information without the need to resort to violence. People will be willing to give information to her before she can even lift a finger."

"Okay. Say that I decide to take you up on this deal," I started. "What would your terms be in this case?"

"It should be simple." The Atlesian officer laced his fingers. "If Atlas helps out with the search for this Arrow, then both Vale and Atlas get joint ownership of the artifact. Atlas has the right to access and perform experiments on the Arrow in order to test its full potential." He held his hand up when I tried to speak. "Now, this doesn't sound like the best idea, I have to admit. There's a reason that we don't do any testing on the Relics, after all. Our civilization might totally collapse if even one is destroyed or stolen."

He continued: "But that's not the same thing for the Stand Arrow. It's a destructive force, surely no one would miss it if it were destroyed in an experiment. Our lives don't rely on the Arrow still existing in the world. Plus, if we understand the mechanics of how the Arrow works, then we might be able to put it into application. Just think… a world without Grimm. All because we were able to understand and harness this power." James gave me a glance. "Don't you agree, Ozpin?"

I sighed. "Admittedly, it would be nice if the populace never had to face the Grimm ever again. And you make some valid points. But, to quote the Mistralian family who originally created the Arrows: 'The spirits bound to this weapon are beyond understanding.' We as a society aren't ready for Stands yet. Not everybody can wield them. And Stands can't be seen by anyone except for Stand users. What will the world think about those users? How would they react to the idea of a force that can attack them without them noticing?"

"There isn't much of a difference between Huntsmen and Stand users, Ozpin." The General adjusted the lapel on his uniform. "The concept of Huntsmen got a lot of flak back when it was first proposed. People didn't know what would happen if the Huntsmen decided to take advantage of their powers. But look at us now! Such a transition would be virtually identical for Stand users."

"But here's the difference between the two: Stand users have anonymity within the normal populace. They can use their powers and no one would be the wiser aside from other Stand users. Having the ability to use your powers without getting caught is a boon for anyone who wants to become a career criminal, you know. You would need to make everyone a Stand user, and at the end of the day, we only know of one Arrow. It'll take forever to make that transition, and that doesn't account for those who might be rejected by the Arrow. What would happen then?"

"Well, we can't just do nothing when we have a potential unknown in our hands!" James shot up from his seat. "What do you suggest we do with it once we get it, bury it somewhere?" My silence said everything. He rubbed his face while he groaned. "You can't be serious."

"I am. There's a Mistralian family whose sole task is to retrieve and protect the Arrow with their lives. I happened to meet one of them recently, and they promised that they can keep it safe and locked away from the world, where no one can ever take advantage of it ever again." I leaned back in my seat. "While we haven't officially made an agreement, the family isn't going to be happy with the thought of the Arrow being at risk again after losing it for so long."

James narrowed his eyes at that. "Ozpin, that's just going to make the problem worse. They lost the Arrow before, and because of that, we're in this problem right now. What's not to say that they won't lose it again in the future? Maybe they'll keep it safe for a few years. Hell, maybe we'll be dead for generations and there might not be another incident. But they might lose it again, and when they do, our descendants will have no idea how to handle this problem, just like how we're in this rut right now. We need to know just what this thing can do, for the sake of the next generation."

"And give this power to people who may or not be trustworthy? It's too much of a risk." I sighed as I tapped my desk. "Let's put a hold on this topic for now. I want to accept your help, but the implications of the research that you believe has to be done are unacceptable in my eyes. We need to negotiate this further."

"You don't have the time to do that." James stood up and adjusted his uniform. "I'll be performing my own operations, but with just the one operative. She won't interfere with your work. At least, that's what I hope." He glanced down at me. "I know we have a strained relationship. We haven't exactly seen eye to eye with a lot of issues. I'll promise you one thing, though: no matter who claims the Arrow, we will have this talk again. But we can't just bury the past and hope it doesn't come back to bite us." And with that, he left without another word.

I groaned, wrapping my head with my arms. He doesn't get it, does he? All it takes is one wrong ability. Not even one wrong person, just one wrong ability to manifest and we'll be in even bigger trouble than right now. He has to understand at least that. I hope he figures it out before he makes a fatal error. Another groan escaped my mouth. And I dearly need his help… He means well, but he hasn't seen what I've seen. Any Stand ability can become deadly in the hands of someone determined enough. My friends, my family… we played with the fire that was the Arrow, and we caused this Stand threat. I'm the only one left out of everyone else. I need to finish this.

The Arrow has to be returned back to the earth and buried away. There's no other way.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ =** **4/13/2018**

* * *

 **Fox's Bizarre Adventure - Act 5**

Compared to all of the climbing we had been doing, walking up a few flights of stairs was a breeze for all of us. Before we knew it, the three of us were standing on the third floor. "My office is the one to the right," J noted, pointing in that direction. "It's the closest room to the stairwell."

Coco nodded. "Got it." We started over to the room. "So, anything you want us to save in particular?"

The ghost hummed. "That would be the million-lien question… there are so many discoveries that I want to have brought up to the surface, but I know for a fact that not all of them can see the light of day. There are just too many to pick from. Even I can't name them off of the top of my head. The best option is to go in there, look through the contents to refresh my memories, and then decide what's the most important ones to bring up."

"Right." I delved back into my head. The sounds of our footsteps bounced through the corridors, revealing several doors coming up. "You said the first door we come across?" The ghost let out an affirming hum. I nodded my head as we walked to the entrance in question. "This is the one, right?"

"Ah, yes." J floated over to the door and ran his hand across what might have been a name plaque. "So much research has been done in this room, so many discoveries over what I now know to be years… Please excuse me as I reminisce." The ghost let out a sigh, his figure glowing in my mental image. "It feels like a dream come true, to finally be able to share my knowledge with the next generation." His hand sank into the door. "I'm done with that. Come on, let's see which pieces of knowledge get to escape this crumbling building."

With that, the ghost walked through the door. "Well, we're here now," my leader sighed as she reached for the doorknob. "Let's see what kind of research the guy's been doing."

She pushed it open, letting out a whistle as she saw what's inside. I couldn't help but let out a hum of my own. J wasn't kidding when he said he had a lot of research. I can make out an outline of stacks and stacks of composition notebooks lying all around the desk. My forehead wrinkled. From the bumps created from the lazily stacked books, there has to be at least a hundred of them. That's a lot of books to look through, especially since only Coco and J can actually read them.

On the table, it wasn't much better. Instead of composition notebooks, there were what looked like several artifacts on the table, all surrounding a single notebook. I guess that's J's current work.

"Wow…" Coco gasped. I turned to see her Aura peer down at the open notebook. "I didn't expect you to be such a good artist. It's almost an exact one to one copy of the artifacts on the table."

The ghost glowed with delight. "Thank you," he started. "But my art skills aren't nearly as good as you think they are, not anymore. After all, I can't grasp a pencil in my current form." He waved his hand through a nearby lamp, phasing through it without a problem. "These aren't _my_ drawing skills, exactly."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "I can't really judge for myself, since I can't see and all that. But how did you draw these figures then?"

"Why, with my powers, of course." The vines appeared around the ghost before snapping for a nearby pencil. Coco flinched back in surprise as the vines lifted the writing utensil up. "You see, something interesting I've learned about being dead is that while I myself can't interact with the world, my **「** **HERMIT PURPLE** **」** can. I'm not quite sure why, if you want the truth. I can't exactly test it out when I'm the only dead user, you understand?"

I nodded. "Okay. So, what is this particular book about? The one that is on the table?"

"Hmm… I believe that one was on the artifacts my group managed to get way back, before the Great War even came to pass. We came across a Mistralian caravan that had been attacked by Grimm. This was during that era when Mistralians were still actively setting on Sanus. Because I couldn't let Mistralian history fall into the hands of bandits and whatnot, I decided to take them, observe them for myself, and then give them to the Mistral embassy. Long story short, that didn't happen, as you can clearly see." He glanced over at Coco. "Do you want her to learn about… what we can see?"

I turned to face my leader, who had feelings of confusion swimming through her Aura. Should she? About the spirits that give us these unusual powers? About the curse that is plaguing the students of Beacon?

A sighed escaped my mouth. "Coco, do you want to know? I honestly don't want to tell you about everything. It's not because you're not capable of handling it, but it's something I don't want anyone to learn, for their own sake. I want to keep this secret, but after everything that's happened, I think I should at least ask."

Her Aura wavered. "What? Well… hmm. This is all so sudden. It's—" Her shoulders sagged. "I don't know… I mean, the idea of it definitely catches my attention. Your Semblance isn't what you say it is, right?" I nodded my head. "This makes so much sense now that I think about it. I thought it was weird that you have scars so early in life, even when you unlocked your Aura real early." She shook her head. "I should know what's happening to my teammate. What kind of leader would I be if I didn't? But…"

She sighed. "Your face says it all. You really care enough to keep me and the rest of the team out of this, whatever it is. So, I'll walk out of the room and let just you and J talk. But Fox." She wagged a finger at me. "Once everything is over, when you're no longer worried about the situation, you need to come clean with us." I can 'see' the smugness collect around her. "You can leave a girl unsatisfied, but not for long. I'm going to pry it out of you eventually."

"Okay. I'd rather tell you when the danger's over anyway."

"Sure thing." Coco turned around, throwing a hand in the air while sashaying towards the exit. "Don't take too long, Fox." With that, she left the room.

"Are you sure you don't have some kind of relationship with her?" J asked. "It really seems like she is interested in you."

"No relationship, I assure you. That's something she likes to do to tease me and the team."

"Really?" The ghost hummed. "Standards must have gotten really lax ever since I died."

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter too much. So, what are the items on the table for?"

"They all relate to a missing artifact that my friends and I dubbed 'The Arrow.' All of these artifacts, one way or another incorporate a metal that came from a meteorite that landed in Mistral." He flew over the set. "All of the artifacts have unusual abilities, but the Arrow has an ability that Vale should be particularly worried about: the ability to grant whoever is cut by its arrowhead an ethereal being."

"A Stand."

The ghost nodded. "I didn't think about it much a couple of minutes ago, but being back here made me realize something. Back in my day, we kept a good eye on the Arrow the moment we brought it back to this bunker. Not a single other person other than my friends and I were cut by the Arrow. So, I should have reason to believe there shouldn't be any other Stand user in Vale. But the fact that you're here and you aren't from Mistral says one thing: the Arrow was somehow retrieved and is being used to create new Stand users."

J's energy became somber. "There's no doubt about it. Somebody has the Arrow now. Why else would there be more users in Vale? Somebody's been making more while I was dead. Someone who is unafraid to use it for their own ends. I don't know who it is, but I have a feeling it'll be a problem."

He held out his arm. "I used to be able to perform clairvoyance. My abilities were extremely helpful in tracking and doing predictions a day ahead of time. But my death cut me off from those powers. Now it's just the Stand form itself. It's a shame, especially considering I could easily figure out the identity of this mystery person were I alive."

I nodded. "That is a shame. But I don't understand something. What does this explanation have to do with the items?"

"I was just about to get to that. There's a solution to this problem that doesn't involve me, and I just realized it." His head turned towards the table. "I was looking at each of the artifacts, but this one caught my attention." J's vines lifted an amulet by the old, weathered rope.

"Huh? There's some vibration inside…" I reached for the amulet and turned it over. My thumb felt a glass surface, and there was something spinning inside it almost constantly. What is this? I rubbed my thumb, feeling out arrows and letters: N, E, S, W. Wait a minute… "Is this… a compass with a spinning indicator?"

The figure nodded. "It is. This is the interesting thing about it: I only learned about its function when you and Lady Coco fell into this bunker. Before, I was puzzled with how it worked. I thought it was a perpetual machine. However, around the same time as you fell in, I happened to be holding the compass with my Stand. And well, there's only one way to show you two." The vines extended towards me. "Take this."

I did. All of a sudden, the whirring of the compass stopped. Huh? J started speaking again. "Focus, Sir Fox. Where is the indicator pointing towards now?"

My mental map focused on the two-sided indicator. Which way is north supposed to be? "Uh… I'm blind, so I can't tell what's north, J. It's either pointing at you or me."

J floated over to the left. "Where is it now?"

I let out a hum as the point away from me drifted along with the ghost. "Moving… left, following you. But that can't be right. A compass is supposed to show where north happens to be."

It clicked in my head. "No… It's not directing me towards polar north. This compass is a tool pointing towards people. To other Stand users."

The man nodded. "To me. It's a coincidence at best. I can't really prove it with just the two of us. But I have little doubt that whoever holds onto this can find the closest Stand user." The vines nudged my fingers closed around the amulet. "And now that I know what this thing can do, I must pass this on."

The vines twisted around, snatching something off the table before offering it to me. "Take this notebook and the amulet. That's the most important thing you must bring out of this laboratory, if nothing else. Whatever research I have doesn't matter as much as you finding the rogue Stand users. Give this to your Headmaster and tell him exactly what this thing is for. As for the rest of this…" J turned to face the stack of books. "Which one… This is more difficult than I thought it would be… Take whatever you can carry."

I nodded, taking the items from J. "I'll do it. You have nothing to worry about. I'll protect these no matter what." I turned towards the Aura behind the door. "Should I bring Coco back in?"

"That would be great."

The next few moments were a blur. Coco and I each grabbed a giant stack of notebooks, taking care to not ruin the aged paper inside. Before we knew it, we stood outside the office. The ghost gave us a nod. "Thank you Lady Coco, Sir Fox. You can make it up to the surface through that stairwell."

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "You're not coming up to the surface?"

"Oh, not at all. I can't go up with you two. This is my stop, unfortunately." He shook his head. "One of the unusual things about being a ghost. For some reason, I can't go up past this floor. I suspect it has something to do with my spirit being bound to this place, but then again, I'm the only ghost I've ever known. I might spend my whole entire life trying to guess why I'm still here… but then again, isn't that my job?" The ghost glowed with a bit of mirth. "There's no need to worry about me. I don't mind staying underground. My time's long gone anyways. It's your generation's world now."

"Right." With that Coco and I started for the stairs. I turned around. "It's nice getting to meet you, J. Even if it isn't for long."

"The pleasure's all mine." We started out. "Wait!" We stopped. "One last thing. I've been mulling for awhile after you said your Headmaster's name. He shares a similar name to one of my friends. I believe he either changed his name, or maybe it's his son in charge of your school. Either way, if he asks for my name, tell him Jojo says hi, alright?" My eyebrows furrowed. So that's his name, huh…

I nodded. "Okay. I will. Goodbye, Jojo."

"Goodbye, Fox."

Coco and I left the office and walked up the stairs in silence. I can hear the occasional grunt as Coco stumbled on the steps, but my mind pondered on the recent events. The Headmaster… he doesn't have family. It's only him. So that means Jojo somehow knew the Headmaster? That's surprising. Did they use to be teammates during the Great War?

And speaking of which, how old is the Headmaster then? The Great War is eighty years ago at this point. Even at his youngest, our Headmaster must be nearing a hundred years old. Yet he looks as nimble and young as a thirty-year-old fit man. There's no way the Headmaster is that old. Is he?

"Oh my gods, Coco! Fox!" I turned my head in the direction of the voice. Velvet's figure grabbed us a second later. "You're okay! I thought you two got buried in the rubble, and I was so worried, and—" She sniffled. "Don't make me worry like that!"

"Aw, bun bun…" Coco stroked the girl's hair. "You never had to worry. We're one of the toughest Huntsmen out there. Of course we'll be fine."

"I'm glad you're safe," Yatsu rumbled as he walked towards us.

"As am I." I held out a hand, which the man promptly took. "We didn't want to scare you guys after all."

"Mmm. I'm sure you didn't." Yatsu let out a hum. "What's that you're holding?"

Oh yeah… They're not filled in with what happened. I sighed. "It's a long story… we'll explain it to you guys as we're coming back. You're going to need to trust what I say, it's a weird one. Right, Coco?"

Coco nodded, looking at the rabbit Faunus. "Yeah. You won't believe us when we tell you, but you're going to have to. But first, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. Velvet, call for an airship. Fox, get into contact with the Headmaster. I think he'll find what we found down there interesting."

 **=FOX BA END=**

* * *

 **Stand Description:**

 **「HERMIT PURPLE」** : **Gives the user the ability of divination, allowing them to discover information using TVs, cameras, etc. Can also transfer the power of the Silver Eyes through it, making them a deadly Grimm slayer.**

* * *

 **And with that, we can finally put a close on the third arc. In terms of progress, I'd say we're around 60% through the story, maybe a bit more than that. But yeah, it's strange to think that this story has two more arcs to go. I know we're not close to the end, not by a longshot. Still, knowing that I'm starting to see the end is... thought-provoking. But don't mind my rambling.**

 **Let's get right to the reviews!**

 **Guest1: Thank you, Guest1!**

 **Guest2: Like I said above, roughly 60% through. Yes, I know how I'll end the story. And it does seem like the Vytal Festival will have several more surprises in store. Get ready for that!**

 **tuskenpaw: Hmm... I suppose Hocus Pocus might be confusing in how it works. I think it's more due to how convoluted it is compared to other Stands in the story. To put it simply, it's a Stand that can induce a coma through music, which can cause the brainstem to degrade. The convoluted part comes from the collective dream world everyone has and everything within it, but that's better described in the story.**

 **Hocus Pocus is weird without a doubt, but it doesn't outweird subliminal snails. I have no idea if I'll ever create something that tops that.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! I won't say what happens in that bizarre adventure, but it does push the plot forward** **a bit.**

 **doa570047: Sometimes I wonder about the answer myself, even when I know it. Hocus Pocus is deliberately supposed to be more complex, but even it confuses me a bit, and I'm the one who wrote it. I'll elaborate later in a retrospective, but the instruments used to be the actual Stand user, but mainly because I wasn't satisfied with giving the Stand to any other character. Then V5 happened, I saw Trifa, and I was like "she's a pretty good choice."**

 **And yes, Weiss' Stand for some reason consistently blows up in her face in a very literal sense. I know of ways that Weiss can more effectively use her Stand abilities, but those will be saved for later chapters. Still, it's a curious thing that Weiss keeps blowing up.**

 **Random tangent, I loved the RWBY vs FNKI fight where Weiss blows herself up keeping Yang in the match, which gave RWBY the victory. Loved that character growth and how unintentionally funny I found it. It probably doesn't have anything to do with why Weiss keeps getting blown up.**

 **And as for your theory about why I created Hocus Pocus: you're pretty close. I'll talk about it proper during the retrospective.**

 **darkmist111: Hmm, going back to Feel Good Inc. I mean, after V5 I can imagine a vicious Nora. But it's hindsight more than anything else. And as for why Ren's Semblance was useless against the Stand, well he's already been taken by it. And angry Ren's definitely something we've seen in the show. Oh wow. Man, I'm surprised with how things line up sometimes.**

 **Mr. Cog: If you had an account, I could PM you directly my answer. I'm not sure when you'll reach Chapter 33, or if you'll ever see this comment. I'll address it here anyway.**

 **I said before I didn't want to use the classic crossover format. Personally, I still feel that way. Very similar story beats have to be followed with "transporting characters into another world," and it takes time before I as a writer can get to the section that truly interests me. Having to go through those story beats would probably make me lose interest in writing the story.**

 **That doesn't mean I don't think it can be done in an interesting manner or I don't like reading them. I like XCOM: RWBY Within, and that follows the classic crossover format to a T. It's writing the initial story beats that I don't like.**

 **After reading your story idea, I have to say it's interesting. It's a fresh take on the classic crossover format for sure, considering almost every single one takes place in Remnant. Having it set within the JoJo multiverse has a ton of potential. I guess your fic idea elicits that XCOM: RWBY Within feeling. If you write this fic and post it here, I'll probably favorite/follow it.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: April 13, 2018**_


	34. Be Above It

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA and to the fourth arc of the story!**

 **I want to quickly mention how this fic hit 200 reviews. That's honestly amazing. I wouldn't think that I would ever reach that milestone on this story. Thank you all for the support!**

 **Aside from that, there's not much else to say, so let's just get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all of their help!**

* * *

One thing I don't think I'll ever get over is the pre-match jitters. I stared at the mirror in front of me. Silver eyes returned my gaze. Fighting in front of people is nerve-wracking. You have to show off everything you have in front of a live audience, and the pressure to perform is insane. Granted, it's not as scary as making sure the world doesn't end, but when my actions in the Amity can be the difference between life and death for Vale and everyone living there? When an attack here can bring in a swarm of Grimm, slaughtering everybody in the city? It's hard to not feel more than just the jitters.

My heart quickening in my chest as I stood up, walked over to my locker and popped it open. Inside was my wonderful Crescent Rose. Her new coating glistened in the bright lights of the locker room. I picked up the weapon and ran my hand across its chassis. I couldn't find a single dent or scratch on my sniper scythe.

I pulled back the bolt. My child didn't resist a bit, sliding back with an obedient click. That's good so far… I stepped into a more open area and activated its mechashift. Crescent Rose didn't let out a single whine as she unfolded out into her true form. I felt my heartbeat slow down, a bit of pride and joy radiating off my face as I examined the massive scythe one last time. Looks like everything's working properly. She's ready for battle once again.

After what felt like months and months of preparation, it's finally time for the Vytal Festival. I let out a sigh as I folded my baby back into its compact form. The event we've been waiting for for years now is finally here, and team RWBY finally has a chance to fight with the best of the best! I turned to look at the rest of my team, who were testing their weapons out as well. All of them kept a focused look on their faces, bringing a smile to my face. I've always dreamed of this day, when we can show our skills as Huntsmen to the world, inspire others, and become a beacon of hope to everyone on Remnant.

My smile disappeared. But things aren't going to go well. We all know that something's going to happen soon. The White Fang is out there planning an attack. Something that's taken months to prepare for, if Blake was right. Their master plan has to happen within the four days the Vytal Festival takes place. If this villain's goal is to end civilization like the Headmaster said, then causing public panic in the form of a terrorist attack will help them a lot. Not to mention the whispers of everyone at school about the Unity Amphitheater incident. Everyone here is nervous about it. How would the public react if something like that happened again? Can Vale hold on with this much tension in the air?

The main thing is that we don't have time left. I sucked in some air as I straightened my back. We need to find them as soon as possible. "Alright, team RWBY!" I chirped. All of team RWBY turned to look at me. "Gather around, everyone!" I cleared my throat as my teammates approached me. "Sister and teammates, the day we've been waiting for has arrived. It's time for us to step up and show what we're really made of! There's no room for mistakes. When we step through that door," I pointed towards the gate that leads to the center stadium, "We're going to do everything we can to succeed! Just follow the plan, and we'll make sure the Vytal Festival goes well!"

"Yeah!" Everyone else cheered as they pumped their fists.

"Alright then! Onwards, Team RWBY!" I started towards the exit. "To greater days! Banzai!"

I took a deep breath as soon as my face was out of sight. Sometimes I don't know how people can be so inspiring without feeling fear or dread or something. Are they just naturally good at being confident? Or do they feel like me, frightened inside but unwilling to show that fear to others? Because I'm definitely feeling the latter right now.

Even as the four of us are making our way towards the arena entrance, I can't help but feel my stomach churning and my mind racing. The plan we set up should work, but the question is how well? We don't have a clear idea of what exactly our team is up against; the stage selection's going to be completely random. The team we're going against might be worth worrying about. I know Arslan and her abilities, but as for everyone else on her team… They're pretty much unknowns to me. Hopefully, this will work out okay.

"You guys all know what you're going to do?" I asked. Everyone around me nodded. "That's good." I took in another breath as the light at the end of the tunnel started appearing. Whelp, I guess it's now or never. The beginning of the end. It's time to stand up and stop the Cupid once and all.

"And from Beacon Academy, here comes the living embodiments of energy, regality, allure, and passion! These girls have proven themselves over and over throughout the school year for their enthusiasm and strength, and we can't wait to see how they perform here! To all of the Kingdoms of Remnant, meet the beautiful ladies of team RWBY!"

A symphony of roars escaped from the crowd as we walked through. I shielded my eyes as the sudden sunlight blinded me for a moment. Oh my gods… Ooh, that's bright. You know, this place looks a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I unshielded my eyes before they widened up. And look at the crowd! There must be tens of thousands of people all sitting in the stadium! It's so amazing watching the crowd move, forming waves with nothing but their own bodies. That's so cool, even if it's so scary! I waved back into the crowd, letting out a giggle as the roars grew louder.

Oobleck took over from there. "Yes, quite! It's been quite an honor to teach a team like them! Although from my personal experiences with opposing team ABRN, I'd say it's anyone's win here. But with the introductions out of the way, let me officially welcome everyone to the fortieth Vytal Festival!"

I glanced towards my teammates. From the looks of it, they must've agreed with my thoughts about the crowd. All of them had awestruck looks as they stared back into the mass of people. And I don't blame them. I don't think anyone here has ever performed in a stadium this packed. Maybe Weiss and Pyrrha, but that's not the point. I stared at the crowd. There are so many people gathered here today in the name of peace…

And somebody wants to attack it and destroy this. This beautiful sight of all Remnans together and united, somebody wants this destroyed. We can't let anyone ruin the Vytal Festival.

Looking ahead I saw team ABRN, all standing around their spots already. It's RWBY vs. ABRN: the first match of the tournament. We took our places opposite the Mistralian team.

Speaking of our opposing team... I cast a glance at each of them. To the furthest right of me was a guy with pink hair and what looked like a combination of an assault rifle and a sword. A gunblade. He was kinda bouncing around, bobbing his head back and forth to pass the time, I guess. Next to him was a guy in a brownish-yellow gi with a short staff strapped to his back. Compared to the pinked-haired boy next to him, he remained as still as a stone. Skipping past Arslan for a moment, on the far most left of the team was a girl with turquoise hair, just laying on what looks to be a hoverboard. With our arrival she hopped back to her feet, shooting us a smile.

And standing in the center of the entire group was Arslan herself. I waved at ABRN's team leader, a smile growing on my face. "Hey, Arslan! It's been awhile since we met, huh? How have you been? Is everything fine with your team?"

The platinum-haired girl gave me a small yet friendly smile. "It has been some time. But to answer your question, my team and I are doing fine. I hope everything is going well for you as well."

"Yup!" I widened my stance. "I guess this is where we have our rematch, then."

She nodded. "And with our teammates, as well. This will be a more enjoyable fight than last time." Arslan gave me a bow. "I wish you good luck. May the best team win, Ruby."

"Right back at you, Arslan!" I widened my stance as I gave the rest of my team a nod.

The laugh of Professor Port rumbled through the stage. "Look at the feisty-ness of the competition today! This will be one explosive opening battle, that's for sure! Now, let's see where they will clash." Holograms flickered in the air, displaying an empty emblem with different colored symbols. Almost immediately the logos started spinning, switching between images at speeds I can't keep up with. I held my breath. Come on… where are we fighting?

After what felt like an eternity, the roulette slowed down to a crawl before ending on the image of a volcano and what looks like an iceberg. "Lava and ice! What a wonderful selection!" Professor— I mean Doctor Oobleck cleared his throat. "A fight between thermal extremes! The duality between burning passion and chilling precision! I don't know about you, Peter, but I'm very interested in seeing how this match will go!"

"That's right, Bart! Ladies and gentleman, watch team RWBY and ABRN dance to a song of fire and ice!" One last roar escaped from the crowd as the stage around us started to collapse around us, sinking into the depths of the floating stadium. What came back up was surprising. Behind team ABRN grew an icy wasteland. Icicles and ice Dust crystals poked out from the icy ground, forming beautiful structures. From the corner of my eye, I could make out a rocky ridge resting along the edge of the arena. Glowing red lava slowly ran down the obsidian stage. I shuddered alongside Weiss and Blake. I know **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」** isn't coming back, but I still don't want to be reminded of it.

"Alright, everyone! Let's countdown!" Both segments of the stage locked into place before a number indicator appeared right above us. My eyes narrowed as I glanced at the arena around us. Interesting… both sides of the stage have a decent amount of Dust crystals sticking out. We can make this plan work… although it would work better if we stayed within the lava stage. I shuddered again. What we have to do for the plan.

"Go!"

Crescent Rose flew out into my hands. "Everyone!" I yelled as I loaded a bullet and aimed directly for the boy in the yellow-brown outfit. "Get in the lava zone and spread out!" My weapon roared a second later, sending me flying back-first into the scorching stage. While everything was a blur to me as I flew back at break-neck speeds, I think I managed to hit the guy with the pink hair, considering how he stumbled back and grasped his chest.

I flipped over right after, loading another round into Crescent Rose before firing into the rocky hills, slowing myself down enough to land with a roll. I glanced over my shoulder. Hmm… Arslan, the girl with the hoverboard and the boy with the staff were running in towards us while the pink-haired boy kept his distance, instead unslinging his assault rifle and firing potshots at Weiss. So they're not taking any chances… hmm. I wonder how the rest of ABRN will break up to face off against RWBY.

Speaking of which, what happened to the rest of my team? I dropped into a prone position and surveyed the area. Blake and Yang were banding together, ready to receive Arslan and the turquoise-haired girl in a two-on-two fight. Weiss is… where is she— Oh! Right on the side, trying to stay out of trouble. She's starting her part of the plan.

From the corner of my eye, I caught the staff user skidding on the floor to charge at my partner. My turn. The boy cried out before stumbling as one of my shots connected. The sound of the gunshot vibrated in my ears. Come on, switch to me. I glanced at the arena once more. Assault rifle boy is still in the ice section taking potshots, Arslan and hover girl are still occupied by Yang and Blake. The only person I really have to worry about is the person going after Weiss. I refocused my sights, sending another barrage of bullets toward the unoccupied guy.

This time he was ready, twirling his weapon around and smacking the rounds away. I ducked moments later as bullets slammed into the rocks. Oh gods! I peeked up. At least he's focused on me now. Weiss won't be bothered for a while. But now he's charging in my direction. Well, he doesn't have a ranged weapon. As long as I keep the guy between me and the assault rifle dude, I should be fine just summoning Rose and— Oh right. I'm not supposed to use my Stand while in the tournament. Oh man… I winced. I'm getting way too used to using my Stand for everything.

Instead, I leaped up, shifting Crescent Rose into her scythe form before speeding towards my attacker. We met in the center with a furious slam, sending shockwaves as wood met steel. Our eyes locked for one moment as we struggled against each other. How much time does Weiss need at this point? If only if I can give her a spare glance to check on her progress… but I can't let them figure out what we're doing!

A cry escaped from someone, forcing the both of us to glance at the source of the sound. My eyes widened. Huh? The hoverboard girl— What was her name? Wait a minute… don't they display the names underneath the scoreboard? I glanced at the large monitor. Her name's Reese… Okay. I glanced back. Reese was on the ground, groaning as she rubbed her rear. Blake winced at the sight. What happened? Did she fall off her hoverboard? I mean, that's a good thing for us, but that has to hurt. I mean, landing on what's basically cooled lava can't possibly feel good—

I yelped when my opponent — Bolin was his name, I think — stepped forwards and jammed the staff into my gut. Spit flew out of my mouth as I doubled over. I couldn't even get a breather when he followed through, spinning the staff to smack me in the jaw. A groan escaped my mouth. Defense, Ruby. It's definitely time to ease up. I stepped back, this time focusing on keeping the boy from landing any more shots. A bead of sweat slid down my face. Oh geez, this guy's fast! He's doing a pretty good job keeping up with me. But he can't quite get past my defense. I think we can bring ourselves to a stalemate with—

Something slammed into my shoulder, knocking me down to the ground. I resisted groaning as the stinging sensation washed over me. Ow, what the— oh gods, the pink haired guy! I glanced at the lone boy. He managed to get in a lucky shot. Fortunately for me, Bolin overextended when I fell, stumbling close to my prone body. Perfect. My hand formed a fist. Can't exactly swing Crescent Rose this close, but I can take a page from Rose. Let's do something nobody would expect from me.

I sucker punched the boy in the guts. A wheeze escaped the boy as he doubled over. Crescent Rose swung around me as I twisted myself back up to my feet, meeting Bolin at the end of the arc and knocking him into the rocky hill behind me. That 'oughta buy us a little bit more time. I looked at the holoscreen displaying our stats. I'm at seventy-five percent. Yang and Blake have around sixty percent, Weiss is still completely full. Everyone on team ABRN has taken a decent amount of damage. Come on, Weiss. Hurry up with the setup before people notice why you aren't fighting—

A blur of white caught my attention. My partner charged towards— I glanced at the scoreboard again— Nadir, Myrtenaster forwards and ready to receive her opponent. His face morphed from calm to panic, stumbling backward as he shifted his weapon to its sword form. Whew, that's good. Weiss is all good, then. It's all set up.

My arms moved, swinging Crescent Rose behind me the moment I heard footsteps. Her blade bit into Bolin's staff. But everything's ready. We just need to set ourselves up now. Weiss has Nadir, so all I have to do is keep Bolin here. Another flurry of blows exchanged between the two of us. This time he's gotten a bit more wary, taking care to not overextend like what happened last time. I gritted my teeth as a couple of jabs managed to break through my defenses, smacking my torso and chipping my Aura bit by bit. Meanwhile, all of my blows were either deflected or blocked. I should switch to Crescent Rose's war-scythe form… that might help me with getting through his defenses. But then again…

Before I could decide how to go about this, Bolin side-stepped me, smashing his staff into one of the fire Aura crystals standing nearby. My body tightened. Please don't hit too hard— Hmm? It didn't blow up? I sidestepped and shot towards my opponent, forcing him to step back. Wha? Why didn't it— I glanced at the base of the crystal. Oh… It's not one of the ones Weiss set up earlier… I honestly don't know how to feel about that, to be honest.

"Reese!" Before I could react, Bolin snatched a shard of Dust lying on the ground before tossing it towards the skater girl. What does she plan on doing with that? The boy in the brownish-yellow gi didn't give me time to figure out the answer, however, as he darted towards me again. Okay, Ruby. Start backing up. I can feel the wind coming from the swishes of the wooden staff, maybe a couple of centimeters away from my face. From the corner of my eye, I could tell the rest of my team were leading team ABRN into the lava zone. I focused myself. Honestly, this is getting pretty tiring. Let's end this already.

Crescent Rose's blade shot out, straightening out into its war scythe form. A look of surprise enveloped Bolin's face as I jabbed him in the face. Now he was on the defensive, focusing on knocking away the end of my blade. I kept backing up into the heart of the lava zone, making jabs to keep him at bay. Every jab would poke into his skin. Sometimes it would look like the weapon would rip right through him.

One look at the scoreboard reveals that Bolin's getting pretty close to slipping below fifteen percent. I shuddered at the thought of breaking his Aura and spilling blood. Maybe all of the Stand fighting is finally starting to get to me. It's so hard to restrain myself when all of the people I fought in the past were more than willing to kill me and the people I love. Yeah, I've killed Grimm before, but that's entirely different from hurting people. Grimm don't have souls or intelligence. Remnans do. And when for once my opponent is someone who doesn't want me dead…

I flipped Crescent Rose's blade back to its original position and shot Bolin, knocking him to the ground. The wail of the buzzer rang right after that. A glance at the scoreboard revealed that he dropped just below fifteen percent. Whew… Well, one down. The buzzer rang twice more. Huh? I turned to look at the rest of my team. Both Reese and Nadir were outside the arena. Oh gods, what in the world? Weiss and Blake already ringed out their opponents? We weren't supposed to take so many of them down that quickly. That wasn't part of the plan. Now it's just Arslan vs all of us. … Are we _too_ efficient at this?

From the looks of it, Arslan must've realized it as well. With a blink of an eye, something about her figure changed. Huh? I narrowed my eyes. Occasionally I could make out the ghostly visage of **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** rippling over her, with minor details sticking out from her skin.

With a grunt, she bounded towards Yang and Blake, rushing towards them in a flash. If I didn't know better, it's almost like Arslan actually flew through the air. Still, my eyes widened for a moment. What is she doing? Doesn't she know that if any Stand user's watching—

Wait a minute. I bit the inside of my cheek. Now that I got a better look at it, Arslan hides her Stand pretty well. Even as she's moving about dodging the rest of my team's attacks, **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** isn't really revealing itself, maybe a bit of the elbow once in a while. It's almost impossible to tell her Stand's out at all. Maybe this is what years of experience as a Stand user look like. She's so good at getting her Stand to mimic her body movements to the point that she could effectively use it as a replacement for a Semblance… I should ask her about that later.

But for now, we need to make sure that the results go our way. Already the rest of team RWBY were roping her into the lava zone. My eyes snapped towards the scoreboard yet again. Okay, so… I'm just below fifty percent, Yang and Blake are at around twenty percent, Weiss is at seventy percent. Again, I really expected the rest of ABRN to hold up a lot longer than what just happened. This would've looked a lot more natural if Blake or Yang got out first… but I guess things happen. All we have to do now is bring this fight to a finish.

I ran into the fray. At this point Arslan was sweating bullets, eyes flying about as she dodged and blocked all of the fists and blades flying towards her. She was doing her absolute best to keep herself alive right now. Everybody backed off moments later as she threw a stream of molten wax at them. Yeah, Arslan isn't doing too good right now.

Our eyes locked as I approached her. She raised an eyebrow at me. In response, I folded Crescent Rose into its gun form. Arslan nodded, taking a deep breath before flicking her hand towards me. I yelped when something sharp slipped out of her hands. What the— I threw myself to the side. A throwing knife? No… I glanced at the white gauze flying past me. A rope dart using a dagger and bandage gauze. Before anyone could react, the weapon constricted around Blake's ankle. Oh gods. That is going to hurt.

The faunus girl flipped over, letting out a yelp as Arslan yanked her back. A fist slammed into Blake's stomach a moment later, causing the buzzer to ring. Three against one.

"Hey! That's my partner!" Yang shot forwards, red in her eyes as she brought her fist back. I moved too, circling around to meet up with Weiss before we charged forwards. However, Arslan was prepared. The moment she realized that my sister was approaching, Arslan unwrapped her rope dart, sliding the gauze through one of her fists. The red goopy substance hardened up, stiffening the gauze into a baton, maybe? No, it's pretty long… it's more like a bow staff, like what Sun and Bolin use. With a yell, she gripped the improvised weapon with both hands and charged at the blonde girl.

Yang tried throwing a fist in the air, but Arslan managed to beat her to the punch, sliding before jabbing Yang in the stomach. And just like that, the leader of ABRN managed to stop a flying Yang. I could see Yang cough out spit. Before my sister could do anything else, Arslan smashed her into the ground, something the buzzer rang out from. Two against one now.

"Weiss," I yelled as I approached her. She turned towards me. "Is this where we're supposed to be?"

She nodded. "Stay right here, and we'll be good." I turned back towards the platinum-haired girl. Well then… This is where we stand our ground. I unfolded Crescent Rose again into her scythe form, gripping her handle tightly. Meanwhile, Arslan was swinging her rope around, flicking the wax off the fabric roughly twenty meters away from us. There's no telling when she'll charge. I widened my stance. Just a little more… we're so close now. Come on, Arslan, give us your best shot.

The team leader of ABRN must've read my mind because at that moment, she broke into a sprint towards us. I heard the telltale sounds of Weiss summoning a glyph behind me. We're ready to take her on. No matter what she does, Arslan isn't going to do anything that would affect any of us—

My eyes widened when she pivoted right, running to the side instead of charging us head first. What in the world? Why isn't she going after us? What could she be possibly going after that would take her in that direction? I glanced in the general direction she's heading. I don't see anything that could be of importance… all that I see really is Nadir's gun just lying there— Oh wait! My eyes widened. She's going after that?

Arslan dove for the assault rifle, snatching it from the ground before making an awkward roll. Crescent Rose started collapsing herself back into sniper rifle form. Come on, come on, hurry up. The leader of ABRN pulled the gun up to her eyes. Come on—

Everything went white. The sounds of the world around me disappeared, replaced by nothing but a loud ringing. A cry escaped my mouth as I felt my body flying up in the air. I can feel the shockwaves rippling through my body, pushing my Aura to its absolute limits. I can actually feel it pulsing through my body, ready to burst at a moment's notice. All I can do is hope that the damage isn't going to hurt me too much.

I slammed into something hard. A wall or something? I still couldn't really see, with everything around me gone white. Where am I? I started patting the ground around me. Something smooth yet hard, that's for sure. What am I touching? I sniffed the air. I could make out the smell of discharged Aura. Hmm… I started blinking my eyes. Oh, wait a minute. My vision's clearing up! Maybe I can figure out what happened! My eyes narrowed as moments later my eyes picked up something gray. Wait a minute… am I on concrete?

Something clicked as I shot up. I'm on the concrete, but there's no concrete in the arena. So I must've been thrown out of it. Did that really happen? I turned to look at the board. Team RWBY's faces were completely crossed out. My heart sank as I felt tears start to well up in my eyes. Oh my gods… did this really happen? Did we really—?

My hearing decided to return at that very moment. "And the winner of that first round is team ABRN from Haven Academy!"

* * *

The air around us was thick with disappointment as we walked back on stage to congratulate our victorious opponents. Everything felt so… weird as I shook ABRN's hands. "Good match," I muttered to each one. I brushed away my short locks. Team RWBY losing in the first round in front of so many people… I wonder if Uncle Qrow and Dad are watching. What are they thinking about what just happened?

"Ruby." I looked up to see Arslan with her hand extended. She wiped her brow with her free hand. "Good match. We'll meet again soon, okay?" All I did was nod before our teams started back for the entrances we first came from. I kept my eyes on the ground. There's no way I could stand looking at the crowd after a performance like that. And then there were the other teams. There's no way we can look at them in the eyes after this. I mean, there's always next time, but we'll be known as the team that lost in the first round—

"Hey guys, you did great!" I could recognize Jaune's voice anywhere. My eyes flickered up to see him right at the edge of the bleachers, giving us a wave. "Don't worry about this! We got your back!"

"Yeah!" Nora threw herself up on the divider, plopping herself down on the top railing. "That was an awesome first round! You guys might've lost, but everyone did good!"

Ren followed closely behind Nora. "You did what you could against them."

Pyrrha stepped forwards then, resting her arms on the beams before nodding her head. "It's an honor to fight against a team that can really challenge everyone. I'm sure that when we go to Mistral during our third year, you'll be able to beat them."

"And you betcha we'll be there to see RWBY win against ABRN next time!" the hyperactive redhead piped. "We're with you all the way!"

I stared in amazement as all of team JNPR stood above us, our oldest friends there for us. Yeah… they are. I glanced through the rest of the crowd. One by one, I spotted each of the Stand users I met throughout this journey. Nolan gave me a nod, flicking a thumbs up. Gwen made a giggling motion before giving us all a wave, smiling all the while. Russel was more muted, but even he managed to give us a head nod. I managed to spot Penny from the stands— Oh my gods, how long has it been since I talked with Penny? But even she gave me a salute with that grin on her face.

All of them were with RWBY as well. We have all of them supporting us, even if they aren't directly helping with the search. I can feel the frown vanish from my face, now replaced with a grin. It took all of my power to not let the tears filling my eyes stream out. Thank you, everyone. We'll do this.

Movement caught my eye. Team C.M.E.N were looking at us right now. Huh. I guess their fourth member couldn't make it, after all. It's kinda sad that C.M.E.N couldn't fight this time around, especially with their fourth member gone home to take care of their family. I'm glad the rest of the team still came over to cheer us on, though.

All three of them gave us nods or quick waves. But something that caught my interest was the way they were looking at us. It felt like their eyes bored on us, observing our every move even though they had friendly looks on their faces. I locked eyes with Cinder. There was some hidden emotion that flickered through her eyes for just a moment. Pity? Sympathy? Sorrow? It was like she understood what we're going through right now. Like she felt the way we should feel down here.

But just like that, the emotion disappeared, replaced with that cool exterior that was more Cinder-y. A sly smirk grew on her face as she nodded towards me. Eh, it must be nothing. I turned back towards the gate. Maybe she was just thinking too much again like she usually does. But then again, she never was all that emotional before while she thought. Wonder what that was about…

Team RWBY stepped into the tunnel, bringing us out of the light and into the darkness once more. The fear that once gripped me when I walked through these cramped corridors didn't return. There's no need to worry anymore. With the help of everyone, we'll stop the Cupid and its master once and for all. We're not going to let this thing ruin more lives, we won't let it destroy civilization. We'll stop them before that time comes.

We stepped back into the locker room, brushing ourselves off before sitting down on benches. Everything was silent in the room. I looked up. "Guys…" They turned their head. A grin grew on my face. "We did it. We did it!" I jumped to my feet, letting out a cheer. "We lost!"

Smiles grew on the rest of my team as they joined me in my celebration. "Oh my gods, we managed to lose! And that loss looked pretty good! Yes! This is perfect!" I let out a long sigh as I slumped back into my seat. "Oh man, I was worried for a moment that we would've won that match. I mean, we honestly should've held back a bit more, but I was surprised at how fast we took ABRN down. Maybe they might not be as good as we think. Or maybe most of us are just too used to fighting on such an intense level."

Yang let out an 'eeh' as she shrugged. "I mean, I managed to hold off against their team leader pretty well. Without me, we would've been in the next round."

I nodded. "Yeah, probably. Thanks for that, Yang. Just think about all of the time we would have lost with two of us preparing for the doubles match. That would mean the difference between us succeeding and the terrorist attack happening!" I turned over to my partner. "Weiss, your implanted Dust was perfect. I wouldn't have minded something with a bit less kick, but that explosion should sell our loss pretty well."

Weiss hummed. "Right. Honestly, this would be a lot less tedious if we could just drop out of the tournament and focus on the search. It was hard trying to set up this charade, and we almost failed at failing our match."

"But Weiss, you know the bad guys are watching the Vytal Festival," I said. "Those guys have been planning an attack like this for months. They're most likely paying attention to everything going on, and they would get suspicious if we tried dropping out all of a sudden." I rubbed the back of my neck. "But yeah, that was so bad. To think that we could've actually won for a moment…"

"But thank gods that that didn't happen. We managed to lose, and we're all free to do whatever we wish." I rubbed my hands together. "This is our chance to get the Stand Arrow back once and for all!" My hand shot into the air as I pointed a finger towards the ceiling. "Cupid, you better watch your back, because we're coming for you!"

"Yeah!" Everyone laughed.

"Whew… So…" I started, brushing a lock of hair off of my face. "It's time we start part two of the plan. The actual search."

"Right," Yang sighed. "We've been going over this with Jaune the entire weekend. I can recite it in my sleep." Yang leaned back against a locker. "Blake and I are going to focus our efforts on searching Beacon for the Cupid. Considering the Cupid's range, we would be the best choices to look around for where it could be hiding. And we've already cleared a bunch of the campus already, so we're bound to find its location within the next few days. Plus, no one would be too surprised if we decide to stay on campus instead of watching the tournament."

My partner nodded. "Right. Ruby and I will stay on Amity, partly to present the idea that RWBY didn't suddenly abandon the tournament altogether, but to also try to figure out what the White Fang is doing onboard the Amity Colosseum and put a stop to them. Jaune should be able to help us with that as soon as he finishes his match." Weiss turned to look at the cat faunus, a small frown forming on her face. "Blake, are you sure you're okay with leaving the White Fang to us? I know deep down that you've always wanted to fix the White Fang. We can switch roles if you want—"

"N-No, it's fine." Amber eyes glanced away from the heiress. "The last thing we need is for one of the older members to recognize me and push the attack ahead of their normal schedule." Her fist tightened. "Admittedly, I do want to go after them myself. But it's like Ruby said, we can't let them figure out what we're doing. There will be a time for change in the White Fang, but—" She took in a sharp sigh. "—But not now. Now's not the time. Especially since they're ready to attack."

"Yeah." I nodded my head. "Thank you, Blake. I'm sure you'll find your chance one day."

I couldn't read Blake's face. All she did was bob her head in a sorta nod. "Mmhm."

With that I got up, letting out a loud groan as I stretched my muscles. I can start to feel my hunger creeping up. "Well then! So, let's go ahead and put our weapons away and get something to eat with JNPR. I'm famished!" Everybody's stomach let out growls of agreement, causing the room to erupt in laughter. "Come on! I'm sure the stalls in the fairground have tons of good food, and we gotta get to the shuttles before they fill up and we can't get any more!" Everybody was quick to pack up once they heard that.

* * *

"Oh my gods!" The hyperactive redhead let out a squeal of delight, rushing towards one of the nearby stalls the moment we stepped out of the airbus. "Look at this! So cute, huh?"

The rest of team JNPR turned to look at her. I scratched my head, letting out a nervous chuckle as I fiddled with my hoodie strings. Oh boy. What's she doing this time?

The boy to my side must've had the same thought I did as he shook his head. "Nora," Ren called out. "What are you looking at?"

"Renny, you wouldn't believe it. There's a stall that's selling all sorts of cool stuff! They must have like, everything!" She started jabbing a finger at the stall. "I mean, just come and look at this!"

We walked over to her as Ren let out an amused sigh. "Okay then, Nora. What do you want us to look at?" I glanced at the table and let out a hum. Oh, this stall has tons of animal figurines made out of all types of material. There were knitted animals, clay moldings, glass moldings, sewn plushies, and the list goes on and on. I let out a whistle. Wow, did that salesman make all of that? Because if he did, that's a talented guy right there.

Nora let out a coo. "Ooh, I wonder if I should get one of these. Hey Ren, what do you think? What kind should we get?"

At that, the boy gave his friend a weird look. "We? Don't you have your own lien?"

"Well, about that…" She let out a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I… don't really have my wallet on me right now. So is it okay if you pay for once?"

Ren sighed. "Nora—"

"I know! I know! But just this once! Could you just please—"

Something caught my eye, drawing me away from the commotion that was Nora and Ren. I looked at one of the figurines. Next to a sign that said 'All sales support our local artists!' was a little red rooster in the middle of crowing, calling the beginning of a new day. I picked it up. Wow, the artist did a lot of work here. Everything's so detailed. It's like having a mini-rooster in my hand. And the glazing is beautiful. It makes all of the details really stick out, making this a really beautiful piece.

My eyes narrowed. There's something about this statue that I just can't put my finger on. It's like I've seen something similar to this before. But where? I looked at the bottom of its base. Engraved on the bottom was "R.T.+N.P. 07-13." I had to suppress a smile on my face. They've made it after all.

"Excuse me?" The person working the stall glanced up at me. I held the rooster up. "Can you tell me more about the artists of this?"

"Oh, that piece. I'm not quite sure myself." The storekeeper shrugged. "I remember seeing the two of them approach me and introduce themselves as up and coming sculptors. Their names were… Ruddy and Navi, I think? Really weird pair. Ruddy was this foppish redhead who did all of the talking while Navi was this brunette with pink highlights who just stood there, silent as a mouse. Very eccentric, but they make really good statuettes. If I had the lien and studio room, I'd hire them as my personal sculptors. Why do you ask?"

"I like to know who I'm supporting." I pulled out some lien. "After all, it's hard to make an honest living off of statues starting off, and I think their stuff is really good. This rooster definitely brings back… old memories." I handed the man my money and the figurine. "They really deserve this."

Ever since we left Roman and Neo back in that warehouse… a month ago now, we haven't heard a single word about what happened to them. Guess I know now. But as terrible people as they were before, I'm glad they finally found their quiet life. Something they can truly be proud of. They can enjoy their newfound life. As for the rest of us… I whispered a thank you to the clerk as I took the little baggie he put the figurine in. We're going to bring that peace to the rest of Vale, no matter the cost.

I turned back towards my team right in time to see Nora pouting. "Aww man… okay, Ren. I'll just buy something tomorrow. I mean, the guy will still be here then, I guess. So that's good!" She looked over at me. "What? You got something, Jaune?" I nodded. She let out a groan. "Why must life be this way? Jaune, can I borrow money?"

"Nora, why don't you just ask Pyrrha or something?" I walked back to them. "I'm sure that she'd be cool with you borrowing some lien from her right now."

"Yeah, that's true, but…" The hyperactive redhead glanced at the other girl on the team, who was humming to herself while she was looking at one of the other exhibits. "It wouldn't feel right. It can't be Pyrrha's money." Before I could blink, Nora zipped over to me and brought her mouth close to my ear. "I wanted to get something for her, something to really apologize for what happened last week." Before I could open my mouth, she shushed me. "I know she already forgave me for that. But I still feel like I really need to make it up to her somehow, like getting her something that reminds her of the happier days."

"Oh… I can understand that. If you want, I can give you some lien right now, and you can pay me back when we come home."

"Really?" She jumped up and down hearing that. "Thank you! Thank you!" Nora snatched my hand and started dragging me towards the table again. "Now this is what I'm thinking about getting…"

A couple of minutes later and some wild gesturing, team JNPR and I continued our walk through the fairgrounds, with both Nora and I having a baggy in our hands. Just being here is wonderful. The autumn breeze is cool yet not freezing, the smell of carnival food filled the air alongside the cheerful yelps of playing children. We past by this one buff Faunus with cool tribal tattoos of killer whales and a deer Faunus in a nice wavy dress, almost like a jellyfish. They had a nice synergy with the marine life theme. I sighed. It's really relaxing exploring this place.

"Hey Jaune," Nora started. "What are we doing? I like walking around, but don't you think we've been doing this for awhile now?" I stiffened in response. To be honest, the wandering around isn't just for our amusement. I'm also waiting for team RWBY to text me back or something. After all, didn't they say something about how there was going to be a big attack here soon? They said something about how they had a plan to find the Cupid before the Vytal Festival came around, but they never told me. I wonder when they will.

Right then and there I heard a familiar high-pitched yell. "Hi guys!" Ruby rushed in, leaving a trail of rose petals. Right behind her was the rest of team RWBY.

"Hello," Pyrrha chirped. "I just wanted to say that you guys did really well during that fight. Those ABRN guys were strong opponents, especially their leader."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Sorry to interrupt, but can we go find something to eat real quick? Everybody's starving right now." As if prompted, all of team RWBY's stomachs let out a fierce rumble. The girl gave me an embarrassed smile. "Heheh… yeah, please?"

My partner nodded. "That sounds wonderful. Do you have any suggestions on where to go?"

The scythe user shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, anywhere at this point is fine—" She gasped. "Oh my gods, they're serving noodles right there!" A gust of wind slammed into my face as Ruby dashed forwards. "Oh man, I didn't know A Simple Wok was going to be here! Come on, let's have lunch together! We're going to have a great time!"

Everybody else stood there silent as we watched our friend bolt off. The other boy in my team scratched the back of his head. "I mean… I don't mind having that for lunch. In fact, we might as well have just a little bit before the match. We haven't eaten anything for awhile."

I nodded as I started towards the booth. "Yeah. Might as well."

We took our seats next to Ruby. "Hey guys, don't worry about ordering. The shopkeep already knows what we're going to order, so all we really have to do is wait." She let out a hum, kicking her legs. "So… the next match is going to be you guys. Do you know who you're going against?"

"Uh huh." Nora bobbed her head. "I can't exactly remember their team name, though. It was some kind of metal, like BRSS?"

"BRNZ," Ren corrected. Hmm… isn't that Nolan's team? That's pretty interesting, I guess. Hmm… now that I think about it, the last time I've talked to that team was… right after the fight with **「** **FEEL GOOD INC,** **」** I think. Wow, that's actually half a month ago. Time really flies, I suppose.

"Oh yeah! BRNZ!" Ruby straightened her back. "I remember those guys! They were pretty cool." She glanced back at the shopkeep for a moment. "Hey, guys. You don't mind if I had a talk with Jaune for a moment? Talk about team leader stuff, you know."

"Sure thing, Ruby," Pyrrha said.

Ruby let out a beaming smile. "Great!" The two of us leaped out of our seats. "Just call us when the food's ready!"

"This is about the plan, isn't it?" I whispered as we got out of earshot of my team.

The girl nodded. "Blake and Yang are going to go back to Beacon to search for the Cupid while Weiss and I are going to stay here and look for the White Fang. You're searching for the White Fang too, on your own. Did you make sure your team won't suspect anything?"

I nodded. "Part of me wishes I didn't have to lie to them, but it's not like my team will believe me even if I told them. Unlike the rest of us, they've never seen a Stand ever. And there's no way I'm going to convince them to throw their match just like you guys did. It would look way too suspicious, especially since Pyrrha's a regional champion." I shook my head. "Don't worry, I'll be with you guys. So, you have any ideas on where to search?"

"Well… I'm thinking about watching the stadium. My Stand ability allows me to spread my body around and sense everything. With some cloth reinforcements for my body, I can use my feet and parts of my torso to keep watch of the Amity Colosseum for anything suspicious. Then I guess we can have you and Weiss in the corridors. I mean, it's more likely that they're hiding out there. If they had months to prepare for this, they most likely have a couple of people working in the stadium. It's a lot for three people— no, four if Arslan's also doing her own thing to help somehow, but…"

She looked up. "Do you think you can do it? It's not ideal, for sure. I wished we had a better plan. But then again, we don't have a lot of time left." The girl glanced back at the stall. "There're probably a handful of Stand users ready to fight back, and we're not even close to ready—"

"Ruby, calm down." I plopped my hands onto her shoulders, cutting off her words. "You're right, this isn't a good situation at all. I really wished we had something more to work with. We had weeks of nothing happening, then we suddenly learn about an attack happening within the next couple of days. I find that just as scary as everyone else. I wish we had more people that could help us. But whatever happens, we're here to make sure that no one else has to go through this." I gave her a quick squeeze. "I will do it. After all, an Arc keeps his word, right?"

The girl glanced down at the floor for a moment, letting out a soft hum before nodding. "Right. I mean, I shouldn't have second-guessed you in the first place. But thanks." A familiar smile crawled across her face. "I'm glad we're friends, Jaune."

"Hey, you two!" I looked over at the voice. Yang had a grin on her face as she gestured towards the booth. "Shopkeep's bringing out the bowls! Come on over!"

At that, Ruby nodded at her sister. "Ooo, coming!" She glanced at me before nodding towards the booth. "Come on. Let's get some lunch with everyone else. Soup's going to get cold if we don't hurry!"

I nodded, starting back towards A Simple Wok. All of a sudden, my body tensed. Why do I get the feeling that I'm being watched? From the corner of my eye, I caught the sudden movement of something blue. Huh? I threw my head to my left only to see the cheering crowd. Plenty of people in blue milled about. Hmm… maybe it's just my imagination.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at my partner. "There's no need to stand around. Your bowl is ready." I nodded as I walked back. But try as I might, I can't shake off the feelings of being watched. We don't have much time left. But it's unnerving to think just how close we are to losing everything.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 4/27/2018**

* * *

 **Retrospective next chapter for Hocus Pocus and my thoughts on the third arc in general. Can't wait to talk about that. Nothing much to touch on aside from that.**

 **Let's get right to the reviews!**

 **Guest: Man, I'm so hyped for this arc! I can't wait to show you guys that!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: It definitely feels like the sister relationship does play a part in Yang sensing the Stands. Actually, I think a year ago somebody mentioned that. I remember saying that I don't believe Stands are inheritable through siblings. In my eyes, siblings would inherit Stand powers from their ancestor. So I guess it is a factor but in a more roundabout way.**

 **And yes, it's about time the Beacon team found the thing they need to turn the tides. Can't wait to show you guys how it plays out!**

 **KingJGamer: Actually, I intended this Jojo to be more Jonathan rather than Joseph. But then that poses another question: why call Jonathan's Stand Hermit Purple? Well, officially it has no name. DIO used a Hermit Purple-esque Stand pre-The World which is generally considered to be Jonathan's. In two different JoJo novels, it has been called Hermit Purple and The Passion. It's pretty hard to say which name to go with, but I decided to choose Hermit Purple simply because I treat it more like a Hermit Purple in the story than The Passion.**

 **Still. *salutes* RIP, indeed. May he finally gets the chance to move on to the afterlife.**

 **tuskenpaw: Getting out of the Vytal Festival fighting without dropping out/looking like they threw the match can be surprisingly difficult. I think one comparison to this would be trying to get an IQ test between 50-70, the majority range for people with intellectual disabilities. How do you fail without looking too suspicious? It's the same thing for these guys, especially when the most of team RWBY has fought to maim/destroy with their Stands. It's a weird fight for sure, but one I enjoyed playing around with.**

 **doa570047: Oh man, I hope the ending will be satisfactory. I already have a decent idea of how it'll all end, it's now trying to reach that point and do it justice. But thank you for the encouragement! I'm enjoying this journey as much as you are!**

 **Ah, Hocus Pocus. One of the weirdest Stands I've written for this story so far. I actually have a great story for how it was formed, but I'll save that for the retrospective next chapter. As for Yang now being part of the group, it's a dream come true for me. I don't hide the fact that I loved Hayato's chapters/episodes in JoJo. I just love the idea of anyone capable of handling a Stand with enough cunning, and glad Yang's on board now!**

 **Ozpin and Ironwood's conversation... that was an engaging scene to write. Future policy has to be up there in "weird things I dwell on too much," mainly because both sides have good points. It's one thing that feels forgotten in debate and arguments: both sides have points that are both reasonable and flawed. Policy making is difficult and engaging because they are informed bets on the direction of an unpredictable future. They weigh out the benefits and the flaws, trying to find the best possible action in reaction to a terrible and uncertain situation. I guess what I'm trying to say is that nobody really understands the best way for the future: only the way that makes the most sense from their perspective. And it's fun to portray that uncertainty.**

 **Ah, JoJo... Thirty-three chapters, and finally a JoJo comes along... and is already dead. [Insert FotNS meme here.] Before we go into that, quick sidenote: I can't believe that all this time, we meant isekai when we referred to the stereotypical crossover fic. I'm pretty sure the 00's fanfiction writers would be the hipster isekais now. Doing it before it became cool. But yeah... having a JoJo already dead is pretty out there. He's not going to be just a cameo, though. He does play a role in the story. So watch out for that!**

 **And that's true about Weiss. I'm giggling inside that somehow Weiss, regal woman and prim heiress has become the de facto explosion girl. It's not intentional, I swear. But then again, what did I expect when I decided IDI Dust goes off the moment it gets struck.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: April 27, 2018**_


	35. Round the Bend

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **There's not much to say aside from the fact that there's a retrospective today. With that out of the way, let's just get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all of their help!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

"Ruby, wait up!" My partner let out a long wheeze, taking several gulps of air as she trailed behind me. The only thing I could hear in the otherwise empty stadium concourse were our footsteps. Everyone, and I mean everyone, had left the place. They're most likely up in the stadium bleachers, eager to watch the next fight. Weiss let out a gasp. "Why are we running? … It's not like… we bought last minute snacks… before the match started."

I glanced back at the girl. The distance between me and Weiss grew bigger by the second. I slowed myself down just a bit, enough to not outpace my partner. A grin formed on my face. "We're trying to get seats! Why else would we be rushing over?"

That got Weiss to raise her eyebrows. "Seats? Are you… serious? Ruby, we don't need… to rush for… seats, we already have… a section… for the students! We don't need… to run… so hard!"

"There is! I need to get into the perfect position to watch over everything!" I staggered the moment I felt my stomach churn. Ooh boy… I slowed down to a limping pace, pressing my hand against my stomach at the same time. I pushed myself too hard. My gods, it was a bad idea to run so hard on a full stomach. Still, I kept onwards, limping my way forwards. "We might have a guaranteed area we can sit at, but I also have to spread my rose petals throughout the stadium without drawing attention. Any seat that takes me through a long, winding path will help with that. And don't you think walking around when everyone's seated looks suspicious?"

Weiss let out a gasp of confusion. "Doesn't it work… the opposite? You wander around… because there's no seat— Why do I bother arguing with you?" She finally caught up to me, wheezing as she grabbed my shoulder. "Just… just give me a moment. Running on a full stomach isn't good for you."

A groan escaped my mouth. "I know… You don't need to tell me twice. But look, Weiss." I pointed at the entrance to the stands. "We're right there. We can make it. All we have to do is push just a little harder. Just a little further, and we're at our goal."

My partner didn't say a word for the longest time. I turned my head to see Weiss pressing her lips tightly into a line. A curious hum escaped my mouth. "Weiss?"

"Hmm?" The girl locked eyes with me. "Oh, of course. Sorry about that. My mind blanked out for a moment. It's not fun to go through all of this pain." My partner let out a groan, rubbing her stomach. "But I think I'm better now. Let's get up there."

One thing that came to mind as I entered the stands was just how different it felt compared to being on stage. The situation definitely flipped around for me. Down in the arena, it felt like the world towered around us during our match, millions and millions of people watching our every single move like a hawk. I shivered. It felt like we were carrying everyone on our backs while we were fighting, and, granted, we were to an extent. So much pressure fighting down there…

But here in the stands, it's completely different. Instead of being the main attraction, we're just another part of the crowd. There weren't any eyes on us this time around; instead, the crowd just chatted amongst each other, waiting for the match between JNPR and BRNZ to start. I let out a comfortable sigh, sinking a bit into my boots. It feels nice to not have the pressure to succeed that comes with competing. There isn't any worry about messing up in front of millions of people around the world. That's a nice change of pace, at least. But now there's a different kind of weight on our shoulders. The fate of Remnant very well rests on what happens here.

We started towards the student section of the bleachers. I can feel parts of my feet and torso breaking down into rose petals before slipping down and collecting within my boots. Every step I made shook a couple of petals out before they slipped under the seats. Already they drifted through the stadium at a leisurely pace, spreading themselves out for the task at hand.

My breath hitched for a moment. Let's see if this works. I closed my eyes, bringing me to a grayscale world. Yup, I could sense a lot more of the colosseum now. Like… wow. I can sense everything and everyone moving in the stadium all at once. The breathing of thousands of people, the tiny movements they would make in their seats, the scurrying of the insects within the actual structure— I winced. Whew… I opened my eyes again. That's a lot of things to pay attention to. I can feel the strain that had on my mind. It's going to take a while getting used to all of this information. I wonder if Fox has a method to deal with this. A hum escaped my mouth. Maybe I should ask him if I run into him again.

I glanced at the waves of people already seated. It doesn't seem like anyone noticed the rose petals traveling around their feet for no apparent reason. There was a tiny infant we passed by that cooed at me, but they didn't draw too much attention to us. From the looks of it, nobody's noticed anything. I think we're in the clear for now.

The two of us slowed down as we crossed into the student seating area. Okay… I rested my chin on my hand. Where should we sit now? On one hand, it makes a bit of sense that I should sit higher up. That way, I can see more of the stadium. But at the same time, if something happens in the arena instead of the stands, we can just leap over the barrier and start fighting. But what's going to be the more likely choice? The results of **「** **HOCUS POCUS** **」** appeared in my mind. That user went for the crowd itself, but at the same time, there's more than one way to draw negativity. Something happening in the arena would also create a ton of negativity. My eyebrows wrinkled. Just what can I do—

"Oh hey, isn't that Ruby and Weiss over there?" That snapped me out of my thoughts. Huh? Who was that? I looked around for the voice. Where did it come from? "Over here." I turned to see Emerald waving at us with a half-smile on her face. Mercury sat to the right of her, while Cinder sat to her left. Cinder's attention wasn't focused on us, but instead on something in her lap. She still gave us a quick nod, never looking up from her task. The mint-haired girl gestured to us. "Hey guys! Do you guys need somewhere to sit?"

"Yeah," I answered, waving back. "Do you guys have any space?"

She nodded in response. "Well, we still have a couple of empty seats next to our team, so if you want, you can sit with us."

"Really?" I grinned as the last petal got itself into place. "Thanks, Emerald! You're the best!" I rushed over to her and gave her a hug before plopping down next to Cinder. Weiss followed close behind, sitting to the left of me before taking out her scroll and opening something. A sigh escaped my mouth. "Whew, man am I tired!"

"That doesn't surprise me." Cinder turned her head and gave me a nod before returning to her own thing. "After all, going through that fight must've taken a lot out of you and your team."

"Yup." I glanced down at Cinder's lap before raising an eyebrow. Rested there was a notebook. Within the notebook was a rough sketch of what looked to be a series of circles around an oval. The black-haired girl worked quickly, adding lines and strokes with a flick of a pencil. Bit by bit, the drawing was fleshed out. Circles became heads of hair. The arena grew out of the oval with every flick the girl made. Small birds emerged from the paper with a few strokes.

After maybe five or so minutes after I sat down, Cinder placed her dulled pencil within the loop rings before marveling at the pencil drawing of the Amity from our point of view. My jaw dropped. Wow… there's so much detail. She perfectly captured every single feature, and it didn't look like she was even trying!

"Oh my gods…" I breathed out in awe. "Cinder, you can draw?"

"Hmm?" Her head shot towards me. "Oh, right. I do pencil sketches on occasion. You can say it's more of a hobby than anything else. It was an easy way to keep my mind off of things when I was younger."

"You can do all that… and this is just a hobby for you?" My jaw dropped even farther. "But you're so good at it! Like, you can sell these pictures to people kind of good! I can only wish I could be that good at drawing! Well, I'm okay with weapon design, but that's completely different from people, animals, buildings, and so on. But you can do all that without any effort! How do you do that?"

That got Cinder to smirk, just a little. "It's nothing special. I've been doing it since childhood. You just keep doing it. Look at reality, look at the details, and replicate it and improve upon it. Once you reach a certain point, it's just practice."

"Practice?" I pouted. "Oh man, that's going to take forever, though…"

Weiss sat up at that moment. "Wait… Cinder, you said that you drew since childhood, right?" The black-haired girl nodded. "We never saw you draw during your time here."

"Oh, I pushed that off to the side when I started my journey," Cinder shrugged. "With all of the work needed to make it to Vale and to the Vytal Festival, I never really got the chance to come back to it. But I guess now when we're so close to the end, it's nice to return to a childhood pastime. A chance to enjoy simple pleasures before moving towards an unknown future. After all, who knows how much life might change?"

"But enough about my drawings. There's another match coming up soon. Speaking of which, the results of your match was definitely a surprise." Her eyes narrowed as a smile grew on her face. "I did not expect your team to lose, especially after the early advantage you guys managed to gain on team ABRN."

"Heheh, yeah… We didn't expect it either." I chuckled while rubbing the back of my neck.

Cinder nodded, letting out a hum. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened back there in the arena? Losing control of the situation like that seems so… out of place."

"Wha— I guess we just weren't expecting Arslan to put up that hard of a fight!" Another laugh escaped my mouth as a bead of sweat ran down my face. "I can't really say for the others, but I started hesitating the moment Blake went down. And well… I couldn't really react fast enough to Arslan pulling off a stunt like that. Shooting a Dust crystal and blowing us up, that's a plan just desperate enough to work on us. We did our best, but Arslan managed to get us by surprise."

"Really? Something as simple as that, huh?" The girl in the sarashi smirked. "My team had this crazy theory that somebody tampered with the tournament. That the odds were rigged to make your team lose when you had every right to win." Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "But good thing it was just a bad theory. After all, this is a festival promoting the unity of all of the Kingdoms. A place where people can share a common purpose. It would be a shame if such a festival was disrupted."

At that moment, Professor Port's booming voice echoed through the arena. "Welcome back to the Vytal Festival! It's now time—"

"Well, looks like the next match is going to start." The leader of CMEN turned back towards the arena. "I wonder who will be performing next— Oh wait, it was your sister team, right Ruby?"

I nodded. "The fight's between JNPR and… I think it was BRNZ. I think this fight is going to be really interesting. JNPR has a lot of strong people, especially with Nora and Pyrrha. Those guys alone can probably take on any team that gets thrown at them. But at the same time…" I glanced at Nolan's team walking onto the stage with a round of applause. "Team BRNZ is pretty good as well. Their sniper is a pretty good shot, and with the rest of her team defending her on the ground and distracting the enemies, she can deal a lot of damage."

"It seems like a good plan on paper." Cinder leaned her head against her uncovered hands. "A solid defense strategy. Also practical. There's a defensive line that can potentially protect non-combatants, and the dedicated damage dealer can whittle down anything trying to break through the line. Given enough ammo and time, the formation can hold as long as the line doesn't break. It's the perfect use of team cohesion for a solid goal." She sighed. "There's just one problem with it."

"Huh?" I turned to look at her. "What do you mean—"

Professor Oobleck interrupted me. "And now, let me introduce you to Beacon's team JNPR!" The crowd went wild, drowning out my voice and diverting my attention back onto the stage. I cheered with the rest of the crowd at the sight of my friends. Nora bounced forwards, waving towards everyone with a bounce in her step. Then out came Ren in a refined yet rushed manner as he chased after his childhood friend, barely giving a glance at the crowd. Pyrrha stepped out into the ring, taking long, regal strides. Several members of the crowd let out wild whoops and whistles at the sight of the Mistralian champion back in the arena. Then finally came out Jaune, scratching the back of his neck while giving the crowd a timid wave.

Port cleared his throat as JNPR took their spots. "Well then! This is going to be an exciting match! The only thing left to do is spin to determine where these combatants are fighting!" Everyone went silent once the symbols went up. Oh yeah! I should check on the stands now for anything happening. I closed my eyes, bringing me back to the sensation of 'seeing' the entire arena at once. My forehead wrinkled. Anybody doing anything suspicious?

Most of the movement I can make out is either the fidget of an individual or the bugs— ugh, crawling through the cracks. I shivered. Who knew that being able to sense that much movement would be so unnerving? But anyways, nobody's doing anything suspicious. And to be honest, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

I opened my eyes again to see a steep mountain and a dense forest surrounding the center stage. The two teams stood at the ready, bodies tensing for the event to come. I heard a hum escape from the Grimm Studies professor. "Let's not wait any longer! Begin!" Both teams sprung forwards, weapons out and already swinging.

Cinder turned to look at me again. "Right, so what were you going to say to me?"

My eyebrows sank in confusion. "Huh— Oh!" I nodded my head. "Yeah, that's right. What do you mean? By the problem with team BRNZ's strategy."

"I did say there was something wrong, huh… Well, think of it like this." Cinder gestured with her hand. "Taking on a defensive strategy is a good idea… when dealing with a creature that doesn't value strategy."

"You mean Grimm."

"It could be regular animals too, I don't discriminate. The point is that such a formation falls apart when facing a team of Huntsmen who are trained to go against other Huntsmen. Unintelligent creatures will just slam into the wall and die. But all a Huntsmen team has to do is find or create a chink in the wall for one person to slip through and go for the sniper. Now normally, a good defensive team would not let this chink form. But at your— our year, we don't always realize that. Look."

She pointed at the arena. Team JNPR was currently behind a giant boulder, hunkering down as several sniper rounds chipped away at the stone structure. Team BRNZ ran towards their opponents, breaking the line. Wait a minute… I narrowed my eyes. Now they're splitting up and fighting all of the members one-on-one? "Why in the world are they breaking the formation?"

"Exactly my point." Cinder crossed her arms. "The team is leaving the formation, their safest option to take down the enemy as soon as possible. Now the sniper's left open for attack, since going into one-vs-one combat means that one opponent will be free to attack the sniper. And even if one person can get into a two-vs-one fight, how long would it take until somebody realizes that they should take out the sniper? Then it returns back to the broken formation. Which brings up the question: why have a formation like that if all you're going to do with it is break it apart?"

"Well… maybe they need a way to flush out anyone hiding," I countered. "A sniper can only shoot what she sees."

"Possibly… but then why have all three members rush out? Why not leave one lone person to guard the sniper?" The girl snapped her fingers, creating a spark of flames. "There's no team cohesion; they're just doing whatever comes naturally to them without considering the bigger picture. They are failing at the goal set upon them."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"Eliminating the other team from combat." A smirk grew on her face. "This really is backwards, huh. All of this. Using a defensive strategy to fight an offensive battle. This kind of thinking hinders the potential of Huntsmen and their ability to protect others. And then these fights destroy the entire point of having this festival—"

"What are you saying, Cinder?" The girl looked surprised, amber eyes locking into mine. I continued: "You're not making much sense… the Vytal Tournament isn't the thing destroying the Festival, it's the highlight of the event! How does the tournament go against what the festival stands for?"

Cinder's smile dropped. "Right… This is difficult to explain… I guess the best way to go about it is to ask you a question." The girl adjusted her vest. "Tell me, what's the goal of the Vytal Festival?"

"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes. "Well… to create unity amongst Kingdoms."

She nodded her head. "Now what's the goal of a match between two teams in the tournament? what are they trying to do to each other?"

"They're trying to win and beat the other side."

"Right again. Now, we have teams from Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo fighting against each other, trying to eliminate each other in the name of 'unity'. And what do the champions of the tournament win? Bragging rights for their respective Kingdom. Now how in the world is that supposed to unite the people of Remnant?"

I let out a hum as I considered her words. "Well, it's friendly competition. We fight in a friendly environment to show that Remnans have moved past warring amongst each other. It shows that we can have conflict yet still be friends at the end of the day." Now that got Cinder's attention. Her mouth opened just a little in shock of what I just said. I scratched the side of my head. "Maybe it's not obvious since you didn't fight yet, but when my team fought, we weren't doing it to win. We were doing it to make our Kingdom proud. We fought in acknowledgment of Mistral's strength. It's like pups play fighting. It looks vicious, but they go back to being friends once it's over. We're just like that."

That shook her out of her funk. "I don't think so. We're not just individuals who can rough and tumble then move past it the next day. Huntsmen teams are bigger than that. They represent the might of the Kingdoms. Whether we like it or not, Remnans are influenced by a group mentality, showing loyalty to their Kingdom's respective Huntsmen team. And they get attached to their team to the point that they take any event personally. Maybe the Huntsmen feel just like what you think, Ruby, but the average civilian won't. They'll see loss, they'll see weakness, and they'll feel weak. They'll feel like losers, they'll feel anger for losing to another team, and that attracts Grimm. That's not unity."

I tried opening my mouth, only for Cinder to hold her hand up, hardening her stare. "I'm not done. Think about it this way. Competition is by its nature conflict. What these people do is put two groups together, give them opposing tasks, and ask them to put another group down in order to achieve said goal. That is not how you achieve unity. It's just deliberate infighting that people pay to watch. What is that supposed to teach us? That in order to be united, we should fight each other and promote a sense of tribalism? You might as well just throw out the Great Peace and just fight each other again on the battlefields! At least then, we wouldn't be lying to ourselves about what we're doing!"

She slammed her hands into the side handles and gripped them hard. Weiss and I reeled back in surprise as we watched the normally calm girl tense up. Cinder's breathing grew more rapid and shallow. Oh my gods… where did that come from? The black-haired girl let out a long sigh, slipping back into her seat. "Sorry. That was too far." She shook her head and grabbed the base of her nose. "Still, I just can't understand how big hypocrites we are for fighting each other in the name of peace."

A silence lingered between the two of us as we turned back to the match at hand. JNPR started to take the lead, pushing the line back while Nora started to scale the mountain. Cinder coughed into her hand. "Ruby, do you remember what I said way back? About me wanting to bring justice to Remnant? How I wanted to create a new world without suffering, struggling, or fighting?" Hmm… oh yeah, she did say something like that. I nodded my head.

Cinder continued: "This is what I mean. Our society is imbalanced. We say something, but then do another thing. All of us say we're doing this for peace and unity, but we fight each other and risk an attack from the Grimm. The Faunus were promised to be equal, but they still struggle with no end in sight. We promise to bring prosperity, but poor people struggle through life without any hope." She formed a fist with her hand. "And why is our society imbalanced? It's because there are tiny cracks in it. Cracks that we made with every tiny mistake we've made."

The girl relaxed. "It's like a ceramic pot. When it's first created, it's whole and unified. But over time, cracks start to form. A small bump here, a jostle there. It builds up, it fragments everyone, but it stays intact for now. And in the pot, some pieces are just bigger than other pieces. That is society. We say that we're together, but these cracks in society split it, creating conflicting interest. And some groups just have it better than other groups. They have more." She wrapped her hand around a fist.

"We might be holding up, still together, but we're not whole. And worst of all, no one wants to be whole. We insist on remaining cracked, remaining broken when what we need is to remake the pot, make it stronger, make sure it won't shatter again. We all need to be strong, we all need to go back and become a single thing. Then we'll be balanced. Then there will be justice."

I blinked once, then twice before letting out a squeak. Wow. Just… wow. What do Emerald and Mercury think about that? Before I could ask, four buzzers rang out soon after. "And the match is finally over!" Port yelled over the sounds of cheering. "Give a round of applause to team JNPR for their victory!" Wha— I turned to face the arena. Most of JNPR was panting, exhausted as can be. But they're all still standing compared to all of team BRNZ, who were all lying next to each other outside the arena.

One blink later, I found myself pushing myself up to a standing position, hands around my mouth. "YEAH TEAM JPNR!" I let out a laugh as I waved at my victorious friends. All of them waved back. My heart surged with pride. I should've expected this to happen. Of course they were going to win. Team JNPR has a ton of strong people, and Jaune is pretty smart with his Stand. It would be more of a surprise if they _didn't_ win. But even then, it still made me happy that they're progressing into the next round. Jaune's now free to help out with the search for the White Fang, and we can continue our plan in earnest.

My knuckle rapped on the side handle next to my partner. Weiss yawned a moment later, standing up. "That was a good match. By the way, call me when you're ready to leave for the day."

Emerald stuck her head out. "Really? Where are you going?"

"Wandering around. Honestly, watching people fight isn't really my thing." The heiress brushed herself off. "I'm thinking I'll just explore the Amity Colosseum, enjoy the architecture, talk to people, broaden my horizons, all that."

The mint-haired girl cocked her eyebrow up. "So basically… heiress stuff?" Weiss shrugged her shoulders. Emerald nodded. "Hmm… okay, I guess." The mint-haired girl shrugged. "I mean I don't really understand why you wouldn't want to watch people fight when it's the one thing the Amity Colosseum has to offer, but that's your thing, I guess."

"Well, I watched this one to know how well my friends perform," Weiss countered. "There isn't anybody else that I feel like watching."

That caused Emerald to raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Nobody? There isn't anyone that you want to watch?" My partner shook her head. "No classmates, no potential rivals?" A grin formed on the darker-skinned girl's face. "Not even a certain blue-haired stud?"

Weiss's eyes widened. "How do you know—"

"About that guy on team SSSN? I mean come on, it was obvious right from the dance." Emerald leaned back in her seat, placing her hands behind her head. "Anybody on that dance floor could see those googly eyes you'd been giving him. Who wouldn't? He doesn't look that half bad for a guy who goes all Casanova with the hearts of several foreign girls. I think his match is coming up next, you know."

"Well— I mean—" Weiss turned beet red. "It didn't go anywhere! I'm over him, I swear!"

"Yeah… sure." Right now the mint-haired girl looked like she hit the jackpot with that grin on her face. "But go ahead and leave if you really feel that way. Sounds great that you've moved past your crush with him."

"I will." My partner nodded. "It's good to see you guys again." And with that, she started wading her way out of the stands.

Laughter broke out next to me as soon as Weiss was out of sight. I turned to see Emerald in a fit of laughter. "Oh, that face was priceless! She really does have a crush on the boy! Gotten over it, hah! She probably has a picture of him as her background image on her scroll."

Cinder stood up as well. "I'll leave as well. I'm going to need a bit of a break after what just happened. Watching these fights get me riled up way too easily. I'm thinking about just going back to Beacon to rest up. Maybe tomorrow I can find a bit more enjoyment in the fighting without worrying about all of the implications of it." She turned to look at her teammates. "Emerald, Mercury. You two enjoy yourselves. I don't want to spoil your fun."

"Alright then, Cinder." Mercury waved at his leader as she walked away. "So…" He turned towards me. "I guess it's just you, me, and Emerald then."

"Yup," I answered, scooting to fill in the space left behind by Cinder. My rose petals still don't show any signs of any major movement.

"Great!" Mercury grinned. "We'll have a grand old time together! By the way, how caught up are you with comics in general? Because the recent issue of X-Ray and Vav just came out, and there's a ton of great moments in there…"

* * *

All was quiet on the Beacon front as Yang and I walked through the streets of our school. There weren't a lot of people around our area, just a couple of students and staff walking around in the orange glow of the early evening. It was a nice change of pace from earlier today. I shuddered at the memories of way too many tourists storming Beacon, letting out oohs and ahhs as they made their way towards the fairgrounds. The suffocation of being in that crowd… Good thing most of them are watching the fights now. We don't need to deal with any more people like that.

My partner let out a groan, giving the area one more glance before turning towards me. "Still nothing… Blake, can we just move on? We've searched this one street to pieces, and there's still no sign of the Cupid. There's no point wasting any more time here." My eyes flitted towards Yang. It's true. We didn't see the Cupid in the area. But still, there could be something that could give us an idea of where it could be, like a nest, droppings or claw marks. All the usual signs of Grimm presence. But nothing. I knew that the Cupid was intelligent to a certain degree, but to be able to hide all of its tracks this well? We might need to change how we approach this.

"Right," I sighed. "I know this wasn't going to be easy, but this Cupid makes everything so much harder. There's no way to track the thing at all."

Yang let out another long groan as she walked towards a nearby bench and plopped herself down on it. "You'd think it would at least leave some kind of clue to where it could be. But without any way of tracking it down, what's the point? All we know is that it's somehow centralized around Beacon." My partner let out a hum. "Wait a minute…"

"What, Yang?"

"You know what? We might be thinking about this wrong." The blonde-haired girl wagged her finger. "We've been looking for the Cupid around public areas without any luck, right?" I nodded my head. "Originally we did this because we thought the Cupid would be more likely to pick out random people to hit with the Arrow."

I nodded. "That's true. But then Jaune told us how the enemy most likely picked its target, which is why we're looking for it now—" I stopped. Wait a minute… why are we looking for it in an open area? I said it myself, the Cupid most likely has no need to reveal itself. So why would it be in a public area? Anybody can see it, not just Stand users. So why cause a scene now? If anything, shouldn't it be in hiding until the attack?

My eyes widened. We're wasting our time. We could've just cut out searching the public areas of Beacon and focused on the private areas. Sewers, worker areas, dorms. That's where we need to search to find the Cupid. That's where it would do all of its business. And that means that we could potentially find out who is controlling the Cupid in the first place!

"Oh my gods Yang," I whispered, finally breaking the silence between us. "You're right. We're focusing on the wrong locations. We're not trying to look for where the Cupid could ambush any passerby. We need to know where it's hiding out." My faunus ears twitched at the thought of a lead. "The Cupid has to be working with somebody else. We need to check all of the private areas." I pulled out my scroll and started scrolling through several images of our school. "The Headmaster should have the staff areas under some form of surveillance, which means that we can just narrow our search to the dormitories. Now I should have this somewhere— Here!"

I stopped at a general floor schematic of our dorm building before showing it to Yang. "Three floors, twenty or so rooms each. This is a map of the building every student has been staying. It shouldn't be that hard to get a list from the Headmaster of who is roomed up with which room and check every team for any signs."

"Yeah… yeah! And we can take down whichever team has the Cupid, and save the day!" A grin grew on my partner's face. "Of course! The majority of the teams should be at the Amity Colosseum all day. Plenty of time to sneak into other people's homes and search them! Although…" The blonde girl let out a sigh. "How are we going to get in,? It's going to be suspicious if we just smash our way in. Maybe if the Headmaster gives us a master key—"

"No need. I have my Stand, remember?" I started summoning **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** before looking at Yang. Oh wait. She can't see my Stand. I shrugged my shoulders as I called it back. "But I can crawl under the door and get in that way. Then I can just let you in— Actually…" I held my hand up. "No, actually you're better off if you kept watch for any signs of the teams coming back."

"Huh? But—"

"Let me explain. The last thing we need is for somebody to walk into us searching somebody's room. No matter whose room we get caught in, that's going to alert the enemy that we're on to them." I let out a sigh. "We'll lose the only advantage we have against the White Fang and the Cupid. No matter how much easier and faster it would be if we both searched the rooms, we can't afford to get caught. That's why we have to do it like this."

Yang opened her mouth as if to argue, only to sigh in defeat. "Yeah, I guess. We did say we couldn't afford to mess this up. So, I guess we should go back and ask the Headmaster for the housing list?" She looked into the evening sky, whistling at the sight of drifting airbuses. "I think everybody's starting to come back right now, so we can't actually search today. But once we get the list, we can start our search first thing tomorrow."

I nodded. "Mmhm." We turned around and started towards home.

We were both silent during the trip back. "Blake," Yang asked after what felt like forever. "About being a Stand user… what is it like? I mean I know you haven't been doing it for as long as Ruby or Jaune, but you still must know enough to have some thoughts on it." I blinked. Being a Stand user… Gods, it hasn't even been a month since I've been hit by the Arrow. And within three weeks I wreck a cafe, fight through the streets of Beacon, watch a fellow faunus blow his brains out—

"Uh, Blake?"

"Huh?" I snapped back to Yang. She gave me a look of concern.

"You know, if you don't want to say what it's like I completely understand. It's just— I don't know, it never felt right to ask that in front of everyone when we're worrying about the end of the world and everything." Yang ran her hand down her hair. "But if the question's uncomfortable for you to answer, I can just stop—"

"No, it's fine. I was just thinking about how to answer the question. It's not that easy." I brushed my hair back. "I guess the best way to describe this is… overwhelming? It's a heavy burden to carry. Our Stand abilities strain our understanding of the world around us. We get into mind-bending fights that force us to think on our feet or risk dying. We often push ourselves to the limit just to win. And on top of that, the majority of the world can't understand what we can see." I glanced at Yang. "Well, you're one of the exceptions, and even then that's because of a coincidence."

I sighed. "It's very lonely. And that's saying a lot, I like to be on my own. At least with me going off on my own, I know I have somebody to come back to when I want company. But I can't go off talking about the Stands to anyone. I can't reach out to people and talk about the constant conflict we're expected to go through simply because we have Stands. We're lucky that we happen to have such a dense concentration of Stand users here."

My eyes flickered to the floating colosseum in the distance. "Once the tournament is over, it'll just be you, me, Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, and the Headmaster who knows about the Stands. Once we graduate, we might not even have each other, depending on how cruel fate is to us." I grimaced. "And we have to take this secret to our graves. No one will remember us for what we do right now."

Yang let out a long sigh. "My gods, Blake—"

"You don't need to say anything. We all accepted that this was bound to happen. At least to a certain degree." I brought my eyes back to the street in front of me. "Now that I think about it, every Stand user here received their Stands against their will. They didn't have any say on whether they wanted this life or not. In a sense, we're all cursed to fight for the sake of the world. And so we fight. To make sure that nobody else suffers. It's not the happiest life to live, but it's the one that is necessary to live through."

The blonde girl nodded her head. "I guess I understand… if only things were different. If none of team RWBY were hit by the Arrow—"

"Then we wouldn't know about the White Fang attack and then things would fall apart. As terrible as it is, at least we have a chance to do something and stop this terrorist attack from happening. Vale would be guaranteed to fall if we didn't know. At least now we have a chance to stop the damage."

We rounded the corner into the street our dorms are on. My partner continued: "Right, but still. It doesn't feel right— Wait a minute." Yang pointed a finger towards the building. Striding out from our dorm building were a pair of Atlesian soldiers, both chatting away with their rifles straddled in their hands. One of them had red highlights, the other in blue. Their tense, stiff posture got me to narrow my eyes. What in the world are they doing, and why were they in our dorm building?

"What are soldiers doing inside of our dorms?" Yang whispered. "Don't they have their own places to sleep in?"

"They do." I narrowed my eyes, boring holes in their helmets. Are they searching for something? Most likely. Unless these guys are voyeurs or something, which makes it even weirder. There's no way we can let them do whatever they want. We need to know why.

"Excuse me!" Yang waved as she started towards them. They stopped and tilted their heads to the side.

"Yang!" I hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Getting their attention, what else?"

"I mean you didn't have to do it like that!" My mouth curled into a frown as I followed Yang closely behind. "We could've just tailed them or something and that would be that!"

"And look even more suspicious for stalking a bunch of soldiers? I mean you said it yourself, the last thing we need is to alert the person with the Cupid. As crazy as it sounds, we also have to consider that the Atlesians could be the ones who have the creature. We can't catch their attention as well. And how do most people approach soldiers? In a friendly way." I let out a sigh. She's right on this one. Yang continued: "Hey! Can we have a talk for just a second?"

The two soldiers stopped, shrugging at each other as we approached. Yang gave her most pleasant smile, absolutely beaming with energy. "Hi, you two! How's your day been?"

"Uh… just the usual, I guess," the soldier in blue responded. "We're just doing typical soldier tasks."

"Oh, really?" My partner placed her finger on her lower lip. "I didn't know that typical soldier stuff included walking into the student dorms and doing whatever inside. I thought you would be standing around, guarding stuff and whatnot."

A confused hum escaped from the red Atlesian soldier. "Oh, we do that too. We're on patrol duty right now."

"It still doesn't explain why you're looking through the dormitories," I responded, crossing my arms. "I know my rights. All Remnans have the right to privacy from any military personnel. That includes living areas such as this building."

"Yup." Yang shrugged. "I mean it doesn't really look too good if people learn that the Atlesian military was looking through our stuff without a permit."

That got them shaken up. The blue soldier held his hands up. "Look, you're misunderstanding the situation—"

"Is that true?" My partner took a step closer towards the man in blue. "Then I don't think you'll mind me asking about what you're doing in there." Yang leaned forwards. "I don't have anything against you or the Atlesian military or anything. I'm just trying to satisfy my curiosity. I hope you're not doing anything bad to the future generation of Huntsmen, right?"

"Of course not!" The red soldier ruffled through his pockets. "We've been trying to explain to you that we do have a permit, right here!" He pulled out his scroll and opened it, revealing a digital document jointly signed by Ironwood and the Headmaster. "It's a standard search and sweep for any audio bugs and removing them. And it only covers the public areas of the dormitory. We didn't bother searching any of the student rooms."

"Oh." I gave the document a quick glance. From the looks of it, nothing seemed forged. The stamp on the bottom is the official seal of the Headmaster of Beacon. I looked back at the two men. "So that's it? No bigger search than that?"

"No, ma'am," the red soldier sighed. "We're not looking to get court-martialed for breaking Vale's rules. We were given a task, and we fulfilled it. Nothing past that!"

"Okay. Whew." Yang wiped her brow. "Glad to hear that Atlas' finest are just doing their job. We're really sorry for keeping you guys from your task. But yeah, that's really all we wanted to ask. Have a nice day!"

The two men nodded, the blue soldier speaking. "Okay. Good evening to you two women as well."

I focused on their talk after they walked away from us. The blue soldier started: "Hey, that was really weird."

"Yeah, right? Huntsmen are so paranoid these days. You do your job, and they think you're trying to sabotage them or something."

"Well granted, this wouldn't be a problem if we just had the permit in some obvious place. Then we wouldn't have these kids going off on us for doing our jobs."

"Hey! I'm not going to be the dumb-looking idiot who has a scroll attached to their chest or something!"

"And now we're the idiots who risked the wrath of two Huntresses over a search for some stupid audio bugs, which I might add, we found none of!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Geez. I mean at least we don't have to worry about the specialist getting spied on while they're visiting the campus. Gods know how much trouble this would be for everyone if that was the case." Now that got my attention. Somebody was coming to campus?

"I know, right?" The blue soldier rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd rather not have my head served on a plate. I hope to gods we didn't mess up our job. But seriously, though. This is all on such short notice. I didn't think upper command scheduled a meeting for the specialist to come right now."

"Well, upper command does what upper command does. We're just the mooks making sure everything runs to plan."

A sigh escaped my mouth as I turned to Yang, who raised an eyebrow. "So? Anything interesting?"

"Apparently somebody's coming to visit the school soon. Some kind of specialist, from the sounds of it." I rubbed the back of my neck. "While I want to believe that the specialist is just going to be another member of the Atlesian military, it's kinda making me nervous. What if this specialist happened to be a Stand user?"

"Huh? But I thought that only a handful of people know about this!" Yang turned to look at the departing soldiers. "What are the odds that Atlas is aware of this as well?"

"It should be almost impossible. The Headmaster himself noted that this is a secret that he kept for the longest time." I bit my lip. "Coincidences happen all the time, but when you know that Stand users will always find other Stand users… We can't take the risk."

Yang let out a hum. "Well, following them won't be too useful. And well… maybe it actually is nothing. Think about it. The fact that they're doing this search must mean that the specialist coming here is going to be big news. People will talk about it. That's like, the opposite thing any Stand user should do, right?" I hummed. That's true… The girl continued: "And even if a Stand user was that arrogant, we won't have a problem observing them, simply because they are putting themselves out there."

Could it actually be that easy? I mean, Stand users have to be wily. It's the best way to use our powers efficiently. Yang is right in saying that being in the open is a pretty dumb move. But what if the show of power is a bluff— I shook my head. No, I'll go with Yang on this one. This specialist is likely not a Stand user.

I nodded my head. "Okay then. Should we go back inside and stop for the day? Just wait for Ruby and Weiss and discuss whatever happened with them?" My partner tilted her head to the side before nodding.

"Yup."

We were most of the way into the building when from the outside I heard the same Atlesian soldiers speed walk towards the landing pads. The blue soldier had his scroll up to his helmet. "Yes, ma'am, we checked the dorm building already, there are no bugs in sight… Mm-hmm, we're on our way right now. No, our tardiness is just us being thorough with the search— Wait, ma'am? Are you okay?" Hmm? What's this? I held a hand in front of Yang, forcing the both of us to stop.

"Blake, what—"

"Shh." I focused my ears towards the Atlesian soldiers.

"Oh, just an annoying crow, huh? It's pretty late for breeding season, though. Do you need assistance in getting it out of your hair?" The man nodded. "Okay then. We'll be there as soon as possible." They trotted away. There's only one thing that was on my mind at that moment: huh?

* * *

"Find anything, Weiss?"

I shook my head at Ruby, letting out a sigh as we traveled back to Beacon. The hums of the Bullhead engines rumbled throughout the vehicle. "No. Nothing. Couldn't find anyone wandering around the arena. You would think one of the White Fang members would try to attack me, considering my heritage, but nothing. They're being awfully patient." I shook my head. "Something's wrong with this. This shouldn't be the case, especially with Blake saying how long they planned this operation. There have to be a number of undercover White Fang members in the audience. But I can't find any signs of tampering or anything. It's like they're not planning on attacking the arena at all."

"And I couldn't find any suspicious movement, either. Nothing weird from JNPR's battle all the way to SSSN's fight. Whatever they're doing, they're really good at hiding their tracks. But what could they be planning?" My partner sighed, throwing her head onto the headrest. "Could we be wrong? Did that one White Fang dude give us false information? … No, they must be doing something. This is the best possible date for something bad to happen. And why would they plan something for months if they won't take advantage of the Vytal Festival?"

Why could that be? I sighed at the same time as Ruby. Are we not doing a good job of finding anything suspicious? I did only check the public areas for any explosives that could wipe out a ton of the crowd. Are they not trying to do that? Maybe they're trying to damage the infrastructure itself. I hummed. It does make a bit of sense. If the White Fang were able to attack the central core, they could sink the colosseum and kill a lot of people in the process. Seeing the floating symbol of peace on Remnant fall will catch the attention of everybody in the world and cause a ton of panic. I nodded my head. That's probably where I'm going to check next.

A soft bing rang through the speakers. "Good evening, Huntsmen," the PTA spoke. The two of us glanced at each other before looking at the speaker above us. Our pilot Cammy let out a soft snort before clearing her throat. "This is your captain speaking," she started with a snicker, before sighing. "I regret to inform you that our landing will be delayed for some safety concerns or something like that. The guys on the ground floor won't let me land, so you guys are kinda stuck here until we get the clearance. Until then, we're just going to fly around campus until I get something. You guys cool with that?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Ruby said. I sat up at the same time. What? This shouldn't be a thing during the Vytal Festival. Shouldn't they have checked the airships and the landing pads for any defects before the event starts in the first place? My lips curled into a frown. What in the world is happening? I turned to my partner. "That's odd. Ruby, can you look outside? What's going on down there?"

She nodded. "Sure thing." The black-haired girl turned to face the glass. I'm not really sure what the situation is, but I bet Cammy had a good reason for us to— Oh my gods!" She slammed her mouth shut.

"What?" My eyes widened. "What's going on?"

Ruby said nothing, instead gesturing to me as she scooted into her seat. I peered through the window and gasped. What the— are those shockwaves flying through the air? The crowd of people formed sort of a circle around the flying arcs. I narrowed my eyes. While I can't make out exactly who's down there, there was definitely two people fighting. Fighting during the Vytal Festival— oh my gods!

My partner must've had the same idea, grabbing me by the shoulders. "We need to get down there now. We can't let this keep going on."

I nodded. "But what are we going to do? Our weapons are still in our lockers, and we both know we suck at hand to hand combat. With so many witnesses, one of them is bound to be a Stand user and notice us."

She shrugged. "We'll just call our weapons during freefall." Ruby knocked against the side of the Bullhead. "Cammy, can you open the side door for us? Looks like there's a fight going on, and we're going to try and stop it before it gets worse."

"I know my instructor would yell my ear off for letting a passenger do that, but he's not here anymore. And you guys are big girls, you two can take care of this." The side opened up, letting in a rush of the cool autumn air. I shivered. It's so cold… Cammy let out a chuckle. "You're clear for the drop!"

My team leader grinned. "Thanks!" I pulled out my scroll at the same time as Ruby as she turned to look at me. "Ready, Weiss?"

"As much as I could be."

"On a count to three." I held my breath. "One, two… three! Banzai!"

"Banzai!" I yelled as we flung ourselves out of the Bullhead, letting gravity grab hold of us. My stomach knotted itself, wind whipped my face, the chill swallowed us whole. I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes. Anytime now… The hand of gravity yanked at my body, jerking me down towards the concrete surface below us. I felt my heart skip a beat. Oh gods!

No, now's not the time to panic. My body spread out wide. Weiss, keep your cool. I thumbed the emergency launch button. Remember the landing strategy. My scroll isn't ideal for focusing my glyphs at all, but I just need one well-placed glyph to stop all of this momentum. And Ruby… I glanced at my partner, her Stand trying to overlap itself with her body. No one would think about it too hard if she splattered on the ground as rose petals. Who am I kidding, she's going to be fine. I don't have that luxury. I need to focus on my survival.

I narrowed my eyes at the two clashing figures. Hmm… they stopped all of a sudden. That shouldn't be a thing. Are they not Stand users like we thought they were? Maybe it's two drunk tourists brawling it out? But that doesn't explain the shockwaves. No civilian is able to punch that hard. So it has to be two people fighting with weapons— wait, that means Huntsmen are fighting each other right now! I had to suppress a groan. Why? It makes no sense at all! Why have an incident like this during a celebration of peace? That doesn't matter. All we need to do is stop the fight from escalating. Which means landing between them.

Ruby must've had the same idea. From the corner of my eye, I could make out her bending her body towards the empty space between the two of them. I, on the other hand, readjusted my course to overshoot them. Landing in front of them will send a lot of shock to my legs, even with a glyph. I twisted the arm with the hand to aim at a particular pillar. But a bounce-off…

A black glyph formed on the marble structure. Moments later I twisted myself, landing feet-first. Gasps escaped from the crowd behind me followed by the sound of a bag of flowers slamming into the ground. With a zip I shot off from the pillar, landing within the cloud of rose petals before raising my hands up to the two combatants. "Stop this right now!" I yelled as Ruby rebuilt herself next to me. "This is a disturbance of peace!"

"Weiss?" My eyes widened at the sound of a familiar voice. Isn't that— I turned to look at my older sister in the eyes. She had a shocked look on her face, saber drawn and pointed in my direction.

"Winter?" I lowered my hand.

"Ruby?" My head spun around to look at my sister's combatant, a gray-suited man with a patchy beard. That guy knows Ruby? What in the—

At that moment my partner's head finished rebuilding itself to face the man. "Huh— oh my gods Uncle Qrow!" She instantly charged him, jumping on him with glee. "I can't believe you're here!"

"I could say the same, considering you fell from the sky." The man named Qrow narrowed his eyebrows. "Although I have to say, you really worked on your landing technique. Being able to land without Crescent Rose really shows how much you've improved. By the way, where is it right now?"

My partner let out a long 'oh' sound before chucking her scroll off into empty space. "Right… Weiss, toss your scroll in the open right now."

What? Why— And why can I hear whistling? My eyes widened. Oh gods, the rocket lockers! I slid my scroll away from me. One second later, my rocket locker slammed into the ground, sending concrete and dust up into the air. I waved it away, letting out a few coughs. Oh gods, that's foul! I took a couple of steps away. Okay… ugh…

"Alright, everybody step away!" Several Atlesian soldiers butted their way into the circle before turning around towards the crowd. "The incident is going to be resolved in an orderly manner, there's nothing to see here." After a few murmurs, the crowd started dissipating.

Once the dust cleared up, I let out a groan, turning to look at the two adults putting away their weapons. So… That happened. For some reason, our families are here, they were fighting each other and causing a commotion, and from the looks of it, they're not on the best of terms. I glanced at Ruby, who shot me a look of concern. This search just got weirder.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 5/11/2018**

* * *

 **Arslan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 1**

"Hey, Arslan! Think fast!"

My hand moved before my mind even registered her words, snatching what felt like an apple out of the air. My eyes flicked up. The rest of team ABRN sat around a round table, enjoying the various Valean cuisine. Bolin and Nadir were enjoying fried bass and pasta respectively, both alternating between taking a bite and looking through their scroll. On the other hand, the skater girl in the hoodie had a foxy grin on her face, as if she was waiting for something. She twirled a spoon in what looked to be clam chowder.

"Reese…" I sighed as I placed the fruit on the wooden tabletop. "Please stop throwing food around the table. I thought we already established this."

That got her smile to morph into a small pout. "Aww… but why not, Ars?"

"Don't call me Ars," I muttered.

She ignored my request. "I mean, the Vale students did it too back at the beginning of the semester, so I don't see what's the problem. Why can't I throw food to get my best friend's attention?"

Nadir put down his scroll. "Well, duh. Of course you can't. And remember: it was the Vale students who turned the cafeteria into a war zone of sticky, disgusting slop. Like, ugh." He shivered. "It took way too many showers to get rid of all the soda that I got soaked in. That sticky feeling never quite leaves you… I feel like I need another shower just thinking about it."

"You know Nadir is correct, Reese," I said, nodding towards the boy. "The Vale students are weird, and it's not in our place to stoop down to their level. Just leave it at that."

The girl nodded, a smile returning to her face. "Aw, come on, Ars. I was playing around, girl. No need to be so uptight about it." Her face turned stone-cold in an instant. "But in all seriousness, are you okay?" Hmm? The green-eyed girl glanced side-to-side. "Like, you've been spending a lot of time on your own, and well, I still remember what happened during the beginning of the year." Sweat started slipping down her face. "Is… everything with your family okay?"

With that, she managed to get everyone's attention. Reese threw her hands up. "I mean, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to. That's completely fine, and we totally get that you want to keep your family life secret. But… at the same time… come on. You're still our team leader. You're still my teammate and partner." She rubbed the back of her neck. "And we still need you to lead us and be at your best." She let out a chuckle. "Heh… I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm the one who gave you the most trouble before we sorted our issues out—"

"You're right, in a sense." I took a bite out of a dinner roll before resting my chin on my hand. "You could say that I learned something recently that changed my outlook on things."

"That's pretty obvious," Bolin nodded, going back to his meal.

I ignored him. "I'm sure you guys are aware of how… awful my family situation is, and how we've been looking forever for the thing to stop all of it. Well, I can say that I managed to stumble upon my first real lead on the matter." I sat up. "Just think: I'm closer than any other Altan to finishing our generational saga once and for all. The lives my family lost, they're finally going to have some more meaning. We can finally go back to our normal way of life. I guess I got excited because of that, and I had to chase after it."

My eyes closed as I let out a hum. "I didn't want you guys to worry, but clearly that didn't work out. That is all on me. I, out of everyone here don't want a repeat of our initial days. So I'll be honest. This revelation will probably occupy a lot of my thoughts, and I won't always be at my best going forward. But at the same time, I trust that team ABRN can still stand proud even if I'm focused on this. I'll still be there for everyone. On my family name, I promise that."

Everyone nodded, satisfied with the answer I gave them. I looked up. The sky looked beautiful, with its nice, orange glow. It was so relaxing, so soothing, so inviting. It almost made me forget about all of the problems looming over us. Almost.

But we can't afford to ignore the problems coming up. All of the research I've done has made that quite clear. Incidents with the fantasma velos have been going on for the past two months. Ruby Rose getting turned into a Stand user. Her incident with one of the ancient Grimm. The sudden attack in the recreation room on campus. The cafe being attacked. The anger incident on campus. My mind went back to that day. Being locked in my room with my teammates trying to break down the door was quite the experience, that's for sure.

And to top it all off, team RWBY and their other friends are expecting an attack to happen anytime now. I glanced back at the rest of my teammates. It's scary, knowing something horrible is going to happen and I can't really do much about it. I rubbed the base of my eyes. All of these events, all somehow slipping under my eye until the simulation… how could've I been so blind to all of this? When Stand users should easily be drawn to other users, how did I manage to avoid all of this chaos until now?

I balled my fists up on the table. That doesn't matter now. I'm in it now, and I'll make sure I do my part to keep all of Remnant safe. A sigh escaped my mouth. I know my deal with Ruby was to help her in finding the Arrow, and with what we know, we might actually obtain it soon. But if the rumors of a White Fang attack are true… then I need to make sure that nothing goes wrong in the process.

I pulled out my scroll and started typing up a message. _Hello Ruby,_ it started. _I want to meet with you to talk about the Arrow and the potential attack on the Amity Colosseum. Do you have time today?_

With a press of a button, I pocketed the scroll and listened to Nadir's conversation with Reese. "So there's this weird Huntsmen team I ran into around, yesterday I think? Their name was…" He snapped his fingers a couple of times. "What was their name? It was something real dirty, and apparently, they went to our school… Stuck-up mint-haired girl, snarky kick fighter, mysterious femme fatale-esque leader—"

"Oh, you mean CMEN?"

The boy snapped his fingers. "Right! Them! I thought it was something like that! So you know the weird thing I've learned is that they're permanently down a team member. I don't exactly remember the reason, something about having to go back home for some emergency treatment or something like that. But I ran into them while they were meeting with one of the referees early this morning. Turns out that because they don't have the required amount of people, they had to be pulled from the match. And Reese, you won't believe it. Team CMEN got so pissed at the referee! It was an absolute mess!"

He let out a chuckle. "Like seriously, what happened after that freaked me out. The femme fatale girl, her name was… Cinder, I think? She tried to argue with the referee on it, insisting that the three of them were strong enough to take on their opponents, but the guy would have none of that. And holy— she looked so peeved! When that girl gets angry, she gets angry. I could feel the sheer hatred just wafting from her. Like, I didn't want to touch that with Bolin's quarterstaff expanded all the way."

"But I have to admit, she can recover pretty quickly from something like that. Maybe a couple of minutes after the referee shut her down, she had this apology for him and acted all respectful. But right after they were out of earshot of the guy, team CMEN just went ham on insulting the guy. Like, they were absolutely disrespectful towards the dude. Well, Mercury and Emerald in particular. They were like guard dogs, just all uppity and raring to get back at the referee. Cinder for some reason had to be the person to talk them down from trying anything. I mean, I don't think they're going to try anything. But I just had this weird image in my head that team CMEN were like mafioso or something."

I let out a sigh, resting my chin on my hand. "And what was the point of talking bad about CMEN? They can't participate in the tournament at all, and with how security is recently, any incident will bring a lot of attention to them."

He shrugged. "It was an interesting story to tell, so I told it. Do I need any other excuse?"

At that moment, my scroll buzzed. Oh? I took it out. A text from Ruby. _Hi Arslan,_ the message started. _Can't do 2day. Hve ppl 2 wtch. Meet Amity tmrw. Have time then._ Well then. That's a shame. Still, knowing that she's available is a good sign.

I stood up, letting out a yawn while I rolled my shoulders. "That was a good meal," I declared. "I'll be taking a walk now. No fights for us tomorrow, so enjoy the rest of your night."

 **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** appeared behind me. I'll do whatever it takes to prevent this attack from happening. I promise that on the Altan name.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 ** _Retrospective:_ The Stand Hocus Pocus has a long history of changes. That's not a bad thing, granted. A lot of ideas morph and change as they get thought through more and as they are implemented. At its core, Hocus Pocus was always about sounds trapping people into dreams that rot their brains. But man, the path to today's Hocus Pocus was a weird one.**

 **It first started out with the name. Hocus Pocus used to be just M.N. Monster, aka what the instruments were called. I originally wanted a person to be the user, but I didn't think any of the characters fit, so I had the instruments themselves be the user. It made a bit of sense. We have inanimate Stands such as Anubis and Superfly. With a set of musical instruments, it wouldn't be that far gone. And I wrote the Hocus Pocus arc around that idea.**

 **Then cut to January or so, and Trifa was introduced. From the moment she tied Blake up, I was like: "This is it. That's the person I wanted." Like a spider, her Stand ensnares victims in a web (of dreams) before injecting them with a neurotoxin (the monsters). ... Okay, so I might be a bit weird for thinking that, but Trifa made the most sense right then and there, so I went back and rewritten everything to accommodate her. M.N. Monster became the brand name of the instruments, and the Stand became Hocus Pocus.**

 **But let's actually discuss the inspiration for Hocus Pocus. I was in an amusement park, waiting in line to get on a ride I loved. In this park were screens showing off music videos. They were supposed to be distractions while everyone was waiting in line. As I was waiting, this one song came on: "Down" by Marian Hill. The song itself was boring and uninteresting in my opinion. But what caught my attention was the cinematography of the video. The music video was set in an elevator lobby, and they do a lot of quick cuts, giving the illusion of the songwriters glitching through the lobby while the wide-cut stayed smooth. It is impressive cinematography, and it was absolutely unnerving to watch back then.**

 **That video stuck in my head long after I've ridden the ride, and when I came back home, I went on a video watching spree of weird music videos. The music videos for Bad Romance, Espada, Down, Total Eclipse of the Heart, and Turn Down For What all played a part in crafting the world of Hocus Pocus. Turn Down For What especially stuck in my mind, with how it inspired the sexual movements the monsters had.**

 **The truth of Hocus Pocus was how it has a strong basis in one of my personal fears. If I had to list my three greatest fears in no particular order, it is failing my family, suffocation, and losing control of my mind. Hocus Pocus plays into that last fear through the power of weird music videos. Because of all that, I would say Hocus Pocus is my favorite fight of this arc.**

 **Quickly touching bases on the entire third arc, it's an enjoyable romp through and through. Aside from Feel Good Inc, it's been smooth sailing writing this particular section. It feels way better paced than Arc 2. And in hindsight, Arc 2 could've had a bit of fat trimmed away. It's unusually long for an arc that has roughly the same amount of meaningful content as Arc 3. Honestly, I'm glad for that. Shows that I'm getting more efficient in what I want to say.**

* * *

 **Let's get right to the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **Guest: I was as well! Believe it or not, I actually had trouble with this fight. I guess it's because it's a more traditional Huntsmen fight, which I neglected with all of the Stand fighting. Trying to get back into that mindset took some time.**

 **tuskenpaw: Yeah, it is a calmer chapter to open up with. I can't wait to show you how this arc goes!**

 **doa5700047: I generally feel that way with fights like the previous chapter's. Winning because you have a new power is kinda boring. Choosing to lose for a greater goal is a lot more interesting to play with.**

 **Ooh, survival. The question of who is going to bite the dust. It's an interesting concept to think about. Choosing to kill off a character is a very hard decision, and it can't be done lightly. I'd love to talk more about this point, but I'd rather keep my ideas of killing characters to myself. It's something I might save until the end.**

 **Oh man, I'm just imagining Roman and Neo just casually listening to an art critic just go ham on their art, and then getting them to "accidentally" enter Cornerstone. It's still nice seeing what happens to characters after they disappear from the main story, though. It's something I feel the JoJo anime does well, especially with Part 4.**

 **darkmist111: Oh, you'll find out soon enough, darkmist. Glad to see you still reading!**

 **Anyways, that's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: May 11, 2018**_


	36. Seeing Things

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **There are two milestone events I want to touch upon before we get into the chapter proper. We've hit 125 favorites and 30K views! I've got to thank everyone for reaching those milestones. I feel honored that this fic is still beloved to you all. I'd never expected the story to get this much attention, so the fact that people are reading makes me happy. Thank you.**

 **Aside from that, there's nothing else to say. Let's get into the next chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

I scratched the side of my head. "Wait, the Headmaster asked you to come here, Uncle Qrow?"

My uncle nodded, letting out a chuckle as the two of us made our way back towards the dorms. "Yup. Ozpin said he needed me in Vale in order to get something done, and I thought: why not take a detour and check in on you brats? After all, your team is competing in the Vytal Tournament. Well, was." He rubbed the top of my head, forcing a whine out of my mouth. Qrow let out a sigh right afterward. "It's a shame, seeing your team beaten in such a close match. I would love to see your team compete more, and I'm sure your dad does, too."

"Yeah," I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "That's a shame, indeed. Oh man, I really wanted to win that tournament, and everybody else on RWBY as well." I rolled my eyes. "But I guess it wasn't meant to be."

"No doubt." Qrow placed his hands in his pockets. "Don't let that thing get to you, though. Funny thing about failures: you get the chance to learn from them, figure out what you need to change to get better. And out of all of the things you can fail at, I'd say a sanctioned fight is the perfect place to fail." The man stroked his chin. "You know… if you want, I can offer your team a couple of pointers. I watched your match on my way here, and I can think of a bunch of ways you guys could improve."

"Uh…" I let out a nervous chuckle. "That's nice, but no thanks, Uncle Qrow. I mean, I would love to do some training with you again, but it's kinda, well… we want to watch the rest of the Vytal Festival."

His face dropped into an exaggerated pout. "Aww… can't spare your lonely uncle a couple of hours of quality training time? Come on, don't you like the good ol' days when I taught you everything about scythe fighting?"

"Wha— No!" I felt my face heat up. "It's not like that! I loved learning how to use the scythe with you, but it's just—"

A grin broke into his face as he let out a chuckle. He held a hand out. "I'm just kidding, Ruby. Plus, that's not what I meant." He ruffled my hair, getting me to whine yet again. "I meant after the Vytal Tournament. You should have a break from school after all of the festivities. Should be for both Signal and Beacon, if I can read a syllabus correctly. I can take you punks into the wilderness or something to train, if you're up for it."

"Really?" A smile grew on my face. "That would be awesome—" I stopped. Wait a minute… What if we fail to capture the Cupid by then? Even if we managed to stop the White Fang right here, if the Cupid's still around after all this, then it can just make more Stand users. And yeah, we're trying to stop a terrorist act, but who said they won't try again if the attack fails the first time through? We have to consider that the bad guys are looking for someone, the Stand user that can end the world. We have to find that person before they do. Whoever this mystery user is, we need to find them before they get captured. But how are we going to do that? Does the Headmaster already have a plan for that—

"Hey." Somebody waved their hand in front of me, snapping me out of my thoughts. Uncle Qrow looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "We're here. This is where you live, right?" I blinked as we stood in front of my dorm room. Oh… right. I nodded. The man let out a hum before shrugging. "Well, we can hold off on that thought for now. After all, the decision does involve your entire team, and your partner is with the Ice Queen, after all. We can wait. But for now, I wouldn't mind taking a nap." He let out a yawn. "Traveling all day before sparring takes a lot out of a man."

I nodded, reaching for the doorknob before the door flew open. "Oh, really?" Yang's head popped out the door frame, a big grin already plastered on her face. "Is just traveling tiring you that much these days? Oh man, you're getting old, Uncle Qrow. You sure your feathers aren't graying up?"

"Heh. Says the girl who was literally beaten down during the Vytal Festival. As for the quip about my age…" He combed his hair back. "You see these? My plumage is still beautiful and silky black. These babies aren't going to gray anytime soon, Yang."

"Heh. Nice to know." My sister stepped out and gave my uncle a hug. "It's great seeing you again, Uncle Qrow."

"You two, squirt." He gave Yang a squeeze before letting go. "You don't mind if I come inside, right?"

"Yeah sure, of course. There's no one else inside aside from my partner, Blake. And she's doing her own thing, so she won't bother us."

"I don't mind," Blake called out from within. "I'm just reading anyways. Just pretend that I'm not here."

"You know that's the exact thing you say if you want me to annoy you, right?" Uncle Qrow let out a chuckle as he stepped into our room. "In all seriousness, don't really feel like doing that. I'd rather pester my adorable nieces." He walked over to our hologram projector and turned it on. "Anyone up for a game?"

"Of course!" Yang leaped down onto the floor, scroll already open and ready. "I've been waiting for this moment! Uncle Qrow, I challenge you to a game of Killer Kombat! First to five wins, no time limit. I've been training with Tanya for months now, waiting for this opportunity. Your win streak with Kung Lao ends now!"

"Well, if you want to lose, then by all means. Stick with the one character I can hard counter. But challenge accepted." He stretched, plopping right next to Yang as we opened his own scroll up. "You ready to get your butt whipped?"

"Oh, it's you who's going to lose this time around, old man." My sister grinned. "You've probably haven't been playing this game as much as I have. You're toast!"

"I wouldn't say that…" Qrow gave a smirk of his own as he spun his scroll in his hands. "Trust me, sometimes Huntsman business means you get a lot of free time to yourself. Especially as a teacher. You can't believe how bored I get after I finish overseeing the kiddos design and build their weapons. Teaching kids to fight means little paperwork afterward, which is nice, but I need to fill my time somehow."

Yang's smile dropped. "Wait, so… oh…" She paled as her brain processed the information. "Uh… How much free time would you hypothetically have?"

"On average? Maybe a few hours each day. Enough time to grind my way up to Master Killer plus two stars." He shrugged his shoulders. "Not really that impressive, if you ask me. I'm sure you're way better than me if you're bragging this much about your skills."

I've never seen Yang's eyes grow so big in so short of a time. I covered my mouth and struggled to swallow my laughter. Last time I checked, Yang only just broke into the Killer tier. I have no idea if she even made it to Master Killer, let alone reached the top thirty-two leaderboard to receive even a single star. But if Uncle Qrow wasn't lying about his skills, then Yang is in for a world of hurt.

"Uh… hey!" I decided to scoot myself next to Yang. "So, you know how you said that you were called in by the Headmaster to do something in Vale?" Qrow hummed, hitting a couple of buttons before nodding. "I know this is probably a secret and all that, but what is it that you're trying to do in the city during the Vytal Festival?"

"Ooh, well you see, you already answered your question." The screen turned dark, before starting up the beginning intro of ninjas staring down each other. "It's a secret. I mean, if Ozpin is asking you to do something, it's usually something that's really important to keep quiet. You know, 'the end of the world as we know it' kind of stuff. Ozpin gets a bit dramatic like that." That line got everybody looking. I could even make out Blake leaning a little closer towards the center, bow twitching with anticipation.

"Heh… I mean, yeah I mean that makes sense." I rubbed the back of my neck. "But maybe you can clarify a bit? Like, what do you mean by 'the end of the world?'"

"That depends on his mood. Sometimes the end of the world is a colony falling. Sometimes it's more menial stuff. I remember one time when he had to go cold turkey on coffee back when I was still a student. He'd give me extra credit if I managed to get him a working coffee machine. Heh. Those were good times." His face turned serious. "But sometimes… it's real serious."

"It's serious?" Yang asked, throwing a glance towards our Uncle. "Like, how serious?"

"Serious to the point where I can't tell you right now." Everyone in the room let out a groan, causing the middle-aged man to laugh. "What? Did you guys really think that I would just tell you? This is my job right here. Hell, I wouldn't even be talking about this kind stuff if Ozpin didn't tell me that he was planning on telling you guys anyways and that it's okay if I 'accidentally' allowed this to get out right now." It felt like the temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees.

"… What are you talking about, Uncle Qrow?" I laughed, trying to hide the sweat drops forming on the base of my forehead. "Didn't you say that this was supposed to be some kind of secret between you and the Headmaster?"

"Officially. But again, you guys know what's going on. Might as well give the info to you know then let Ozpin say it." He glanced at the window. "Yang, make sure the window's closed. Ruby, make sure the door's locked. Huh? I got up and locked the bolt. Behind me, I heard the window close. Both Yang and I returned to our spots.

"Good." Uncle Qrow sighed. "Well, I'm supposed to pull double duty. First one's me patrolling the streets of Vale and searching for danger. I trust Ozpin on this one. He's got good instincts, and if he wants me here, then something's going to happen there. It's the second task that worries me. I'll keep the details as vague as possible, but I'm supposed to look for a particular person with… extraordinary powers. He said that I won't know who the person is or what they look like, but there's a particular tool I can use to find them. Then I guard them with my life." What? So the Headmaster has a plan for the mystery user? That's good.

Uncle Qrow leaned back. "Problem is that these extraordinary powers are beyond my comprehension, well, according to him, anyway. Something about me being unable to see them, let alone being able to figure out how they work. Funny, since I figured Semblances were already hard enough to understand." Another sigh escaped his mouth as he fumbled through his shirt. "Hell, I don't know if you guys understand what I'm trying to say. This feels like one giant mess."

A silver flask appeared in his hands. He made to uncap it before Yang shot a glare at him. "Uncle Qrow…" she growled.

"Right, right. 'No drinking in front of the brats,' I remember." My uncle slipped the container back into his pocket. "But I'm getting really bad vibes about this. A part of me is telling me that I'm way over my head. That little voice in the back of my mind is screaming 'this will not end well, don't do it.' This is going to be a tough job, indeed. To realize that there's something beyond my understanding is absolutely unnerving."

"It is," I sighed, nodding my head with him. "Nothing about this situation is easy."

"No kidding. These powers must be causing you girls a lot of trouble, huh?" My eyes widened. What? Uncle Qrow chuckled. "What, you didn't think I wouldn't figure out why Ozpin would let a team of Huntresses-in-Training know about something so top secret? I figured it out the moment he described you selectively turning yourself into flower petals. Genius you are with weapons, I've seen you train with your Semblance. That's not how it works at all." He looked around the room. "And I assume the rest of you are in the same boat as Ruby?"

"No…" Yang's shoulders drooped as she shook her head. "I didn't get them. The rest of team RWBY did, though."

"Really?" The man let out a hum before nodding his head. "Okay then. The point still stands. I'm the one who has to run into the situation blind and hope for a miracle, but, for some reason, the responsibility rests on you girls. This time around, it's your job to try and save the world. And that sucks, especially for you kids. You girls should be worried about stupid stuff, like who to bring to the ball, whether or not you pass a class, how to repair your weapon when the Dust store closes early, all that teenager stuff."

We all glanced at each other with doubting glances. I don't think we've ever done normal teenager stuff ever since we came here. Qrow continued: "Having these kinds of burdens are taxing, especially when you're this young. But then again, the world's not going to sit around and wait for you guys to graduate before going wrong. You're stuck in this situation. And you guys just have to wade through it, as harsh as it is." He sighed. "And as much as I want to take this burden off your shoulders, that's not going to happen. But while I can't take the burden off of your shoulders, what I can do from my end is try to minimize the load you guys have. You got that?" Everyone in the room nodded.

A grin grew back on his face as he lifted his controller. "Good. So, enough of the morbid chat. You ready to lose again, Yang?"

"You'll be surprised when you're the one on the ground, old man!" The two of them zeroed in on the screen, selecting their characters.

I let out a sigh. So Uncle Qrow's a part of this, too. The group of people trying to stop the Cupid is growing big fast. I guess the Headmaster decided to set aside the secrecy rule in order to stop the attack… But then again, I should stop thinking about this. A smile crawled up my face as my sister and uncle prepared themselves for a fight for the ages. We have a growing group of people, all willing to keep the Kingdoms safe. We'll stop the Cupid. We'll keep this world safe. Together.

* * *

The sun gave off an apricot-colored glow, basking the two of us with its warmth as Winter and I walked through Beacon's garden. The area itself wasn't really that impressive. I've been to other, grander gardens with intricate shapes trimmed into the bushes, exotic plants most eyes would never see, specially crafted stepping stones as part of a garden trail. And the flowers— Other gardens would have these beautiful patches of flowers that would bring a ton of color to the overall environment.

Compared to all that, Beacon's gardens looked like a hack job. The plant life here was well-trimmed, but took on unremarkable shapes compared to the other gardens I've seen. I felt the crunch of the gravel underneath me every step I made, the material feeling relatively cheap compared to other gardens. While the place did have a flower patch, the rapidly cooling weather meant that the vibrant colors of before gave way for the browns and reds of the autumn season. The quality here felt noticeably worse than in other places, but at the same time, there's a more homely feel to this place. Like it wasn't meant to impress others, but to simply be. It's comforting compared to the more showy gardens out there.

My shoulders started to relax. To be honest, I've never spent any time here. The atmosphere is nice compared to the one back at the Schnee mansion. But at the same time… I don't know, they reminded me too much of home and how mom would spend all of her days within it drinking red wine… I shook my head. There's no need to worry about her. She's doing her own thing. That shouldn't affect me in any way. And that's her loss, anyways.

Winter straightened her back before taking in a breath. She let out a long exhale as we walked towards the pagoda in the center of the garden. "It's a lovely day, don't you think?"

"Yes, sister," I replied in the usual curt manner. "The fall evening really does make everything look warm, doesn't it—"

"You can drop the formal attitude, Weiss." My sister's body relaxed up. "There isn't going to be anyone bothering us here. My men made sure of that. And besides, I wouldn't mind having a more casual conversation with you. It would be a nice change of pace after several years of acting prim and proper." The corner of her lip curled up. "For once, there's no need for appearances and worrying about reputation. It's a rare opportunity for me."

We walked up the steps of the wooden pagoda. She gestured to one of the tables, revealing an already prepared tea set, including cups. "Have a seat. It's oolong tea, although I couldn't get tieguanyin leaves this time around. It's darjeeling this time around." She sighed. "I personally would prefer the former, but orders for tieguanyin got backlogged for some reason, so I couldn't get any. I hope this is fine."

"No no, I think it'll be good." I took a seat, Winter following closely. "I think spending an entire year at Beacon increased my tolerance to the quality of food most people enjoy. The change won't be so noticeable for me."

My sister nodded. "Okay." We both sat in silence as she started pouring out the drinks. "So…" she started after a long pause. "How have your studies been? Have you been eating well? Are you making friends?"

"I'd say yes to all of those." I sat up a bit. "The curriculum, while intense, isn't harder than any of the stuff our tutors taught us. We just have less time to pick up everything. Nothing a bit of good time management couldn't solve. Eating hasn't been a problem for me, so no issues there. As for friends, I've been making a few here and there. It's mainly with my team, though. I like to spend time with them more than anyone else."

"Oh, really?" Winter handed me my tea. "That doesn't sound too far off from my experience. I think during my time at Atlas Academy, I only really spent any significant amount of time with my battle team. But how are your teammates? Are they treating you well?"

"Well, yes. There's Blake, who likes to read a lot of novels. Before we had a… rocky relationship with each other. We didn't agree with a lot of stuff, especially with how the SDC is currently being run. It smoothed out as the year went on, though. Now we often give each other recommendations for books to read, we hold study sessions together." Winter nodded, continuing to sip her drink. I continued: "Then there's Yang, who is intense. She's just a ball of passion, and she helps me out with fashion advice. We also talk music. Then there's Ruby, my partner and team leader."

"The one who dropped in with you?"

I nodded. The corner of my lip curled up. "Where to begin with her… she's a weird one for sure. She's hyperactive, optimistic to the extreme, scatterbrained to a degree. When I first met her, she sneezed on some of my Dust, and nearly blew up the plaza in the process! It didn't help that after she became team leader, she would get on my nerves with her childish attitudes, especially since she's two years younger than the average Huntsmen-in-Training. I initially thought I should've been team leader instead of her."

"Hmm… that doesn't paint a good image for your team leader, that's for sure." Winter took a sip out from her cup. "You don't really see her that way anymore from what I can see. What changed, if I may ask?"

"She started trying. Ruby started realizing the issue of her being leader, and she started shaping up. She started going through the material that she skipped due to her early entrance. She pushed herself harder during combat training. Ruby reigned back her more annoying tendencies in order to be the team leader that we need." I sighed. "And recently she's been showing her more serious and focused side that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I can say that without a doubt that I'm proud of being her partner and teammate."

"That is impressive," Winter nodded. She set down her drink. "It's like an underdog story like you'd see in a movie. Someone at a disadvantage climbs their way to the top, gaining respect from other people in the process. It's not something you see a lot in the world. I have nothing but respect for that determination to work to where she is right now."

"Right." I set my drink down as well. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking. What brings you here to the Vytal Festival? I thought you were supposed to be stationed on the east coast of Solitas. Wasn't a pod of giant naval Grimm spotted near there?"

"There was, but then I got an assignment change," my sister sighed. "The General decided that my being here is more beneficial to Atlas than being on the frontlines of a potential invasion. It meant leaving the majority of my men to stand and defend Solitas from the Grimm storming the arctic beaches. And while an aerial cruiser is stationed there, I still have my personal doubts about my assignment here." Winter started pouring another cup of tea for herself. "After all, I can't make heads or tails of the assignment that he gave me."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "How important is this assignment?"

"In his words: 'a matter of life-or-death for all of Remnant.'" I shivered. Wait a minute… what assignment would Atlas give that's that important, more important than the Grimm attack? If the situation is that dire, then that means they— no. I resisted widening my eyes. Does Atlas know about the Arrow and the Cupid? I mean, I can't imagine any other life-or-death situation that would affect all of Remnant. If that's true… Have they been hiding Stand users from us the entire time?

"Wow," I managed to say. "That sounds… really serious. Are you sure that this is something you can do on your own? It seems like a big responsibility for just one person."

"Oh, there's no need to worry, Weiss." Winter laced her fingers together. "While I just might be one person, I am powerful in my own right. After all, you're talking to the woman who graduated cum laude in her class, as well as one of the few military personnel with the title of Specialist at so young of an age. And I do have some new skills that I gained during my time working for the General." She rested her hands on my shoulders. "I will be fine."

I resisted reacting to her touch. Is it just me, or is she trying to do something to me? I think it's supposed to be comforting. She is my sister, after all. But after that revelation… I have no idea what she can do to me if she's a user like me. … Am I going to have to fight my own sister? I bit my lip. And I'm alone, too. I have no backup coming anytime soon. Do I just sit here? Do I see if there's a way to get out of this situation—

Her scroll buzzed right then and there. Winter sighed, letting go of me. "Sorry, but I have to take this." She pulled out the scroll, her eyes narrowing as she read through the message. "Oh, I'm going to be late." My sister rubbed the base of her forehead. "Sorry Weiss, but I have to cut this short. The General wants to have a meeting with me."

"Oh, it's fine," I chuckled. A sweat drop slid down my neck, sending a shiver down it. "That's understandable. The work of a Specialist must be busy, after all. You go on ahead with the meeting. I'll clean up the tea set." I started stacking the plates. "Where do I put them?"

"There's a container over there. No need to wash the tea set, just do a basic rinsing. I can put them in a dishwasher back on my ship." She stood up. "But thank you, Weiss. It's great to have a talk with you after so long. Stay true to yourself, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay." I watched her walk off.

A groan escaped my mouth after a couple of minutes. It was a storm of thoughts in my mind as I placed the tea set back. I felt like I wanted to scream right then and there. My gods, the paranoia is getting to me. I can't even trust my own sister anymore. What has my world come down to, where I'm worrying about what my sister could be? She cared for me, just as much as I cared about her! Why should I be doubting her and her goals?

I guess I have to. Because now I know that Atlas has at least one Stand user in their ranks, and they're likely looking for the Cupid and the Arrow as well. This is complicated. Really, really complicated. I sighed. If Winter turned out to be a Stand user, would I have the courage to fight her? Am I willing to attack and potentially kill my own sister for the sake of the world? It's such a hard question, but I can't help but think about it. She might be stronger than me, but I must have more experience than her. Winter would have to figure out the Stands on her own, while I have everybody else to help me learn.

My eyes glanced at the lone teacup outside the box. In the center was the Schnee crest. Family. Winter is still family to me. And can I kill family? In the cup went into the container before I closed it shut. I really hope I don't have to find out.

* * *

The only sound audible in my office was the gears rotating above us. I let my mind wander as I stared into those revolving parts. It takes me way back… back when Beacon used to be an outpost. This tower, back when it was first built was supposed to be a combination between a clock tower, lighthouse, and watchtower. It allowed those stationed here to watch the city for any potential invaders, and it also served as a way to track time back when watches were still expensive to own.

I remember sitting here for the first time, back before the Great War. There was nothing but undeveloped land surrounding a small Kingdom. Looking out right now revealed a massive sprawling megacity, showing just how powerful Vale had grown since its young days. Oh, how times change.

Now that I think about it, it was here where I first met her, wasn't it? I closed my eyes. Yes, that's right. She was in charge of sending a signal down to the town if there was a sighted attack. I was supposed to ring the bell for the outpost. It was just the two of us, just staring out into the Emerald Forest and listening to the sounds of the gears turning and clicking. I let out a soft chuckle. Our first talk was just us stuttering and one-word sentences. To think that she would be my partner… I rubbed the base of my left ring finger only to feel nothing but flesh. That's right… she's gone now.

My eyes fluttered open. I can feel my eyes water. The gears above me blurred with my tears. It's so strange… it's been so long since that incident. I should've moved on by now. I'll never see the woman I loved ever again. But for some reason… I can't. For years I thought I managed to keep moving forward, leaving that old life behind. But the past keeps catching up. It never wants to stay back. And the Cupid… a child manipulated by its mother. She won't stop, even after all these years. And now this generation is going to pay.

A groan escaped my mouth as I sat up and clicked a button on my desk. A hologram reappeared, showing a scanned copy of the pages of a tattered book. One of the manuscripts Fox brought in Thursday. JoJo's work… somehow he's still helping us, even from the grave. He gave us another chance to fix our mistakes, another chance to truly end the fight once and for all. I lowered my head and closed my eyes. JoJo… I won't fail you. We'll make sure we bury the threat once and for all.

I sat back up the moment I heard the elevator ding. Wait, are they already here? I wiped the tears out of my eyes, turned off the hologram, and recomposed myself. I made this promise not too long ago, I'll make it here again: no more will anyone suffer for the sins of their grandparents. And for those who suffered due to the Cupid, I'll do whatever I can to ease your burden.

The elevator doors opened, revealing both Qrow and Winter. The two Huntsmen had their arms crossed, shooting daggers with their eyes at each other. I could feel the temperature of the room drop a couple of degrees just being near them.

"Ahem," I coughed. The two of them looked up.

"Headmaster Ozpin!" Winter tensed up, getting into the soldier position for being at ease. "Thank you for inviting me into your office."

"The pleasure's all mine," I responded, waving the two into the room. "Please, come in and have a seat." My hands glided over my desk, tapping several prompts. "Forgive me for not preparing any refreshments of any kind. Is just water fine?"

Specialist Schnee nodded as she sat down. "That will do." I stood up and started for the counter. "Where is the General? I thought that he was going to be here for the meeting."

A hum escaped my mouth. "He is, just not in person. The General is needed on the cruiser right now, so he'll do this conference by video. All we're really waiting for is for him to connect to the CCT."

"Ah, I'd expect nothing less from our dear old friend Ironwood," Qrow called out. I could make out the sounds of a cap being unscrewed, followed by the sounds of swallowing. The man let out a sigh. "I'm sure whatever he's working on right now is so much more important to deal with then the end of the world as we know it."

"I never quite said 'end of the world,' Qrow." I placed the glasses of water on my desk. "'The end of Remnan civilization' is closer to what I said."

"What's the difference, Oz?"

"You'd be surprised at how different those two concepts are, Qrow." A buzzing noise cut in, a hologram with James' flashing face popping up. A giant answer button glowed below it. "But we're not here to argue about semantics. I believe we're here to have a meeting about the tasks you two have." With that, I hit the answer button.

James' video flickered in, revealing the man himself sitting in the cockpit of his flagship. "Good evening to you all," he started. "I'm sorry for not being able to meet in person. I hope the video call won't distract anyone."

"Not at all, James." I leaned towards the other two Huntsmen in the room. "Now, I'm sure the two of you are confused by the details of the mission you've been given."

Qrow let out a snort. "No kidding, Oz." He sat up. "One: I'm supposed to look for an individual who has a power vaguely similar to my sister's, and you want me to make sure I find this person by using this." He pulled JoJo's amulet and slammed it onto the table, sending the pointer spinning before it pointed towards me. "A compass with a weird damascus-style metal as the indicator. I swear, all this hokey-pokey magic you've been raving about is straight out of 'Raiders of the Mistralian Sea.'"

I sighed. "Qrow, I've shown you myself and proven to you several times that this is real."

"And I was being facetious, I never said I didn't believe you." The man let out a groan. "No, but on top of all that I'm supposed to keep watch over the entire city, figure out where the White Fang are planning to make their attack, and somehow stop them, all while protecting this said mysterious individual? All by myself?"

"You also have Specialist Schnee by your side," I countered. "She is officially here to watch over the city in case of a White Fang attack."

"Of course." Winter gave her partner a smug look. "And besides, doesn't your Semblance mean that you'll always be able to find trouble, no matter what the case is?"

"I see somebody has exactly zero understanding of how abstract 'bad luck' is," Qrow countered.

James sighed. "That's enough, you two. We still need to focus on the topic at hand. Let Ozpin finish explaining."

"Thank you, James." I adjusted my position. "Going back to my previous statement, while Specialist Schnee is officially here in case of a White Fang attack, we all know that the Atlesian army is here to deal with that and the potential Grimm that would be attracted to the negative feelings a terrorist attack would cause. So, she'll be with you during your time in Vale. She can also be a bit of help if—"

"Right, right. If the White Fang happens to see spirits and attack us." Qrow let out yet another sigh, leaning back in his chair. "Don't get me wrong, I think this isn't going to go well. At all."

The man in the video call cleared his throat. "We never said it was going to go well in the first place—"

"But even so, do know I have your back on this, Ozpin." He sat back upright. "As much as I think this will be a disaster, I know that I'm more than willing to go through hell and back to make sure that Ruby, Yang, and their friends won't suffer as much as they have to. It's the least I can do for them."

"As do I," Winter answered as well. "While my opinions on the situation matter little—"

"Please, Specialist Schnee." James nodded his head. "You have permission to speak your mind. After all, this is your life at stake for something so dangerous."

"If you insist. I believe this mission will end in failure." The elder Schnee sister took a deep breath. "Even with the two of us, we're grasping at straws. This artifact, while helpful, is not useful in discerning friend from foe. We are just as likely to run into a member of the White Fang with these powers. Then convincing the VIP to get to safety will be difficult, and I believe there is no way that we can fulfill our objectives of extracting the VIP and stopping the White Fang. One or the other must happen, we most likely can't do both." She glanced up to both me and Ironwood. "But if this plan gives us a slightly better chance at surviving than the others, I'll gladly take this on."

I nodded my head. "Thank you. I know what I'm putting you two through is not ideal at all. If either James or I had the time to formulate a better plan, I would gladly do so. But as of now, we have to stick with this flawed plan and hope for the best. So to hear that you two are still willing to take it up is honorable." I stood up. "Well, that should be everything to clarify what is expected for this mission. Are there any other questions?"

Qrow glanced at James. "Can we guarantee that the robotic Atlesian army will be able to take care of the mess if and when this goes bottoms up? I mean, while having them protect us is great and all, are we sure the integrity of the bots is secured?"

"You have my word," the Atlesian General responded. "We did a sweep for both physical and digital hacks. No physical tampering whatsoever. There's still the Queen Virus from that infiltration of the CCT tower, but our engineers have successfully identified it and are moving to quarantine and remove it from all our systems. It's remained dormant as of right now, but the hope is that our engineers will stop this virus from trying anything when we need the Atlesian army the most."

My former student frowned for a moment, narrowing his eyes before nodding. "Fine by me." He got up and stretched. "Whew, I'm starving. I'm thinking about getting something at the fairgrounds before heading for the city. Ice Queen, you coming? Or is peasant food too greasy for you?"

"I've already had dinner, thank you very much." She stood up as well. "I'll be off to visit my sister's team. You know where to find me once you're done."

"Of course, of course." Qrow walked over to a window and opened it. "Catch you later, Ice Queen." With that, he transformed into a crow and flew out.

"Phht. Showoff. I'll be on my way then." Winter got into the elevator, leaving just me and James left.

He let out a sigh. "And with that, I have to leave too. Goodbye, Ozpin."

"And to you, James." I ended the call and sighed, leaning back in my seat. I've made my move. I brought my stare back up to the ceiling. Now, all we can do now is wait for the enemy to make theirs.

* * *

I let out a yawn, rubbing my tired eyes as the rest of team JNPR walked through the hallways of the stadium. Man, I didn't get a good night's rest. I scratched the back of my hoodie. Even with a light breakfast, it's hard to keep my focus.

And judging from the droopy bags under Pyrrha and Nora's eyes, they must've felt the same. Maybe the stress from all the fighting kept them up at night. After all, Ren didn't look too bad, letting out the occasional yawn. But otherwise, that's about it. Lucky him. He doesn't have to worry about participating in the tournament or worry about any White Fang plot. But Pyrrha surprised me for sure. I would've thought that with her having the most experience fighting in front of an audience, that she would be best at handling the stresses of performing.

"Hey, Pyrrha," I whispered to her. She glanced at me. "Are you feeling okay? You're not looking too good."

"Oh, don't worry about me, Jaune." My partner waved it off with a chuckle. "I didn't get some good rest last night. It's normal, I get restless when a tournament is ongoing. But it won't affect my fighting, at least in the ring. I usually can wake myself up with some good warm-up exercises."

"Okay…" I frowned. "But isn't something like that unhealthy? Stress at last for days can't be good for your health."

"It isn't, to be honest." She nodded her head. "But at the same time, it's not too big of a deal. I had professional athletic trainers look at everything related to measuring my body, and they said that having competition jitters is okay as long as it disappears immediately after the tournament has ended. Well, they also recommended to me some techniques to help with relaxation and keeping my mind off of the battle to come, but I'm out of practice." Her eyelid closed for a moment before she snapped back awake. "It'll be fine, Jaune. I've been through worse bouts of sleep deprivation."

I sighed. "If you insist. In all seriousness, though, don't be afraid to tell us if you're feeling exhausted. I know people expect a lot from the four-time Mistralian champion, but you're still our teammate. If you feel exhausted and you can't continue this, that's perfectly understandable."

She gave me a smile. "Thank you, Jaune. I'm glad that you still care about my well-being. I'll be fine though."

"Right," Nora yawned. "I think that I'll go take a nap on the bleachers, then. We're not even fighting today, and I don't think that anyone will notice little ol' me catching up on sleep."

Ren nodded before humming. "By the way, why in the world are you tired, Nora?"

"A mistake was made." She let out a groan. "You know those protein bars they pass out to all of the contestants after every match? I decided to have one of those as a late night snack." The normally hyperactive girl rubbed her eyes. "Who knew protein bars could have caffeine in them?"

"Wait, what?" Ren's eyes widened. "Did you say caffeine?"

Nora nodded. "Granted, they said it was in little itty-bitty amounts, not even a tenth of what good coffee normally has. But it's enough to keep me awake and all agitated. After a night of tossing and turning, I just want to get better sleep…" Her head started bouncing. One snap of the finger by Ren caused her to jump. "Wha— I'm awake!"

Well then… I guess everybody's feeling the pressure of what's to come, even if we're expecting different things. They're going to need some time where they don't have to worry about anything. I nodded my head. "You know what?" I asked. "Why don't you guys get our seats first, then I'll stay here and buy everyone food while everybody else rests up? After all, you guys deserve some time to properly rest up."

Pyrrha shook her head. "You don't need to do that, Jaune. We already ate breakfast, we don't need more food. We're fine—" She let out a yawn. "Fine. Just give me a couple minutes in the training room and I'll be wide awake again."

"Come on. Think of it as congrats for our previous win." I rubbed the back of my neck. "We never really got a chance to celebrate our win from yesterday, so let me buy something for you guys. I think I remember seeing them sell cotton candy popcorn balls here on the stadium. Just think: popcorn infused with melted cotton candy, spun into a ball of cotton candy."

"That sounds… really unhealthy," Ren noted.

"Of course it's supposed to be unhealthy! It's festival food, after all! The charm of it comes from the fact that no person would have it every day. That's why it's a treat!" I threw my hands up. "Come on, guys. Just let me indulge everyone just this once?"

All three of my teammates glanced at each other, silently communicating before looking back at me. "Alright, Jaune," Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you for that."

"You're welcome," I replied. "You guys should really go find your seats right now. It's going to take a while for me to find that popcorn stand. So, I'll see you guys when the matches start, I hope?"

The rest of my team nodded. "Right."

I sighed as I watched them disappear into the crowd. A half-truth. While I'm sure there is a cotton candy popcorn ball stand around here, I'm mainly trying to get them out of the way so that I can continue the search for the White Fang. I rubbed the bridge on my nose. How is it that I'm okay with lying to the rest of my team? I mean, they don't deserve being part of this, but— I shut my eyes. I've had this conversation with myself so many times already. I already know the answer. Let's just make sure that I really do make a difference.

But first, I should actually figure out where this popcorn stand is. I started walking in a random direction. What's the point of making up an excuse to be out if I don't actually follow through with my excuse? But yeah… I continued walking, picking up the idle conversations around me. I'm sure there's a popcorn stand like that somewhere, but for some reason, I just can't find it. Maybe it's on the other side of the stadium? Oh man, that would be embarrassing for sure if that was the case. Maybe I should look up a map? But I don't know the name of the stand that sells the thing in the first place. It won't be at all useful if—

My feet stuck to the ground as my eyes caught sight of the unusual sweet. Aha! Another Shopkeeper-esque person was spinning the cotton. Watching the process is mesmerizing. All he has to do is swirl a stick around the cotton candy machine, and strands just stick to it. The popcorn, colored in pinks, blues, greens, and so on entangled themselves into the cotton ball, creating a nest full of popcorn bits. I can feel my mouth water. It looks really good.

Whelp, I know where to go now. I looked at the sign. 'The Z.A.B. Candyman'. What an odd name. But their candy looks really good, so who am I to judge? I turned around. Now that I've figured that out, time to go out and start looking for the White Fang. I think Weiss and I agreed that looking within the employee-only sections could reveal something—

"Oof!" Somebody bumped into me from behind, causing me to stumble forwards. A dark-skinned hand caught me from behind and pulled me back upright. "I have to apologize for that. The fault is mine for not paying attention to my surroundings." Wait a minute… that voice sounded familiar… I turned around to see a familiar beret-wearing girl, this time in an all blue uniform.

My eyes widened. "Ciel?"

"I'm glad to hear that you still remember my name." She gave me a nod. "If I remember correctly, your name is Jaune Arc, of team JNPR. Is that correct?" I gave her a nod of my own. "That's good to hear. How have you been ever since our time during the training simulation last Wednesday?"

"Oh, nothing much. Really, just a lot of preparation for the Vytal Festival." I rubbed the back of my neck. "How about you? I remember how your team had to evacuate you to the infirmary. Is everything good with you?"

Ciel nodded. "Both the nurse at Beacon and the doctors from Atlas got a chance to inspect me, and they said that there's nothing that significantly endangers my health. The shock of the tree branch hitting me had some effect on my body, but I've otherwise recovered from the blow. I'll be able to fight today. In fact, I believe my match is the second one in the day." She shook her head. "Unfortunately, that's something irrelevant and not worth paying attention to. Now that I managed to run into you, I actually have something to ask."

My eyes narrowed. Wasn't her bumping into me an accident? I nodded my head anyway. "Alright then. What is it about?"

She glanced around, tensing up. "Not here. It's too dangerous." The girl gestured towards a door leading to the employees-only section of the stadium. "This is something that needs to be discussed within a location that is free from prying ears."

"Uh, so a private place? Okay then." My mind started churning as I walked with her. What in the world is going on? What does Ciel know that is so important to discuss behind closed doors? Whatever it is, there's no way this could be good. I thought she was supposed to be just some team leader from Atlas. So what does she have to discuss with me, a team leader from Vale who she only talked to once throughout this entire year?

"So," I started as we entered a narrow hallway. "What did you need to ask me about?"

"Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

I nodded my head. "I promise."

She adjusted her beret. "Good." With the snap of her fingers, a snake-like figure appeared out of nowhere, coiling around her. It's like one of those boa constrictors but with dazzling green and yellow, and blue striped feathers instead of scales. Its eyes popped open, boring its gaze into me. I stepped back in surprise. What the—

" **「LAST BREATH!」** " The Stand flickered its tongue before pouncing at me.

 **⇐TO BE CONTINUED= 5/25/2018**

* * *

 **Arslan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 2**

Participating in a tournament has always one of the highest honors any Mistralian warrior can have. Maybe it's due to my Kingdom's warrior ancestry. Anima used to be a continent of constant warfare, with tribes of several cultures collectively known as the Euranimatic tribes often clashing with each other. When the many tribes united together under one banner, the resulting peace formalized the Kingdom of Mistral. Most would think that after this successful formation of peace, the newly minted Mistralians have finally given up their old tribal ways.

However, our fighting spirit never truly died with the birth of our civilization, and the annual tournaments were born of that intense desire to clash. There is a thrill in the fight, in the struggle. There's honor to be had, the will to strive for more. To participate in a tournament is an honor in itself. To fight in the Vytal Festival… that is a dream come true for any able-bodied Mistralian. Maybe that's why team ABRN felt so much pride coming here to fight. Maybe it's why I've made the choice to help Ruby and the rest of the team with protecting the Amity, regardless of my search for the Arrow being my primary goal.

I looked up from my scroll to see the battle occurring below us. My eyes flickered to the stadium stands. If these instructions are right, then Ruby should be here somewhere. I know that she must be in the dedicated section of the stadium where all of the students sit. You'd think it would be easy to spot a Huntress, especially when our job is to stand out in a crowd. But it's surprisingly hard to find one girl in the colorful crowd of students. I narrowed my eyes. Where in the world is she?

"Arslan!" I looked up to see the girl in question waving her hand in my direction. "Over here!" She had a goofy smile on her face. For anyone not paying attention to her, they would think that she's been having fun at the Vytal Festival. I know better than that. She knows when to focus on a task at hand. My own fight with her is firm proof of that. She must be taking advantage of her Stand to keep watch on the entire stadium. I'm not really sure how exactly, but I trust that she figured something out.

"Ruby." I nodded my head as I walked towards her. "It's nice to see you."

"Ooh, who's this?" Hmm? I glanced at the person who said that. A girl with short, orange hair stared at me as she let out a yawn. Two other individuals sat next to her: a girl with red hair tied in a ponytail who looked all too familiar and a boy with a magenta streak of hair. The short-haired girl gave me a drowsy smile. "Nice to meet'cha." She started nodding off.

The boy right next to her coughed into his hand, catching my attention in the process. "I remember you from the match against team RWBY. You managed to take out all of them by yourself. But the fact that you're here is surprising to say the least. So you're a friend of Ruby's?" the boy with the magenta streak of hair asked. I nodded in response. A small smile crawled up his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Forgive my partner, she's just really tired. Honestly, this is the calmest she'll ever be." He stuck out his hand. "My name is Lie Ren, but you can just call me Ren. My partner is Nora, and the other girl to my right is—"

"Pyrrha Nikos." I nodded my head. "I'm familiar with that name, and all I can say is that it's an honor being in her presence. After all, this is the Invincible Girl. The four-time consecutive winner of the Mistralian Tournament. Your Kingdom is proud of your accomplishments." The champion in question started to shift in her seat as she heard my words, muttering something under her breath as her head dipped. I took a sharp breath. "But as much as I wish to have a one-on-one fight with the previous champion, that's not why I'm here." I turned back to Ruby. "Can we have this discussion somewhere more… private?"

She nodded. "Yup, we can go somewhere else." Ruby stood up before turning towards the trio sitting next to her. "Can you guys save my spot for me? Don't worry, I shouldn't be gone long. Just need to have a quick talk with Arslan."

Lie— or was it Ren? The boy nodded in response. "We've got it. Go ahead, then."

"Thanks Ren." The girl gestured to me. "Come on, Arslan. I kinda need to use the restroom anyways."

We walked in silence for a while, stepping out of the stadium and entering a nearby bathroom. Only after we went in and checked the area for anybody else did Ruby start to speak. "So, you wanted to talk about the Arrow?" I nodded. She let out a hum. "What about it, specifically?"

I sighed. "I know that I promised that we would work together in order to retrieve the Arrow. But after hearing about the potential attack on the Amity in the near future, I was…" I ran my fingers through my hair. "I was wondering if there's anything I can do to take a bit of weight off of you in any way. It could be helping your fellow teammates search for the Arrow, or I can help you root out the White Fang, or something like that. But I can't stand the idea of doing just wandering around and doing my own search when so many people are at risk. So I must ask, what can I do to make your job easier?"

"Hmm…" Ruby tilted her head to the side. "I'm not really sure… It would be nice to have you searching for the White Fang with us…" The girl nodded her head. "Yeah, that's probably where we need the most help right now. We have no idea how many Stand users we could face off against. So having more Stand users wouldn't hurt."

"Okay," I said, nodding my head as I leaned against the sink. "Thank you. It takes a bit off of my mind." I stared at myself in the mirror. "What about the Arrow? How's progress on that end?"

"We understand the general limits of the Cupid. Yang and Blake are on it, and they'll probably get it before the Festival's end. Oh!" Ruby snapped her fingers. "I just remembered! Remember our promise to give your family the Arrow back?" I nodded my head. She continued, "So my team managed to find time to talk to the Headmaster about it, and he wants to talk to you about that. I know I just asked for your help to root out the White Fang, but if you can squeeze in time to figure out what we'll do with the Arrow after we get it—"

"That's fine as well. Anything you don't want to worry about, I'll gladly take." I turned around. "Thank you, Ruby."

"You're welcome." The girl let out a slight hiss. "I'm going to go now. Like, go, go. So… see 'ya later, Arslan."

"Goodbye, then. Good luck on your search." The moment I left the restroom, I pulled out my scroll. Another talk with the Headmaster, huh? It was just general information beforehand, but with the situation brewing right now, it makes sense to make sure everything goes to plan. I started scrolling through my contact list. And I know just the right person. I just hope she picks up.

After a few rings, the screen darkened, revealing a tiny, old woman sitting in a kitchen chair stuffed with pillows. I cleared my throat. "Hello? Grauntie Carna?" I pressed my back against the side of the wall. "Hi, Grauntie. It's Arslan, how are you?"

The old woman gave me a warm smile. "Ah, my favorite grandniece. It's great to see your face again." She stroked the side of the camera. "How long has it been since I've seen you… two years now? You've grown into a fine woman." My grauntie let out a long groan as she stretched. "It's nice that you can keep an old woman company, especially considering how busy you must be with being a Huntress. How are you doing?" She held her hand out. "Don't answer that." The woman chuckled. "I saw your performance in the CCT. Beautiful match, if I have to say so myself. I can see that you've put all of your skills to the test here." Her eyes narrowed. "Including your Stand."

With that, she changed demeanor completely. It's like a different woman took the place of my gentle great-aunt. She grabbed a nearby cane and started tapping it against the table. "I saw other Stand users fighting in that same match. Without a doubt, I believe that you know about their status as well. Let me be frank here, I don't think you called because you genuinely wanted to see your grauntie again, or at least it wasn't your primary motive. Which means only one thing. Somebody must've appeared with the Arrow again, right?"

I nodded my head. "That's right. I'm sorry I didn't call about it sooner, I found about it just as recently. There's a creature of Grimm who's using the Arrow to create havoc in the city. Grauntie Carna, I think there's going to be an attack on the Amity by Stand users hit by the Arrow."

She let out a long, tired breath. "Drat… this is on such a short notice as well. I don't think we could spare any of the other Altan family members, they're all out of town." Grauntie Carna glanced to the side for a moment before looking back at me. "Arslan, let me say this in a straightforward manner: your powers alone isn't enough to fend off a group of Stand users big enough to threaten the Colosseum. We had entire groups fend off against Stand appearances, and we still had family die in the fighting. I won't lose another one. You need to—"

"Grauntie, there are some good news, though." She raised her eyebrow in response. I continued, "There's a group of Stand users who currently know where to locate the Arrow, and they're actively trying to hunt it down. I've vetted them myself, and I can say with honesty that I can trust them to do whatever it takes to end the cycle."

"Oh? Really?" The old woman narrowed her eyes. "And what gives you that much confidence to trust newly minted Stand users to perform the task of the Altan family?"

"Let's just say I've met with a simple soul," I responded. "One who only wants to right the wrongs of the past. I've seen her actions, and I trust her."

"And the others?"

"They believe in her cause as well. Even if they choose to betray her, she'll do whatever it takes to set everything right. I believe that she'll be the one who will help us end the Altan family curse once and for all." Grauntie Carna didn't respond, letting out a hum as she placed her hand against her chin.

She let out a sigh. "It's not like I can convince you otherwise from across the world. For now, I'll accept your word. All I can say is that while a simple soul can help us, a simple soul turned bitter can become a terrible enemy. They can be a double-edged sword, and care must be taken to make sure that they aren't warped."

I nodded my head. "I assure you, she isn't someone who won't allow herself to become corrupted. She is a true paragon at heart. But we should switch subjects. There's one other thing I wanted to call you for. I want your blessing."

"My blessing?"

"To become a messenger to the Altan family and our role as guardians of the Arrow." I bowed my head. "The Kingdoms know about its existence, at least to a certain degree. And I have no doubts that they'll debate over who will get it. It's in our best interest to gain a seat at the negotiation table. Without any offense to you, Grauntie, but at your age, you don't have the energy or time to travel to Vale, where the Arrow is likely going to be retrieved. But I'm already in Vale. So, it wouldn't be an issue for me to physically be there during the meetings while I stream you to negotiate for our family. That is what I ask for."

"Hmm… I did say I don't have any other Altan family member who can fulfill the task. You will be a fine enough messenger." She bowed her head in return. "I accept your proposal, and I grant my blessing for you to become the messenger for the Altans." She glanced straight into my eyes. "Now listen closely, Arslan. This is the deal we'll present to the Kingdoms…"

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Let's get right into the reviews!**

 **Guest: You thought it was Winter, but it was she, Ciel Soleil! Admittedly, Winter wouldn't have been a bad choice as a Stand user, but it didn't turn out that way.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: I simultaneously love and feel awkward writing Cinder, actually. I like the subject matter I'm writing about. I wouldn't write about it otherwise. But portraying cynicism is what gets to me. I consider myself an optimist, or at the very least a pragmatist that leans towards optimism. It actually contrasts with the kind of friends I like hanging out with, who tend to be more cynical. As a result, I understand a cynical outlook and can emulate it, but I find it uncomfortable being seriously cynical. Doesn't really stop me from writing in a more cynical tone, but fun fact on that.**

 **tuskenpaw: I guess I can see the comparison between Cinder and Pucci. I don't think their motivations are the same, though. I saw Pucci who wanted to fulfill DIO's last wish of removing the fear of uncertainty. Everyone has experienced every possibility of their lives, so in Pucci's eyes, they can continue with their lives not bound by crippling despair, of not knowing the consequences of everything they do.**

 **Cinder can best be described as wanting to remove any way of differentiation, to remove any trait that can be used to separate a population into two groups: the "cracks" of society in a sense. I don't want to say more without spoiling what I have in store for the story, but that's how I personally see it.**

 **doa5700047: Ah yes, Cinder drawing things. I like adding minor details to characters such as hobbies. Like you said, it makes characters feel more real. They give some new perspective to the characters and add a new facet that can be explored in storytelling. Ah, the power of headcanons. They help flesh out the characters more than what's currently revealed.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **Next Chapter Update: May 25, 2018**


	37. Last Breath - Part 1

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **There's not really much to say here, and there's a lot a content to get through, so let's get straight into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for doing all this!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's** **Knight**_

* * *

One thought dominated my mind as the feathered snake snapped towards me: oh gods! I threw myself to the side, summoning **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** right as I slammed against the floor.

This can't be happening… I can't believe it. Ciel is a Stand user, too? But how is this possible? Since when? There's no way she could've been hit by the Arrow recently, there haven't been any sightings ever since the simulation… we would've known if her Stand emerged back then. No, the only time she could've been hit was during the simulation, and I know I made sure she wasn't cut—

Wait a minute. I furrowed my eyebrows. _Did_ I ever check her body for any cuts? No… Cinder did that for me. Maybe she missed a cut somehow? Stand cuts do heal themselves up. Did we inspect her too late to find the wound? Hmm… Or maybe Ciel was a Stand user the entire time…

I shot up to my feet. I don't have time to think about that, especially when Ciel's attacking me. I have to get out of here and get to the others. My eyes flickered to the metal door behind her. But she's standing between me and the exit. What do I do? Fight her, when I don't know what she can do to me? No, that's stupid. I have to run. Maybe I should turn and run into the employee's area. I think I can lose her there. I started backing up. It's not ideal, but I can probably lose her in this maze-like area—

Something cold and feather-y curled around my ankles. What the— Before I could even blink, **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** slithered and coiled around my body with a flash, taking care to wrap around my neck before squeezing. Ack! My fingers clawed at the body of the snake, trying in vain to dig underneath its body. Oh gods, I can feel its breath down my neck! My knees buckled, the edges of my vision starting to blur. Oh gods— Can't breathe— Need… air—

"Jaune Arc, if you value your life, you will listen to everything I have to say," Ciel said, taking a glance at the time on her wrist. "What you have around your neck is what you and your affiliates refer to as a 'Stand.' This specimen, which I've named **「** **LAST BREATH,** **」** won't attempt to exterminate you currently. This show of force is more for emphasis than anything else. I do not intend on taking your life. However, do know that at any moment, I can terminate you if you attempt to assault me. Are the terms started agreeable to you?" Ciel leaned into my face. "If you understand, please nod. Cooperation is conducive to oxygen."

My head bobbed up and down furiously. Yes! The feathers pulsed across the Stand's body. Come on, please let me live— The noose slackened just a bit, sending a rush of air into my lungs. I let out a gasp, letting my body take in everything. Hah… Oh gods, I thought I was going to die there! Beads of sweat slipped down my face as I tried to get my breathing back under control. I'm alive… I'm okay…

"Now that you know the exact situation you will face should you disobey me, allow me to reveal the purpose of your capture." The girl nudged me against a wall. "Through your reaction to **「** **LAST BREATH,** **」** I have determined that you are a Stand user like me, and acted to detain you for further interrogation in the name of the Atlesian army." I swallowed. Uh oh. That's not good. Do they have more users like Ciel? If that's the case and they all happen to be on the Amity right now… this might change a lot of things.

Ciel continued to stare me down, furrowing her eyebrows before sighing. "However, I have come to the conclusion that you must be one of the individuals searching for the Arrow. The General told me to expect a few groups who share the same goal as I do. If my intel is correct, there should be one group who is concerned with the safety of the Kingdoms." She narrowed her eyes. "And one group who only wants to destroy the Kingdoms. I wonder, which one are you?"

"V— Vale! I'm working with the Headmaster!" I raised my arms in surrender. Play along, Jaune. Do what she asks until you can figure your way out. I gave my best expression of fear, which wasn't really too hard considering how I feel right now. "All I want is to make sure that the Arrow doesn't get into the hands of the bad guys! Same as you!"

Ciel's eyebrow raised up. "Is that so?" She let out a hum, glancing over me. "Your alibi holds up well. You operate in the public eye, something that the enemy would avoid doing if they want their plan to succeed. You also happened to come to my defense when the Cupid creature attacked me." She opened her scroll and glanced through it. "From the looks of it, you are a registered student of Beacon, with several photos as evidence that it isn't a front to hide illegal activity. It looks like your story checks out."

"Whew," I sighed. "Okay, that's good. I'm glad that we managed to clear this misunderstanding before it got any worse. Now, if you can just let me go so I can continue my search—"

The noose tightened ever so slightly, cutting off my sentence. Ciel pursed her lips. "And who claimed that I was going to release you from custody?" I swallowed. What? What's she talking about? She continued: "According to the information on you, you reportedly have roughly a month's experience in tracking down the Cupid, one of the longest out of your entire group. That experience will be beneficial towards achieving Atlas' goals."

She straightened her back. "My search for the Arrow has taken exactly two days, twenty-two hours, and forty-nine minutes. From that alone, the difference between the two of us is clear. It is to my advantage to partner up with an experienced searcher to make this task easier."

"Well, I can help you with that later, but I can't really do it right now." I let out a nervous chuckle. "I have something else that's more important to take care of—"

"Oh really? Something that is more important than preventing the destruction of Remnan civilization?" Ciel raised an eyebrow. "What could be more important than that, if I may ask?" She cocked her head, almost like an owl. "That was a rhetorical question. I have read that stating such a question helps to highlight the main argument. The correct answer to this question is nothing. Obtaining the Arrow is clearly the number one priority. No other goal has that same weight. And you will help me in this task, whether you agree with me or not."

My mind went into a panic the moment she said those words. This makes absolutely no sense… why would she be on the colosseum if she was looking for the Arrow? I'm sure that the Headmasters of Beacon and Atlas Academy would've shared information about this a long time ago. Why would she think that the Cupid's going to be here when we've deduced that it had to be within Beacon? And besides, shouldn't they definitely know about the White Fang attack happening soon? I narrowed my eyes. Either she didn't learn about that information before she came here, or she's acting on her own. But neither of those make any sense, though…

"Regardless, you will accompany me into these maintenance halls and brief me on what progress has been made on the search for the Cupid. If your answers are satisfactory, I will release you without any other consequences. You may ask clarifying questions, and I'll answer them. However, break any of your agreements with me—" Another wheeze escaped my mouth as **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** squeezed my neck again. Her gaze never broke away. "As valuable as you are, Jaune Arc, you are an acceptable casualty to the Kingdom of Atlas. I can easily terminate you and continue on my own. And I believe that you prefer to continue living, am I correct?"

"Fine," I choked out. "I'll help. Please stop this."

With a nod from the Atlesian girl, the snake Stand pulsed again before relaxing its grip on me. Ciel straightened her back. "Then get up and follow me. I want you to start with all of the details on the Cupid's capabilities." She started towards the deeper part of the employee area. I stared at the back of her head, tightening my hands into fists.

Oh gods, this can't be happening… I stood up and started after her. This is a disaster. I'm being backed into a corner by Ciel, and I don't know what she's thinking. I can't attack her, otherwise I risk choking to death. I can't free myself either without her noticing. She'll probably kill me on the spot. I glanced at the clean, spotless employee hallway. There doesn't seem to be any kind of weapon that I could use without catching her attention. Oh gods, this isn't good at all. I'm trapped… I can't afford to be stuck here with Ciel, but what choice do I have? I can't do anything with her keeping me on a literal leash. I sniffled as a feather tickled my nose. All I can do is continue to play along until I find a way to get out of this snake's grasp.

I shook my head. "What much can I say? This thing can fly, like you saw back in the Emerald Forest. It has supernatural reflexes, which you also saw back in the forest. Fast enough that it can dodge bullets. Uh…" My mind went blank. What else… Is that really it? 'It can fly and it can dodge really fast things?' Wow. Now that I think about it, we don't know a lot about the Cupid. It really doesn't give us much chance to understand it. Still, not knowing a lot about what we're trying to hunt doesn't look too good for us. "Uh… We assume it has the same properties of a regular Grimm. That's… really it."

"That's it? This statement isn't a form of jest or whatnot?" Ciel turned her head to give me a questioning look. "Is that the true extent of your knowledge on the enemy you spent a month searching for?"

"It's hard to find, okay?" I shot back, frowning in the process. "There's only so much we can do considering it stays out of the way most of the time. We only get a brief look at it when it does come out to cause chaos. We're lucky that we can even get that much from how little we see of it."

"Hmm… Well then, let's change the question then. How much do you know of its limitations?"

My breath hitched. Now that's… that's a question I have to answer carefully. I still have no idea of Ciel's motivations. Should I reveal the fact that we think that the Cupid has a limited area where it can travel? On one hand, it gets Ciel away from me and towards Beacon, leaving me open to continue to search for the White Fang. But at the same time, that puts Blake and Yang in danger. I'm sure Blake will have an easier time escaping from **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** than I do, but what about Yang? She has no Stand protecting her, and her getting captured would be a lot of trouble if Ciel is some kind of traitor.

But now that leaves the question of what I'm supposed to do? Should I lie to her and hope that she'll buy it? If she's working for Atlas, will she catch my lie, leading to my death? What can I do—

The noose ever so slightly tightened. "I don't appreciate time being wasted, Jaune Arc," Ciel called out as she looked at her watch. "The match between CFVY and VLCN should be starting now," she mumbled under her breath. "One match before my team comes up." One match for her to squeeze as much info out of me as she can. My eyes widened. That's it! That's my escape route! She's not going to waste too much time on me if she's trying to keep up appearances! All I have to do is stall long enough and let the pressure of the time constraint eat at her until it forces her to release me! Come on, Jaune. Just lie on the spot! You've done plenty of lying before. What's one more to get out?

I cleared my throat, catching her attention. "Actually, I do remember one."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh really? What is it?"

"The Cupid does have a weakness. It can't… multitask well! Yeah!" I nodded my head. "The Cupid isn't really good at handling multiple opponents at once, so several attacks all around it is bound to split its attention. One lucky shot is bound to hit and hurt the Cupid."

"Hmm… that's a real interesting limitation." Ciel nodded her head, closing her eyes in contemplation. **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** squeezed my neck, cutting off my airways. "Not a wrong answer. I'm sure that no person or Grimm would be able to pay attention to so many things at once. A full-frontal assault is likely the best option. However, you're lying. That's not the only limitation that you know to be true."

My hands scraped themselves over the fluffy snake scales. "But… how?"

"As a soldier of the Atlesian Army, I was trained to understand the mechanics of Remnan deception and how to detect deceit from other people." She turned to face me. "You're unnaturally sweaty, and not just the 'someone who's worried about their lives' kind of sweat as well." The snake licked my cheek, sending shivers down my spine. Oh gods…

"That sweat reeks of determination," she continued, "Of someone who thinks they have a plan to escape, and is trying to squirm their way out. Then there's the change in cadence." She pointed a finger at me. "You had a small pause right before you told me the limitation. That hesitance indicates that you knew the truth, but decided to lie. So, you have an option now. Tell me the real answer or face the consequences." Darkness started creeping in from my peripheral vision. It's no use… I have to say it.

"The Cupid is bound to somebody!" I exclaimed.

"Oh?" The noose relaxed almost immediately. Agh… It didn't work… why? The girl in blue tilted her head with interest. "Elaborate on this."

"Okay…" I coughed out. "So, we noticed a pattern when we plotted out where all of the Cupid attacks happened. Turns out, they're all within the Beacon and Emerald Forest area, which occasionally bleeds into the port close to the waterfall of the school." I took a deep breath. "We think that within that area, there's somebody controlling the Cupid. And guess where the Amity Colosseum is right now?"

She hummed. "Right above the Emerald Forest… So the General was right in believing that there might be an attacker within the Amity Colosseum. Is that why you happen to be here right now?"

I nodded my head. "Of course. My group split up to cover as much ground as possible, but yeah. It's one of the reasons why I'm here." Wait a minute, that's not right! That's a lie! I braced for an attack… but it never came. Instead, Ciel nodded her head.

"Hmm… The information doesn't do a lot to narrow the search area, but it does confirm my current theories. The General will be pleased with a more concrete confirmation." She placed a hand under her chin, nodding as she walked forwards. I followed behind, compelled to walk when her Stand gave my neck a squeeze.

My forehead wrinkled with thought. A lie slipped through. Technically, it's only agreeing with the wrong conclusion, but still. I've found a flaw in Ciel's Stand. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but this might be my way out. Whether she realizes it or not, she just gave me a centimeter to work with. I need to take that tiny bit of leeway and push it as far as possible if I want to get out of here.

Okay. Think, Jaune. What in the world can this thing do in the first place? From what I know so far, not much. The Stand is definitely similar to a boa constrictor, both in how it looks and how it constricts around my neck. But it's not wrapping itself all the way. It's not trying to cut off my blood circulation to knock me out or kill me. No, it's trying to just cut off my airflow. Maybe it's supposed to interrogate instead of kill? That's not really special in itself. I'm pretty sure any Stand could do that. So, what could possibly be this thing's ability?

Try thinking a bit further back… No items that could activate it, no particular changes in environment, no illusions, I think. So what _could've_ activated it? Hmm… Maybe it was something I said. Back when we first entered the corridors, what did I say? I asked her what she wanted to ask me about. Then she made me promise something. I said yes, and that's when the Stand… attacked me…

My eyes widened. Wait a minute… now that I think about it, while I was being choked, she kept asking me questions on what I'm supposed to do. Don't tell anyone, listen to her, answer her questions, help her out… all of those are demands and requests. And every time I went against that, **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** started to squeeze my neck and choking me to keep me in line, aside from the first time. Could that be her power? Is it something along the lines of binding someone to a promise or agreement?

It's such a simple Stand ability. It's so grounded in reality compared to the others we've faced. In fact, it could be passed off as brilliant interrogation skills rather than any supernatural ability. Most people wouldn't suspect Stand powers. Even Stand users could easily be thrown for a loop with how stupidly simple it is. They just might think her ability is just skill.

My gods… I bit the bottom of my lip. I understand now. It's more powerful than anyone might think it is, and Ciel must have realized her power's worth as well. Being able to target someone, bind them to their word, and guarantee their loyalty and honesty, and to hide it? That's a ridiculously strong power. If she had more experience in using it, I don't think anyone could escape from its grasp.

Except she did slip up. I told a half-truth earlier. So it doesn't guard against dishonesty. I furrowed my eyebrows. Why is that? I know for a fact that I lied to her earlier, and her Stand responded by tightening around me. If her Stand was capable of detecting lies, wouldn't she choke me because of my mistake? But she didn't. **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** didn't do anything. So there has to be something about this that allows me to slip through unharmed. What was different between the two lies, then? Why did I get attacked the first time, but not the second?

I narrowed my eyes. Wait a minute… didn't she say that 'if my answers were satisfactory, then she'll let me go?' The first answer wasn't to her liking, so she attacked. But the other one… she must've thought it was good enough. My eyes widened. The Stand isn't a lie detector. She's determining that for herself. That part of it is actual skill. She's doing the lie detecting, but her Stand… only promises matter to it. Like a living contract of sorts.

My spirits started to surge. It's a stretch, and I'm not even sure if it's the case… but this might be the solution! I might be bound to anything she says… But if **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** is a living contract like I think it is… Does that mean she must follow her own promises as well?

Ciel's voice broke through my thoughts. I looked back up at the girl, who let out a long hum. "But now I need to move on to my next question." She shot a glance at me. "What—"

"Hold on for a moment." I held my hand up, cutting her off. "There's a question I want to ask."

Her eyes narrowed. "A question? I suppose I _did_ give you permission to ask any clarifying questions…" She nodded. "Alright. What is your question?"

"Just one thing: will you answer every question I ask truthfully?"

"As truthfully as I can," she replied. The snake pulsed around my neck. That's it… that must be the 'tell' for a binding promise. "I see little point in giving you false information. It impedes your ability to give me the information that I need."

"Okay then." I felt a bead of sweat slip down my face. Now or never. I have one shot at calling her out. If this fails, she'll figure out what I'm doing, and that'll be the end of me. Here goes nothing. I took a deep breath and gave her my best glare. "With that in mind, tell me: what is your Stand ability?"

Ciel narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips into a fine line. Her brow wrinkled. "That's classified. You're not privy to that information—"

"Really?" I smiled. "Because I can tell you exactly what your Stand ability is."

That got her attention. Her eyes widened just a bit, before she returned to a neutral facial expression. "That is a bold claim to make, especially since you're currently under my control. And what makes you say that?" she asked.

"It wasn't too hard to figure out once I had some time to think about it." I jabbed a finger in her direction. "Your Stand ability is, in a sense, a judge. **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** is supposed to make sure that nobody backs away from a deal. Not the targeted person it is bound to, and not the user. Everybody must fulfill their part of the agreement, otherwise **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** will strike. Isn't that right?"

"You must be delusional, thinking that my Stand powers work like that—" Her words were cut short when the snake's tail whipped towards Ciel, wrapping around her neck and choking her as well. Oh my gods! I couldn't help but grin. I was right! She's bound to her Stand's words as well! This changes everything! I might just have a chance!

The girl let out a gasp, her eyes widening in realization. "You're right!" she hissed. **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** let go of her in an instant. She wiped the corner of her mouth, breath shaky from her own Stand's attack. "What you say is evidently true. This Stand is honor bound. I now know both parties must keep their side of the agreement, otherwise the Stand will attack." She narrowed her eyes. "So that's why you asked me that question… you were binding me to **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** as well. I have to applaud you for figuring out my ability faster than I can. But you made one mistake."

The snake's body tightened around me again, sending me tumbling down to the ground yet again. "I still have active control over **「** **LAST BREATH.** **」** Which means I still have power over your life, just like I told you earlier." I struggled for air, pulling against the Stand to try and get a bit more air into my system. She continued: "And now that you know what my ability can do exactly, you've become a liability. You must be eliminated at all costs."

"And what makes you think that you can just get rid of me?" I let out a strained chuckle. "You're in no position to kill me off. Let me guess: you chose me because I happened to be with you during the simulation?"

"A bit presumptuous for a person who is not in a position of power." Ciel looked down at me. "You have no evidence backing this claim up—"

"You and your team spend the majority of your time in Vale here on the Atlesian airship, so you couldn't have made any friends on campus. In fact, I bet that one of your longest interactions with any students outside of Atlas was during the simulation. That explains you knowing about me." I tested the grip on the snake. Not budging, but not constricting, either. "Then, knowing you have a student profile on me, I expected it to say that I had 'no Semblance.' That contradicts what I said back in the forest, that I did have one. And when you realized the power of the Arrow, you must've realized that I had some kind of understanding of what the Cupid is capable of. So the conclusion is obvious. I'm someone to be watched."

"But you don't know anyone else who could be a Stand user, do you?" The silence that filled the air said it all. I felt my spirits surge. "You saying that you'll kill me is an empty threat, there to keep me in line if I try to run. In reality, you can't afford to kill me, because I'm your only lead on anything related to the Cupid. Lose me, and you're back to square one. And considering that the Vytal Festival is happening right now, you can't afford to lose that kind of time." I raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

For the first time, I saw a hint of her body tensing up. She's starting to get frustrated. I have to be hitting the mark. Why else would she stay so silent? Ciel doesn't want to say something and risk having her Stand attack her for conditions she doesn't remember making a couple of minutes ago. I can take advantage of this. "This doesn't have to be a completely one-sided deal. It can be a sort of partnership. You be more clear and honest with what's going on with your side of the mission, and I'll keep helping you out with this search. After all, I do need to know as much as possible to be a help to you. You said that yourself, right?"

Her face stiffened. "That's right. I did say that. And I have no choice but to accept." **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** pulsed again before releasing me. Ciel continued, "After all, your observations are on point. You are the only Stand user I know of. I do know you know other users as well, but no names or appearances. So you will have to do for now."

She shot a glare at me. "Your realization still means nothing, however. You're still trapped by my Stand, so you won't have the opportunity to warn anyone without **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** retaliating. So with that in mind, let's continue with our search of this area."

We continued further into the tunnels. "So…" I started. "How did you get your Stand powers?"

"I have no confirmable evidence on how exactly I received **「** **LAST BREATH.** **」** All I know on the matter is that when I woke up after the simulation, I was able to see my Stand afterward." She glanced back at me for a moment. "While our doctors argue on how this occurred, I do suspect that the Cupid was involved in my transformation." Hmm… So I guess my plan didn't work out after all. She still got hit by the Arrow in the end, and the wound healed before anyone could catch it.

"Yeah, that's most likely…" I tapped my fingers against my thigh. Come on, what else can I try to get out of her? "Well, just how much does the Atlesian army know about the Cupid?"

"That information is classified," she answered without a blink. A silence enveloped the both of us. I let out a small gasp. Uh… what? She let out a long exhale. "Jaune Arc, while I admit that your actions to secure such a good position of power in negotiations is admirable, and even if we are 'partners' in a sense, let me remind you that I still represent the kingdom of Atlas. And as such, I can choose not to disclose information if I feel like it can put my country in danger in any way." Oh boy. There goes the advantage I had earlier.

Ciel blinked. "Now that I think about it, now that we are considered partners by **「** **LAST BREATH,** **」** I feel like a different type of system is in order." Wait, what?

I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"We, as partners, should be trading information equally. So, this is how the questions will work from now on: for every question I ask, you are entitled to one question of your own. However, this is only _after_ I ask a question. I won't answer a question unless I've already asked one." I bit my lip. Oh, so that's what she's planning… She's trying to make sure she's getting information out of me as well… It's not a bad idea, to be sure… But now everything I say is important. I somehow have to get as much information out of her as possible, while giving as little information myself. I mean… I can still try to stall until Ciel's match comes up…

"And in order to make our answers quick and honest, I think it would be best if we had a time limit. If we don't answer within ten seconds after the person asks the question, **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** goes into effect." I paled up. Oh gods, ten seconds? That's not a lot of time… But at the same time, I might be able to use this to my advantage… The girl adjusted her beret. "Would that be fine?"

"Sure." After shivering with the snake pulse, I looked up at her. "My turn. How many people are with you in searching for the Arrow?"

"That's classified." My eyes widened in realization before I sighed. Gods, this isn't going to go anywhere at this rate. We aren't even close to even footing. Ciel's just going to hide behind the excuse of everything I'm asking being classified, and get as much information out of me until I have nothing left. I gritted my teeth. That's dangerous. I can't let her keep doing that for long.

"Another question for you, then." The girl in blue looked at her watch. "What is your Stand ability?"

Oh, that's not too bad. It's not going to affect anybody else. And she might let down her guard if she thinks she knows she can counter whatever I do. "I can change the density of anything I touch. That's why I take bits of grass or other stuff like that. I use them as a long-range option."

Ciel nodded her head. "I see… Creative usage of your powers to cover your lack of traditional long-range options in combat."

"Yeah." I swallowed. What if…? It's a risky plan, but I can't let her keep her mouth shut. I glanced towards her. "Something like that. My turn. You said before that you thought that I was here in order to search for the Arrow. What if I told you that I wasn't here for that?"

"I wouldn't believe you," she responded, narrowing her eyes. "Again, there seems to be no more important task at the moment than retrieving the Arrow and making sure that no one else gets access to it. Especially with the Vytal Festival going on.

"Okay." I crossed my arms.

Ciel stopped. "Aren't you going to continue on and reveal what you were here for?"

"No," I stated. "There's no good reason to. And now I can keep my mouth shut, because I'm the one who can ask a question. You just used yours." I smirked as her eyes narrowed at the realization. "And if I don't ask a question, you won't ever get an answer."

She let out a hmph. "Well, I'm afraid that's not how the deal works, Jaune Arc. The rule is that I ask one question, and you can ask one question in return. It says nothing about me continuing to ask questions. So, now let me ask properly: what are you here for?"

 **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** squeezed my neck, sending a 'hrk' out of my mouth. Okay, focus Jaune… I kept my gaze on Ciel. "I'm surprised your leaders didn't warn you of this. You really must've stayed out of touch with Atlas if they didn't reveal what was going to happen."

"Not a satisfactory answer." The snake coiled around me even tighter. Oh gods… I can feel my eyeballs bulging… "Again, what are you here for?"

My voice had a rasp as I tried to speak. "The White Fang has Stand users in the Amity Colosseum right now… they're going to try to do something during the Festival. I'm trying to stop that from happening."

The grip around me loosened in an instant, sending a rush of air into my body. Oh my gods, doing this over and over is exhausting… I looked up at the Atlesian girl, who had a look of surprise on her face. "No… you must be making this up. There's no way that the White Fang is here right now. Atlesian security's taken several measures to avoid such a situation."

"And Stand users can defy our common understanding of the world as we know it."

With those words we burst through a set of doors, revealing the mechanisms below the arena. I glanced around as we walked through the giant chasm. Huh… So this is where all of the stages are… All of the terrains rested in designated areas. Desert, savanna, ocean, forest: all of those stages rested at the ground level. Giant metal beams similar to guides jutted out from the sides. That must be how they guide the stages into position to form the arena. Four giant, six-foot gaps were in the ground, the terrains being used for the current fight. Although the arena itself is high above us, I can make out faint sounds of gunshot.

My brows sank soon afterward. Now's not the time to look and admire the sight. I have to make sure that Ciel is distracted herself. My eyes locked with hers. "I know for a fact that this is a plan that has been in motion for months now. They snuck a couple of users into the building. That much I know for sure."

"My gods. This— this can't be right. I've gotten intel about the White Fang planning an attack in the city of Vale, but nobody ever suspected the Amity Colosseum would be targeted. It's such a difficult structure to get to, with so many security measures and guards in case those measures fail. If through Stand users the structure is compromised by terrorists— oh gods. This is a disaster waiting to happen."

"You're not going to keep quiet about any matter, aren't you?" I asked.

"Of course not. This is a serious issue to deal with, something even more important than retrieving the Arrow from the Cupid." The snake pulsed around my neck. She reached into her pocket before stopping at the sight of me. Ciel brought her hand up to her ear without anything. "I need to report back right now."

This is it. The moment of truth. I took a deep breath in. "So then, tell me: what is Atlas going to do with the Arrow once they get it?"

Ciel frowned, turning towards me. "That's classified. And that's strange… How did you manage to ask two questions in a row without my Stand reacting—!" Her eyes widened a second later as **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** snatched her throat. "What the—"

"You weren't expecting that one bit. I would've put that into a question, but that's besides the point. I'm sure I figured out how your Stand works." A smile grew on my face. "There's no way you're going to hide behind the excuse that 'everything is classified,' now. The thing is, you answered one of my requests, one where you 'won't keep your mouth shut.' There will be no more secrets from you for now on." At that moment, **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** started squeezing her neck, forcing the air out of her lungs. "You don't have a lot of time left, Ciel. I don't want to do this to you. If you can answer the question, we can go on—"

"I won't reveal anything, if that's what you're asking, Jaune Arc." She started clawing at her neck. "I won't give in to your demands. If it comes to it, I would proudly let myself be suffocated to death—"

She let out a weird sound before collapsing to the ground. I let out a gasp. "Ciel, don't do this! I'm sure that letting yourself be killed by your own Stand isn't worth it. For both you and your Kingdom."

At this point I can visibly tell that Ciel's skin was turning blue. "I'm not… going to give in…"

"Ciel, stop this right now!" I started towards the girl. "You're going to die! Do you really think that your life is worth the secret you're trying to keep?" She nodded. I continued, "You need to understand the gravity of the situation. Stands are dangerous. You should realize this yourself. All I want— All my team wants is to make sure that we never have a situation like this again." I looked at her straight in the eye. "We don't want a single person to have to be a Stand user."

"But—" She wheezed. "But you don't understand yourself. You're trying to banish a power that nobody understands. What Atlas wants… is to understand that power." Ciel let out a large gasp a second later as **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** released its hold on her. She grasped her neck. "If you really want the truth, I'll give it to you. We aren't going to throw the unknown away and hope it doesn't come back. Atlas plans on getting the Arrow and using it to discover what a Stand truly is." My jaw dropped at that. What…?

The girl in the blue beret stood up, dusting herself off. "The world is so full of unknowns. We don't know what the Grimm are, we don't know what creates Dust, we don't understand Aura or how it creates a Semblance, we barely even have a concrete grasp on this world. Remnans know so little, and the unknown creates fear. Why do you think Atlas is such a scientifically-inclined society? We can fight back against the fear and the Grimm through knowledge. If we can rationalize the world around us, it becomes less frightening. The closer we get to seeing the truth, the less fear we will have towards it."

She started pacing towards a waterfall-esque stage. "The Stand Arrow is the ultimate unknown. People fear it because no one can understand it. But if that's the case, why must we throw away what we can't comprehend? That's like throwing away Dust because it explodes when you hit it. Why don't we try to understand it? Why don't we try to learn its secrets? Atlas refuses to let an unknown slip away. And I, a soldier for the Kingdom, will do my duty to help my country in any way possible." She narrowed her eyes. "With that being said, can you promise me that no matter what, you will stick with me and not reveal anything to anyone else?"

"No," I responded. "There's no way I can make that promise."

A sigh escaped her mouth. "That wasn't a satisfying answer." My eyes widened. What the— The reptilian noose tightened around me. Oh gods… Not again—

Ciel combed a lock of hair back. "I'll ask the question again. I do recommend that you answer positively this time. After all, it is your duty as a partner to help the both of us. Will you stick with me and reveal nothing about what's going on to anyone else?"

I gagged, doing everything I can to push my hands underneath the snake Stand. No… I can't answer this question, no matter what. If I do, that's it for me. I'll be trapped in Ciel's grasp… maybe forever. My body started to shake. There's just enough room for me to breathe, if just barely. I have to get her Stand off of me now. But how? My eyes lit up the moment they landed on the pool of water from the ocean arena biome. Maybe…

My mind focused on increasing the density of my blood as I started towards the pool. Every breath I took filled up my lungs as best as I could. I really hope my Stand works that way, otherwise I'm screwed…

Ciel let out a hum of contemplation. "This is highly unusual. Jaune Arc, you do know that whatever you do, it'll be useless as long as I'm in control of my **「** **LAST BREATH?** **」** Anything you plan on doing will be futile the moment I cut off the flow of air. It's as you say. I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation."

I ignored her. Don't waste a single breath on replying. Just… put yourself into position for this… Before Ciel can realize just what I'm planning to do. The density of my leg muscles increased tenfold. I took the biggest breath I could.

A sound escaped from Ciel's mouth. "You're not planning on—" **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** tightened around my neck completely. Just as I pushed off from the ground.

The girl behind me let out a gasp of surprise when I leaped forward, followed quickly by a choking sound. I knew it, her Stand doesn't have that much range. She's going to be dragged wherever I'm going. And as for where I'm going… I glanced at the deep pool of water below me. This is one hell of a gamble. But if it works… I turned around and grabbed as much of **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** as I possibly could before increasing its density. I'll be free.

My thoughts were disrupted the moment I hit the surface of the water. The liquid swallowed the both of us without any resistance and sent us sinking down into its depths. The occasional bubble floated out of my mouth as I looked around. Compared to the rocky terrain above, everything underwater looks way more artificial. The rock walls look smooth like concrete, making a clear bowl shape below the surface. And I'm surprised that it's not nearly as deep as an actual lake or any body of water. I think this place is only three meters deep at most. However, as long as I hold onto Ciel's Stand, it'll be deep enough to keep her stuck down here.

A flurry of air bubbles rushed out of Ciel's mouth, eyes wide open as she covered her mouth. It didn't help her much, causing another burst of bubbles to fly out. **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** squeezed my neck tight, so hard that I can feel my arteries getting pinched off. This is it. This is my last stand right here. Who's going to run out of air first: Ciel or me? It's a fight of willpower now. Whoever gives in last is the one coming out of this okay.

Granted, I don't think that Ciel has much of a chance. She was caught unprepared by this move. The stream of air escaping Ciel's mouth started to slow as she started to move less. I can't tell whether she's trying to conserve air or if she's actually drowning. But even then, she can't have nearly as much air as I do. I made sure of that. Coursing through my veins is dense blood chock full of oxygen. Even with my brain receiving no new blood, I should be able to survive. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

I've never really given much thought about what exactly changes in terms of density, and especially not a liquid like my own blood. The volume is obviously not going to expand, so how would my blood get denser? If my blood adds more red blood cells to do so, then what if I made my blood oxygen-rich before I dived into the water? That way, no matter what happened to me underwater, I won't lose consciousness as quickly. I've done as much as possible to ride this out. Now the question is how far Ciel will go to make sure I don't get away. I shot her a glare. What are you going to do?

Seconds stretched on for what felt like hours. All I could do was watch as Ciel struggled above me. She has no power over me. She can cut off my blood flow and I'm sure that I'll still have enough oxygen to outlast her. The obvious, immediate option for her is to release her Stand and swim to the surface. I'm sure that the moment she drops her Stand, I'm free from her grasp, and she has to trap me again somehow. That's what any regular person would do.

Ciel, though… it's tough to tell whether she'll do it or not. At this point Ciel stopped struggling, instead focusing on making tiny movements to adjust herself in the pool. She was willing to die just to make sure that I wouldn't tell anyone about Atlas' knowledge. Would she be willing to sacrifice herself just for this as well? Maybe, but I doubt that she would. She can't be that suicidal to try and wait for me to run out of oxygen as well. Ciel is probably going to release me in order to escape—

My eyes widened a moment later when she kicked underwater, pushing herself downwards toward me. What the— She's going for me! And I can't move without letting go of **「** **LAST BREATH,** **」** and if I do, then she's going to escape and I'm going to drown! A second later she pulled out a thin, pen-like tube. Huh? What is that?

She flicked her wrist. A knife blade flew out and locked itself into place. Oh my gods, she's not going to try and wait it out. She's just going to stab me! My eyes widened at the sight of the sharp utensil. I actually can't do anything! All I can do is watch and pray that she doesn't make it to me!

She kicked forwards again, getting a meter closer to me. No, I have to do something now. Something to keep her away long enough to force her to back off. Come on, Jaune… think! There's gotta be some way to push Ciel away… The water. Oceans have currents, how do they work? Well, the surface of the water's affected by wind, but I can't exactly do that from the bottom of this pool. Uh… a temperature difference between the surface and the bottom can create a current. I think the salinity of ocean water affects the ocean current, and the concentration of salt changes depending on depth— A couple of bubbles drifted out of my mouth as my mind hit an idea. That's it!

The water around me started shifting as **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** did its thing. My heart pounded at the sight of Ciel propelling herself through the water yet again. Come on… The liquid right above me rushed up to the surface, catching Ciel in the process. A flurry of bubbles escaped her mouth in protest as her body floated away from me, only to jerk to a stop once she reached the limit of her Stand's range. Ciel kicked again. She didn't even travel half a meter before the current pushed her back up.

It worked! Just like actual ocean currents! A denser fluid tends to sink to the ground, while a lighter liquid floats up to the surface. Temperature and salinity affects the density of water, which is why oceans have an underwater current in the first place. By changing the density of the water right above me, I've created a current that can keep Ciel away from me until she decides to let go. I blinked, feeling panic start to creep in. But I'm starting to see darkness from the corner of my eyes. I'm running out of air. But if that's the case… wouldn't Ciel be at her absolute limit as well? Is she still conscious?

I looked up. The girl in the beret at this point let go of her knife. She could barely move at this point. I could make out tiny twitches from her body, but otherwise she was motionless. But her eyes… she was giving me a glassy, almost inhuman look. Like a machine staring into my soul. What was she going to do now?

 **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** disappeared from my grasp. The girl twisted herself to face the surface and started making a break for the surface. I reached out for my now unburdened neck. Oh my gods… I'm free! She let go of me! I got up underwater and called back my Stand. My body started floating up towards the surface a moment later. All I have to do now is make my way up to the surface, hopefully survive whatever counterattack Ciel is going to most likely hit me with, and tell everybody else to watch out for her. I looked up, only to see that she disappeared. Did she already make it up to shore?

A gasp escaped my mouth the moment I broke the surface, bringing in a welcome lungful of air. Oh my gods! Holy— Gods, it's so good to breathe again! I took my time, treading water as I recovered my breath. Gods, finding myself so close to drowning is scary. I don't want to do this ever again.

After I caught my breath, I looked around. Wait a minute… I raised my eyebrow. Where did Ciel go? She's actually gone. Did she leave and go somewhere else? Is she hiding somewhere? I swam back to the shore and pulled myself up. Maybe she did go away—

Something slammed into my side at that moment, toppling me over onto my back. Moments later Ciel pinned me down. "Yield," she stated, bringing another knife up to my neck. What? A second knife? No way!

I shook my head, grabbing her arm. Oh gods, she's stronger than she looks! My arms started wobbling at the sheer amount of pressure she was putting on me. I can't give up now…

Before she could do anything else, we felt a buzz rumble through both of our arms. We both widened our eyes. What the— Ciel rolled off of me and looked at her wrist. "The match is over?" Wha? The match?

The roar of the audience vibrated through the area a second later. Oh my gods… I can't believe it! We managed to use up the time?

"This isn't good," the girl muttered. "I have to get back before anyone can notice my absence." Ciel shot a glance at me before turning away. "I will concede to you, Jaune Arc. You may go free for now. However, do not expect any cordiality from me. We are now effectively enemies. If I see you again, I will not hesitate to end your life. Farewell."

I sank to the ground the moment she left. Oh my gods… I'm okay. I'm not going to be killed, and I know so much more stuff about what Atlas is doing right now that— oh gods, I need to warn someone! My scroll popped open in my hands. I need to make a call.

* * *

"Woohoo! Go team CFVY!" I waved my hands in the air as I cheered on the victorious team. The rest of team JNPR were sitting next to me, letting out hollers of their own. On the center stage our upperclassman friends waved to the crowd, basking in the energy of the crowd as they walked off. I flopped back down. "Man, that was a good match."

"Totally, Ruby!" Nora threw herself back into her seat. "Their team did so well this time around! Yatsu was totally controlling those two armored dudes, and did you see how Fox and Velvet double teamed that big dude?"

"I know, right?" I raised my arms in the air. "And Coco had her minigun just going 'ratatatatatatatata' and just taking down the other team just like that! It was so cool!" My mind focused on the entire arena around me as I shared a laugh with Nora. Huh… the sounds from underneath the stadium stopped. Did Weiss or Jaune run into something or someone? Granted, now that the sounds have stopped, I should hear something from the two of them. I'm sure they have this under control—

My scroll vibrated a moment later. That must be one of them now. I pulled it out. I wondered what happened? _Ruby, big problem,_ the message said. _Just attacked by Atlesian Stand user. Gather everyone as soon as possible._ My eyes widened. What? And who sent this— Jaune?

"Sorry, but I have to go," I muttered, standing up. He must've beaten them back. Jaune wouldn't be sending this to me if that wasn't a case. I started for one of the exits. This isn't good. There's an Atlesian Stand user? That can't be possible. We know for sure that there aren't supposed to be any Stand users from Atlas. Did the Cupid hit one of them? And why are they fighting us?

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 6/8/2018**

* * *

 **Arslan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 3**

I felt a pit grow in my stomach as the elevator rose up the tower. Okay, Arslan… remember what Grauntie Carna said to you. She put her trust in me to do what's right for the Altan family. I took a deep breath as I ascended Beacon Tower. Focus. Don't let the nervousness get to you. This is just like my visit to Professor Oobleck and my research. Even if that meeting was mainly to satiate my curiosity more than anything else. Okay, I just need to keep my mind off of the meeting to come. Let's do that.

A sigh escaped me. But at the same time… It's remarkable, knowing that I've come closer to anyone else to finding the fantasma velos. This has been an issue that affected the Altan family for generations, and for the first time in forever, we know exactly what to do. We have a face to the one creating all of the Stand users: the Cupid. We have a general idea of why it's doing it, and that someone is controlling it from the shadows. Ruby's team is close to cornering the mastermind and taking back the fantasma velos. For the first time in forever, the Altan family is close to reclaiming the artifact and ending the curse that has plagued us. We can return the world to how it was back before the Great War: without knowledge of the great and dangerous power the fantasma velos holds.

My eyes flickered to the floor indicator. Still some ways to go. But then again, will the world really ever be the same? The damage has already been done. The Cupid has already turned several students into Stand users, not to mention who knows how many civilians out there. If we take away the power to create Stand users, we can be certain that there won't be any new ones. But times have changed. How well can we hide the Arrow away from the rest of the world?

The CCT… I let my eyelids close shut. The wild plains of information. Nothing stays forgotten on there. Even with the Headmaster's efforts to quell anything remotely connected to Stands, it might not be enough to keep the Arrow hidden forever. No doubt knowledge of the Arrow will eventually leak, and when it does, people will come looking for it. Another sigh escaped me. Us Altans managed to hide the fantasma velos for generations. It's a secret that's lasted centuries, millennia most likely. But can we keep the Stand Arrow hidden in this modern day and age? Is it worth trying to rebury an open secret?

Before I could think about the issue any further, the elevator let out a chime, followed by the elevator doors opening to an expansive office. The gray-haired man sitting behind the desk looked up right then and there before standing up. "Good morning, Ms. Altan. I've heard a lot from Ms. Rose." He gave me a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"A—and to you, too." I bowed to him back.

The Headmaster smiled. "Please, come and have a seat." He gestured to a counter to the side with coffee and kettles for tea as I sat down. "Would you like a drink?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you. I'm fine. However, I think that we should get going with our discussion." I laced my fingers together. "We need to discuss what happens to the Arrow once it is retrieved."

"That's right, we do."

"I'm glad we agree on this. However, I won't be discussing the details. I'm just a messenger for the head of my family, someone to physically be there at the negotiation tables." I pulled out my scroll and hit a few buttons before placing the device on the table. "However, the actual negotiations will happen with the matriarch of the family, my great-aunt Carna."

A hologram flickered above the table, quickly forming the familiar face of my grandmother. "Is it on? I'm not seeing anything on my end— Oh! I'm getting an image now. I see the camera's working at the very least. Arslan, is the sound coming through fine?"

"Yes, it is," I replied.

"Ah… good." She glanced down at the Headmaster, who kept a stoic face as he looked at the woman in question. Carna smiled. "Good afternoon, although I suppose it is early in the morning for Vale." She nodded her head. "I am Carna Altan, leader of the Altan family. And I suppose that you are the representative for Vale once the Arrow has been reacquired?"

"That position will definitely fall to me, I suppose," the man chuckled. "As for me, I am Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy. A pleasure to meet you, Carna."

"And to you, too. It is an exciting moment to meet a fellow Stand user and be able to talk on even terms for once." My grauntie let out a hearty laugh. "You must understand, it is a shock that for once a decent person with Stand powers isn't using them for nefarious purposes. And I do trust my grand niece's judgment. So I apologize ahead of time if I get on edge because of anything you say. It's a force of habit more than anything else."

The smallest of smiles crawled up the Headmaster's face. "There's nothing to apologize for. If anything, I must apologize that this entire situation affected your family for so long." He shook his head. "But I'm sure you didn't come here for apologies. You came here to discuss."

"Yes, yes… We shouldn't dawdle any longer. Let me lay everything out in a clear manner." The elderly woman straightened her back. "The Altan family wishes to make a deal with all of the Kingdoms for the Arrow. As you see, my family from my grandparents to my grandchildren have been guarding the fantasma velos. Ever since we lost it, we dedicated our lives to fighting other Stand users and protecting this world from the Stands, waiting for the day when we can reclaim the artifact. And from the sounds of it, that day has arrived."

Grauntie Carna laced her fingers together. "I think it's understandable that as the guardians of the Stand Arrow, we want to be assured that it will be dealt with safely, as to prevent any further incidents. Our family's greatest mistake… we do not want it repeated by those who know nothing. So that's we ask for now. Once the Arrow is secured, we want to make sure that the rest of the Kingdoms understand that we will be part of these discussions."

"Hmm… Now that's interesting. That was what I was going to suggest," the Headmaster chuckled. "It's hard deliberating about this, but after thinking this situation through, I would agree that we must actively address it. We won't be able to hide this any longer. We must speak earnestly about this to the other Kingdoms." He took a sip from his mug. "Or more importantly, we at least need to discuss this with the only other Kingdom who actively knows about the Arrow: Atlas."

The Headmaster let out a sigh. "Of course, we'll have this discussion with all of the Kingdoms eventually. However, Atlas is going to be a major priority. I personally have my suspicions that Atlas wants to use the Arrow and take advantage of Stands."

He held his hand up before Grauntie Carna or I could speak up. "Before you two say anything, let me say that I don't think that Atlas isn't doing what you might think they're doing. I don't think that they intend to use the Stands for their own personal gain or for global domination. I've had several talks with General Ironwood, and I can assure you both that he isn't someone who would abuse these powers. However, I don't want another Stand user to be born in this world. I'm sure you would agree with this sentiment, Carna."

She nodded. "Hmm… I do agree. Strong-willed individuals are dangerous enough people, even without Stands. But when their ambitions are backed by power… well, my family has seen the effects of that firsthand. But it's nice to know just who is important in the conversation about the Arrow." My grauntie took in a deep breath. "So, with that being said, when are you planning to have a meeting with this General?"

"Tomorrow evening, say… seven o'clock Vale Standard Time?" The Headmaster sat up. "It's a time where activity starts to lull and I can talk to the General without worrying about getting cut off by other work. I think that having you there will help facilitate the conversation on the Arrow."

"Oh, I just don't think that will do," Grauntie Carna sighed, shaking her head. "I'm afraid this old body isn't as energetic as it used to be. I don't think I would be able to keep myself awake that long, unfortunately." She raised a finger up. "However, I do think this is a better time than anything else. So, I will have my grand-niece Arslan serve as the spokesperson for the Altan family during your meeting with Atlas."

My eyes widened, turning to look at the hologram image. What? A cheeky grin grew on the woman's face. What is she thinking? Is Grauntie Carna really going to have me be the one doing all of the talking—

"So you would like Arslan to do the negotiations for you?" the Headmaster asked. He raised an eyebrow. "Is she prepared for this?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have made this choice if I thought otherwise." The old woman sat back in a chair I couldn't see. "She's the one with the most experience with the current situation, she's currently in Vale with you, and she has the willpower to go through with the negotiations. Of all of the family members I am in contact with right now, I can say with honesty that I trust that Arslan can represent the family during your talk with Atlas."

Ozpin went quiet for a moment. "I see." He nodded his head, before turning to me. "Is that fine with you?"

I nodded, feeling my stomach twist in a knot. This… this was unexpected. I didn't think that I would be doing this. I might have an understanding of the plan, but can I do a good enough job to convince Atlas to step aside…? I sighed. If Grauntie Carna trusts me to do it, then I will. I glanced up at the man. "It is. I see no issue with it."

"Alright then. I believe that will be all to the conversation, then." The Headmaster nodded his head. "It's an honor meeting with you, Carna. I hope we get the chance to talk again."

"As do I, Ozpin. As do I."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Let's get right into the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **Guest: I'm going to keep the answer to that a secret. You'll find out soon enough.**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! I hoped you like the fight!**

 **doa5700047: Nice, doa. That's pretty good. I've never had the patience to make poetry to the extent you've done it (I like the smaller ones) but man, it takes some creativity to make it work. And I'd say you pulled it off well. Kudos to you!**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **Next Chapter Update: June 8, 2018**


	38. Waiting for the Snake

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **There isn't much to say this week either. So let's just get straight into the chapter! Thanks to my beta reader again for all they've done for me!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

"You can't be serious," Weiss groaned.

Jaune shook his head. "I wish I wasn't. But it's true. Ciel's a Stand user, and after what she did to me, we really need to worry about what happens next."

I looked around. The three of us were standing in line at one of the booths: Z.A.B. Candyman. From the looks of it they sell cotton candy popcorn and other various types of festival candy delights. If it was any other time, I would be awestruck at the existence of this sugary heaven. I mean, they have a strawberry shortcake sugar cookie pie! And it's like, the size of my head! Oh man, I would love to dig into something like that!

But at the same time, I can't help but be on edge. We're putting ourselves in danger staying in the area. After all, wasn't Jaune found by Ciel here half an hour ago? The last thing we need right now is Ciel or some other Stand user attacking us. Plus, Jaune looks suspicious and out of place. My eyes flickered to the almost dripping wet boy, eyes almost bloodshot and his neck red from his fight with Ciel. I can feel people's eyes bore into the back of our heads. We should avoid any more attention while we still can.

"Hey, Jaune?" He turned to look at me. "Don't you think it's a good idea to go somewhere else? Or at least get you into some dry clothes?" I glanced around to see a few people staring at the three of us. Or more specifically, staring at Jaune. They looked away the moment I met their eyes. "We're getting some weird looks, and I don't think it's going to end well—"

"It'll be fine, Ruby." A gentle smile grew across his face. "It's only going to be for awhile. I wrung out my clothes earlier, and **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** is doing everything it can to prevent the water from making a mess. I can easily go to a bathroom and use one of those air dryers to dry out my clothes and hair once I'm done. Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it—"

"Well, shouldn't you be doing that first?" my partner asked. "Why are we waiting in line for this—" Weiss gestured towards the booth. "—This candy booth? Why not focus on drying yourself off?"

"Stubbornness, I guess," he shrugged. "I promised to get my team cotton candy popcorn balls. Sorta like a celebration treat for everyone. I didn't want to forget that I made the promise to them. And an Arc never goes back on his word." He winced after he said that, instinctually reaching for his throat before pulling back. His hand started shaking. "I want to at least do this thing for my teammates. They— they deserve it."

I raised my eyebrow. "Jaune, are you okay? I mean, Weiss can buy the treats for you if you're not up for it. After all, you just had a near—"

"Trust me, I'll be fine." The boy closed his eyes. "I'll recover from this. Just like how we recovered from the others."

A sigh escaped my mouth. "Okay." We stood in silence for a while, moving up bit by bit. "So…" I started. "I think we should talk about what Ciel's actions could mean. After all, I thought Atlas was supposed to be working with the city to protect Vale and the Amity. Why would they go after the Arrow and attack us out of nowhere?"

The blond boy hummed. "Well, she claimed that Atlas didn't know exactly who was friend and who was foe. When she figured out that I had powers like her, she went after me. So I'm thinking that Ciel got her powers recently, probably last Wednesday during the simulation." Jaune sighed. "But it's weird how Atlas only wants to learn about how the Arrow works. Ciel said something about needing to know exactly what the Arrow can do. The hope would be that if another situation with the Arrow happens in the future, then people can actually do something about it."

"Yeah… huh." I placed my hand on my chin. "That makes a little sense… Wait. Actually… no it doesn't. If that's what Atlas wanted the entire time, wouldn't they say something about it to the Headmaster? I mean, they are in Vale right now to make the city safer. Wouldn't the Headmaster receive a report from them and figure it out from there? Why are they trying to search for the Arrow by themselves?"

"Yeah, it's weird," Jaune sighed. "I'm not really sure, myself. Still, we can't let Atlas mess with our plans, unintentionally or not. Ruby, could you call the Headmaster and tell him about that? And Weiss, could you text everyone else to stay clear of Ciel?"

We both nodded our heads. "We'll do that," I said, pulling out my scroll and dialing up Headmaster Ozpin.

The professor picked up within an instant. "Good morning, Ms. Rose. Has your day been going well?"

"Yup, but well… something came up. Jaune just got attacked by a user here on the Amity Colosseum. But that's not the only problem. The thing is, the attacker happens to be working for Atlas. Her name is Ciel… Soleil?" I looked at Jaune, who nodded his head. "Atlas is trying to get the Arrow themselves for some reason, and Jaune got caught in the crossfire."

A sigh escaped from the speaker. "Oh dear. That _is_ an unexpected event. I need you to fill me in on Ms. Soleil as best as possible. What does she look like, what is her personality, what kind of Stand ability does she have, questions like that." I did so, saying as much as I can remember off the top of my head, with Jaune occasionally interrupting with a point of his own. Once I was finished, the Headmaster let out a sharp breath. "Thank you for that. I'll try to have a discussion with the Headmaster of Atlas Academy about this. Are the rest of your teammates safe?"

"Yup. They're good right now. We haven't found anything this morning aside from Ciel, but we'll continue on with our search soon enough."

"Thank you for the call, then. Have a good day." I ended the call and glanced at the others.

"So," I started. "What are we doing to do about Ciel? She's eventually going to come back and find you, Jaune. And yeah, even if you got lucky that she ran out of time before, there's no way she's going to let that happen a second time. She'll probably let her own teammates move up and hunt you down herself."

"I know." Jaune let out a sigh. "But as far as I know, her ability is only dangerous whenever I make an agreement or a favor with her. As long as we watch what we're saying, then she can't bind us with her **「** **LAST BREATH.** **」** Without the ability, it's just a punch ghost. Or I guess more of a punch snake." His shoulders sagged. "I really don't want to face her again. But I don't think it'll go that bad as long as I'm careful." He shot a grin at us. "We'll make it out okay, just like we always do."

"Right." I glanced at the line. "Oh! We're close to the front! So you said you were going to buy what from this place?"

"Cotton candy popcorn balls," he responded.

That caused me to raise an eyebrow. "I saw it on the menu, but I'm not really sure about it. What's that?"

"Wait, you haven't tried these? Well…"

* * *

A pale blue light glowed from the holographic monitor as I typed up the details of the Stand user Ms. Rose described to me. Ciel Soleil… Atlesian native, leader of team CPPR at Atlas Academy. Brilliant prodigy from the looks of her previous school records. And recently turned Stand user. Unless I'm wrong about this, she must be the specialist James was talking about last week. I let out a sigh as I ran my hands through my hair. My gods… yet another person affected by the Arrow. And instead of figuring out how to bury it, James wants to put the world at risk just to learn about it. He's is serious about playing with fire, isn't he?

Before I could continue my thought process, my desk rang. Huh? I looked down to see a flashing phone button with a picture of Qrow. Oh. Is it time for the meeting already? I glanced at a nearby clock. It is.

I answered the call, revealing him sitting at a cafe. He seemed to have a mug of coffee in front of him. Outside the view of the camera, I could hear Specialist Schnee speaking to someone else. I adjusted my collar. "Good morning, Qrow," I started, lacing my fingers together. "I assume you're making a status report?"

"Yup. You'll like the good news." My former student shifted his weight. "Winter and I think we found the person you're looking for. How we found her was interesting, to say the least. We were following a lead on the White Fang when we saw her climb out of an abandoned picture frame, without the backing and all. The compass pointed straight at her the moment she climbed out, so we tailed her. We found her in this cafe paying for a meal of a little child. Winter's currently talking to her. I'll show you what she looks like."

The camera feed blurred for a moment before refocusing on the Specialist and the girl in question. She had shoulder-length brown hair and a tan complexion. She's wearing a white corset with a brown leather vest above it. She had a slightly nervous look, with her hand resting on a pauldron she had on her shoulder. She's fairly young, maybe two years older than a Beacon graduate. At her side was a retractable staff with a hollow spiral casing. Likely a place to insert a Dust crystal for fighting.

"We're trying to confirm whether or not we actually got the right person." Qrow let out a scoff as he turned the camera back to his face. "Even with that display, I'm trying to figure out if what she just did is actually teleportation like Raven. And it's harder to convince her to do it again." He sighed. "I would rather not go through so many hoops to make sure, but if we're sure it's not a Semblance, then I think we might have your person."

"That's excellent news, Qrow." A smile crawled across my face. Whew… we were lucky, after all. For once Fortune smiled upon us. All we have to do is move her somewhere relatively safe until we can root out the Cupid, White Fang, and the masterminds behind it all. But getting this girl will put a damper on her plans—

"Oh, Ozpin? Maybe I've spoken too soon. I think we might have a problem." I glanced back at the screen. Qrow started looking a bit worried. "The girl's not really reacting well to the news. Winter's losing control of the situation. I gotta step in and help her sort it out. I'll send a message about anything else we learn. See ya later, Oz." Before I could say anything more, the call ended.

I stared blankly at the empty screen. What just happened? Qrow said something about the girl not reacting well. What could he mean by that? A sigh escaped my mouth. I hope Qrow and Winter can handle the situation properly. We need to get her to safety before somebody else finds her. If she is the person we're looking for.

I turned back to my desk, reached over for my keyboard and stopped, before letting out a long sigh. Oh right, I forgot to ask Qrow to at least give me the name of the girl in question. I'll just have him text it to me once he and Winter get a grasp on the situation. But for now, I'll just focus on another matter I have to deal with. I started inputting a number into my desk.

A portrait of James' face appeared on the screen, followed by the sounds of a call dialing. I tapped against the side of the desk while I waited for the call to go through. To be honest, there's not a lot to be angry about. James did say that he was going to do an investigation of his own. And I always had the suspicion that he managed to get a Stand user of his own, especially with how quickly he was able to concede to my wishes to keep everything quiet. But there's no way we can allow any conflict between our two teams to happen. It's already bad enough as it is trying to root out the individuals who plan on committing an act of terrorism.

The screen let out a high-pitched 'beep' before fading into James' face. "Ozpin," the man started. "What a surprise. I didn't expect you to call so soon after our previous meeting."

"Admittedly, I didn't either." I adjusted my glasses. "But of course, sometimes new things come up, things important enough that we have to discuss it." I leaned forwards. "This concerns your specialist, or should I say Stand user?"

That caused James' face to stiffen. "I'm not quite sure about what you're talking about—"

"This morning one of the individuals hunting down the Cupid was attacked by a Ciel Soleil. This individual was appointed and approved by me. She used her Stand ability to strongarm my person into working for her, although they managed to get away." I shook my head. "Frankly, I find this disappointing. We are allies, unofficial though we may be, and our operatives attacked each other in the name of searching for the Arrow. It is unacceptable to have this kind of infighting between the two of us, especially when the threat of an attack looms above us. So I think it's about time we revisit the Arrow issue and hash out an agreement now."

"Normally, I would be inclined to agree. After all, you were the one who decided to put a hold on negotiations." James adjusted his weight. "However, Ozpin, unless you have changed your mind about recklessly burying something we don't know, I can't make any agreements."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Can't, or won't?"

The man took a sharp breath in. "So have you changed your mind about this? Do you now understand that we need to learn about the Arrow to understand it in a new light?"

"Well, I think we can figure something out. I've talked to a representative of the Mistralian family in charge of protecting the Arrow. The one I said was supposed to guard it at all costs. I had a conversation with her, and I think we can come to an agreement here." I gestured to the elevator. "In fact, I've called her to join us right around now. I hope you don't mind."

"No, no." James shook his head. "If anything, this is good. I'm glad you can see reason for once, Ozpin. So, if you don't mind me asking, who is this individual that we're meeting?"

A ding escaped through the PA, followed by the elevator doors opening. Out stepped the team leader of ABRN. "Come in, Ms. Altan. You're right on time." She nodded, stepping into my office and taking a seat in front of my desk. "Let me introduce her to you, James. This is Arslan Altan, leader of ABRN and representative of the Altan family."

"Thank you, sir. I'll take the introductions from here." She sat up in her seat. "As said before, I am Arslan, only child of Maceti Altan and Tallow Altan. My family is the guardians of fantasma velos, or the Stand Arrow in the modern tongue. I'll refer to the artifact as the Arrow for simplicity. My family has been searching for the Arrow for generations, you see. Ever since we lost it during the Great War. And although we haven't had possession of the Arrow for eighty years, it is still our responsibility to deal with anyone or anything related to it."

"Which brings us to this meeting," she continued. "Normally, the eldest member of the Altan family would be the one to negotiate and make decisions involving the Arrow. That would be my great-aunt in this case. However, neither she or any of my living relatives are in any position to fly over to Vale and discuss this in person. Which leaves me to be my great-aunt's messenger. I've discussed this issue with her, and we generally agreed that while we want custody of the Arrow first and foremost, we are open to the idea of modernizing and allowing others to perform experiments on the artifact."

"Ah." James nodded his head. "Those are… acceptable terms. We are willing to acknowledge the Altan's ownership of the Arrow, as long as Atlas has the rights to use it for testing—"

"I didn't state any of the actual terms yet." Ms. Altan raised her hand up. "They are as follows. One: every Kingdom's Council will acknowledge the sovereignty of the Altans and that the Arrow exclusively belongs to us. While we might be Mistralian natives, the issue of the Arrow transcend all allegiances to our respective Kingdoms. We will not be pawns for any Kingdom to benefit from. Two: any and all research concerning the Arrow must be done in the company of at least two members of the Altan family and representatives from all four Kingdoms." I wrinkled my brow. This is already getting extreme—

"Three: under no circumstances can any new Stand users be formed in any of these experiments or the time between experiments. Four: any current Stand user and everyone who knows about the Arrow must swear an oath of secrecy and passivity, where they cannot reveal or use anything learned in any experiment performed, nor use their abilities, for their own selfish means. Five: any Stand user who refuses to cooperate with the oath will be hunted down and killed if necessary." She sighed. "Our family thinks that this is the best offer we can give others. It already compromises the safety of many for just this much. As such, these terms are non-negotiable. Anything less then that and we will not accept."

We stood in silence as we mulled upon what she just said. Without a doubt, this is a deal that I would readily accept. We return the Arrow to its rightful owners, and James gets the chance to study the Arrow, just like he wanted to. But at the same time, I'm not sure how James would react to such a deal. What she's suggesting is difficult to swallow, especially for a man like James. Ms. Altan is asking him to give up a lot of power and control, and who knows whether this is enough to satisfy him.

I stared at James' face, which contorted as conflicting feelings flashed in his eyes. It's almost impossible to figure out what's running through his mind right now. Eventually, the man sighed. "This is a difficult choice. Do know that I have to consider both what you are saying, Ms. Altan and add that to the fact that Atlas needs to work with Vale to stop the Cupid at the current moment. So forgive me for my hesitation. You are asking a lot from Atlas and giving us so little."

"In my opinion, that's a necessity. Stand powers should not exist in this world, period. Stand users to this day can have enough power to be classified as a weapon of mass destruction. Just one Stand user losing control is enough to cause a lot of damage. The attack on Unity Amphitheater is a clear example of that."

The girl adjusted her seat. "And the Headmaster did mention how the person masterminding all of this has an ability that, if left unchecked, can destroy civilization. Is that not enough of a reason for all of these precautions? Knowledge is only worth the risk if the risk can be minimized. You said you wanted to learn about the Arrow. This is how you can learn without risking the lives of so many people."

James let out a huff, followed by a sigh. "… I don't like this deal one bit. So many lives are at stake, and this deal effectively strongarms Atlas and all of the Kingdoms into submission. These conditions, while reasonable, effectively give the Altan family much more power than they should have. What makes us think that the Altans won't try to take power once this crisis is over?"

"We don't have political aspirations." Arslan rested her hands on her lap. "Our family have always been servants, and we believe with all of our hearts that we will handle the dirty work if it means keeping everyone else's hands clean. Our terms help us adapt to a more modern world. Something that we admittedly failed to do eighty years ago. All we want is to right the mistakes of the past. Nothing more."

That got my colleague thinking. "Hmm… Noble. It's a rare trait these days." He waved the thought away. "But don't mind the comment. Thank you for the clarification on the matter. But hmm… I want to negotiate this at a later time, when we don't have as much to worry about. However, I will agree to one of your terms right now: the first one. If the Kingdom of Atlas was to recognize the Altan's ownership of Arrow, will that be enough to satisfy your family until we can properly negotiate?"

Arslan let out a hum. "This is something I will have to mention to my great-aunt… however, knowing that the family artifact will return to us is a comforting thought. I personally cannot make this agreement myself, but I see nothing wrong with accepting your offer now, followed by a proper discussion once everything dies down. I'll get in contact with them and tell you what our decision is tomorrow."

The man nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Ms. Altan. Now, if there isn't anything else that needs to be mentioned… I'll be off."

"That's all I want to discuss, James," I said. "I'm sure that we'll trade information on what we have on the Cupid once we can formalize this deal. But I assume that Ciel won't try anything else?"

James nodded his head. "I'll discuss this with her and tell her to restrain herself from now on. By the time I get to her, she won't be an issue for your team."

"That's all I ask. Have a wonderful day, James."

"And to you, as well. Goodbye, Ozpin. Ms. Altan." The call ended, leaving just me and Ms. Altan alone in my office.

I nodded my head. "That went better than I expected. I honestly thought that this conversation would break down. Thankfully James decided to bite his pride down for the greater good. This should prevent any more conflicts, conflicts that we don't need." I looked at Arslan. "Are you sure that your family will accept this?"

"They understand more than anyone else that desperate situations call for desperate measures. The ultimatum was a bluff, after all. Every statement we made were just our ideal wishes, not our actual terms, per say. The fact that we managed to get the first promise and a chance to negotiate on proper terms is wonderful." She stood up before bowing down to me. "Thank you for giving the Altan family this opportunity. We will not forget your kindness. Now if you excuse me, I need to get back to my team and take care of them."

"Go ahead."

Long after Arslan left, I leaned back and let out a sigh. What I need now more than ever is a break. A long break. I should go for another walk. It's been way too long since I walked anywhere besides around the office. Too much work with the Vytal Festival. I took up my cane and started towards the elevator. Maybe I should walk to the fairgrounds and enjoy the festive atmosphere. After two weeks of being stuck in a tight space, it would be a nice change of pace.

Just as I was about to reach for the elevator button, I changed my mind, instead walking towards a window as I holstered my cane. While I'm at that, why not enjoy a bit of excitement? I pushed it open and pulled myself out, stepping on one of the ledges.

The window was closed behind me and locked, as if a mysterious force was still in the room with me. " _Sir,_ " a familiar voice whispered behind me. " _It's been awhile since you tried anything like this. Are you sure this is a good idea?_ "

"I could use a bit of practice." I pushed my glasses up on my face. "After all, despite what we do, there's a chance that everything could still go wrong. I need to be at my best if I want to fight again."

" _And are you sure that this will not end poorly for you?_ "

"You've never failed me," I responded. "Not back then, and certainly not now." I closed my eyes. "I trust that you'll protect me no matter what." Before my Stand could respond, I let myself tip over, sending myself careening down towards the ground. Despite the dangerous situation, I kept my eyes closed and allowed myself to fall. There's nothing to worry about, after all. Nothing will stop my **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** from doing whatever it takes to fix the past.

My breath stopped for a moment as I felt myself suspended in mid-air. Hands grabbed and pulled me down. The next thing I knew, my feet were standing on something solid. Start. I opened my eyes to see myself standing on the bottom of the CCT tower, with no one in sight. Ahh… I took in a deep breath. I still got it. After stretching my limbs, I took out my cane and hummed a tune to myself as I made my way towards the fairgrounds.

* * *

 _Momo let out a long sigh as she sat on the rickety houseboat with Muerba and an old fisherman. "Takumi-san, you didn't need to do this for us. After all, you out of all people must be aware of who we are."_

" _I do," the man nodded, continuing to row regardless. "Rumors pass around quickly, especially with the recent decree moving through the land. One hundred and fifteen thousand yen… From the sounds of it, Lord Mamushi really wants you two dead for what happened to his brother. I always had my doubts about the decree, but I want to hear it from the source. Was the murder of Lord Etsumi by your hand?"_

" _No. We were framed," Muerba said simply. "We gave up the life of killing long ago, and we were living as farmers far away from the palaces when the assassination took place."_

" _Hmm. I see." The man continued rowing. "I have no reason not to believe you. I'll take your word as is."_

" _Really?" Momo shot up to her feet. "Just like that? You'll believe our word over the word of your lord?"_

" _Of course," Takumi grunted. "I'm convinced of your innocence. Like I said, stories travel far. And from the small village of Kuwa, I've heard the praises of a young couple that just moved in. A couple that stopped a group of bandits from extorting Kuwa into bankruptcy. A couple that gave back to the villagers and showed kindness even as the former assassins of the infamous Kobura clan. A couple so endeared that said villagers pleaded with every fisherman that passed by to take them to the coast and escape the islands. We common folk might be dumb, but we have our eyes on everything happening. And kindness is treated with kindness."_

 _Momo bowed. "Thank you, Takumi-san. We are honored to hear that."_

" _It is my honor." The man glanced up at the sky. "The sun is about to go down. I think it's best to stop here. You two go ahead and sleep first. This is a wonderful spot to catch sweetfish."_

 _Both Momo and Muerba nodded, heading into the boathouse. "What do you think about the man?" Muerba asked as they slipped into the futon. "Do you think he's trustworthy, even after what he said?"_

 _The woman nodded. "He seems simple, but he has a surprising amount of wisdom. There's nothing but honesty in his words. I think he will fulfill his promise to get us out of here." She pulled herself into Muerba's chest and gave her partner a kiss. "I'll take first watch in a couple of hours. But let's enjoy ourselves tonight. Just the two of us, okay?"_

 _Muerba let out a hum, nuzzling his partner. "Yeah."_

"Hey Blake."

I shot a glare at my partner. The two of us sat in the lounge together. The projector was set to the Vytal Festival tournament. From the looks of it, it was team CPPR vs LPIS. There was that Penny girl that insisted Ruby was her friend swinging around her levitating swords, just decimating the other team. Aside from us, no one else was in the room with us. "If you're going to comment on Ninjas of Love yet again, I swear to gods—"

"What? I wouldn't do that!" I continued to stare a hole into Yang's forehead. "Okay, _normally_ I would. I mean, granted, you make it way too easy. How can I not tease you about it? But that's not the point! Weiss sent me a text a couple of minutes ago, and well… you have to see this."

She showed me her scroll. _Everyone, take care to avoid Ciel Soleil at all costs,_ the text read. _She just attacked Jaune. While he's okay, his fight took a toll on him. We know that she's a Stand user. We're trying to keep her focus on the Amity Colosseum, but we can't guarantee everyone's safety. If you find her, do not answer any of her questions. Her Stand will choke you if you do. -Weiss._

"Who's Ciel Soleil?" I asked.

"And with that final knockout, the team moving onto the next round is team CPPR from Atlas Academy!" Yang just pointed at the screen. The camera was currently focused on a dark-skinned girl in a light blue button-up dress and combat skirt. She adjusted her beret and glanced at her watch while the rest of her team gave polite waves to the rest of the audience. "That is some sheer efficiency that team leader Ciel Soleil showed here today, don't you think Peter?"

I pointed at the screen. "It's her we have to worry about?" Yang nodded. That's… that's not good. Somebody with that much discipline is concerning, to say the least. I mean, she managed to put Jaune in a hard position, and he arguably has the most experience on our team, next to Ruby. If she can do that to him…

We sat there in silence as we absorbed this information. "Well…" Yang started. "I guess we should continue our search, then."

I nodded, standing up with Yang. "Right. We've already searched all of the team dorms from Vale as well as the ones from every Stand user we're aware of. So, what's next? Who are we searching this time around?"

"From the looks of it…" My partner glanced at her scroll. "CMEN's next on our list." She swallowed a laugh. "Heh… ahh, that never gets old. But yeah. We're checking them now."

"Their room is fairly close to here, right?"

"Yeah, I think. Room 314. That's in this hallway, I think." I nodded, glancing at each door. Room 304, 306, 308… 314! We stopped in front of the room in question.

"So…" Yang nodded her head. "I guess it's all you now. I'll just be standing here then." I sighed as **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** appeared behind me. Here we go… breaking into people's rooms again.

I pushed my head into the door, merging with it in the process. Almost immediately after that, I drove my hand under the bottom part of the door and pulled myself to the other side. And like that, I'm in the room in maybe half a second. I stepped out of the door and glanced around at the room in question.

My nose wrinkled in an instant. Ugh! It just reeks in here! Ack— I gagged and pinched my nose. Tears ran down my eyes at the odor invading my nostrils. It's so disgusting and foul— There's no way four people can reek up the room after only a couple of months! Oh my gods… I can't take it! My eyes shot towards the closed window. Air! **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** shot towards the glass and shoved it open.

I let out a large gasp as a fresh breeze tumbled into the room. Oh my gods! Fresh air! I waved my hand over my face, airing out the room as best as I could. Whew, I can finally breathe. But that smell… that was horrible. What could've caused this horrible, horrible smell?

For the first time since I came in, I took a look around the room. My eyes widened. Oh wow. The first thing I noticed were the clothes on the ground. So, so many clothes. Both men's and women's clothes were laying around their owner's respective beds in various states of cleanliness, ranging from worn maybe once to unremovable stains actually changing the original color. It's like they've never used detergent or something. A pair of white gloves sat on top of one of the beds with some kind of weird rune etching on it. Almost cultish in a sense.

I felt my face contort. This room's disgusting. They don't use a laundry bin for all of their dirty clothes? Then there were these bits of leftover food and wrappers on the ground— And I swear I can smell something oily. I sniffed once before scowling. Yeah, that's oil. I didn't know that was a thing. After seeing all this, I don't mind Weiss' compulsive cleanliness so much. How can anyone live in an environment like this?

And I thought CMEN were weird people before. This is a new level of unusual about them. I thought that they would care at least a little bit about keeping things clean. They look like they take care of themselves with how they dress up and everything. So why is their room an absolute mess? I shook my head. You know what? It doesn't matter right now, because I need to search for any signs of the Cupid.

I glanced at the roof. Surprisingly enough, there wasn't anything suspicious or disgusting up on the ceiling. I almost expected there to be a bit of mold growing over them. Maybe outside? I glanced out of the window. Nothing really seems off. The leaves were turning an assortment of orange and red, but that's about it. Desks? I glanced at all of the bookshelves and rifled through all of their desk drawers. Mercury's desk had mainly comic books. Emerald had a decent collection of short stories and novels. Cinder surprisingly didn't have a lot of books on her shelf aside from the normal textbooks and—some book that I don't recognize. And the last bookcase is empty. Just more of Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury's clothes. It's like their last team member never existed.

Where else can I search? I let out a hum. Maybe the closet? But then again, we only searched someone's closet when we had someone's permission. Just rummaging through someone's closet without permission feels… wrong. But then again, we can't exactly ask CMEN for permission, and we can't prove that they're innocent. I sighed. I guess I have to do it.

The moment I stepped forwards, a crashing noise in front of me caught my attention. What the— I looked at the closet door. Is it just me, or did the noise come from in there? There's no way… is it possible? I slowly crept towards the door, bringing out my Stand. If the Cupid's really in there, can I attack it in time? Can I land the killing blow before it can hurt anyone else? My hand shook as I reached for the handle. I'll throw the door open at the count of three. What happens happens. One… two… I held my breath. Three!

 **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** rushed in ahead of me as I flung the door aside. My eyes widened. What the— I stared into the empty closet. Nothing. There's nothing in here. The only thing that I could make out were the several scratches on the sides of the closet, all in single strokes. Not claw-like at all. That's weird… What could've caused these scratches? The only thing I could think could do this is the Cupid, so it might be hiding here. I leaned my head in. Don't see the Cupid hiding. And it doesn't look like there's any way out of this closet, like an air vent or something. Maybe I misheard. But if that's the case, what could've caused that sound?

But that's strange. They have a perfectly empty closet. I let out a hum as I closed it. Why don't any of team CMEN store any of their clothes and items here? Even the dirty ones? I mean it's a lot better than keeping them out in the open. I turned around. But I guess if there isn't anything else, I'll just leave. I closed the door and started back for the entrance. We'll just check on the next room—

My eye fell towards the unmarked book. Hmm… Why is it unlabeled? Maybe the ink wore away over the years. But maybe I should check and see what's in here anyway. I grabbed it off of the shelf and started flipping through it. You never know what it might have— My eyes narrowed. Huh? I'm staring at what looks like a sketchbook, which explains the reason it had no title. But the images on here—

I stared at the surprisingly detailed drawings. Some of them were landscape drawings, others focused on architecture, like an unusual-shaped fountain. But after a certain point, there was an increasing amount of pictures of people. And not just regular portraits. There were deformed faces, eyes with no irises, grotesque bodies with warts and acne and sores oozing with who knows what, so on and so forth. I stared at this with amazement and horror.

Oh my gods… this is kinda messed up. But for some reason I can't stop staring. Even though each person looked grotesque, something about their posture, their facial expression is so distinctly… Remnan. Like they were actual people. I assume Cinder drew these. And I have to admit, she can put a photographer to shame with these skills. But why draw this?

Something rubbed against my fingers as I made it to the end of the book. What the— I glanced at the black substance on my fingertips. Is this… charcoal? I glanced at the image, and my jaw dropped. Forget what Cinder used to draw the image. What in the world am I staring at?

The last page had an intricate drawing of an hourglass with a particular rune-like engraving on the wooden top. In the bottom bulb were the faces of several Remnans, all in a state of terror. They all clawed against the glass, as if trying to escape.

Above them was a dark, grimy liquid, dripping towards them. But the weird thing is that the people actually hit by the oily substance weren't panicking in the picture. They were calm, almost ecstatic in fact. Even as the black liquid wrapped around them, they held hands, laughed, smiled. They were happy they were going to sink into the liquid. To finish it off, there was some sort of baby hand grasping the hourglass, who tipped it over and caused all this.

I blinked a couple of times after I took in the image. I'm getting a lot of conflicting feelings. What in the world is this about? How is this a good thing? Why would something like this be drawn? It's so… bizarre. Could it mean something? I don't know… maybe it's nothing, but I'll take a picture of it. My scroll scanned the page in question. It definitely caught my attention, alright. The book slid back into its original spot. Okay, if that's out of the way, I'll just take my… leave… My eyes glanced at the window, only to widen with surprise.

The Cupid stared back at me. It sat on the perch of the window, reaching for something on one of the beds. In its other hand, it waved around the one thing we've been looking for. The Arrow. What in the world— What is it doing here? No, how did it get there in the first place? Was it outside the entire time, and I just happened to let it back in? No matter. I got it in my sights.

"Yang," I whispered, knocking softly against the front door. "Stay quiet. The Cupid is sitting on the window sill right now. Text the rest of the team." I brought **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** out. "I'm going to try and take it down."

"You better hurry," she whispered back. "I can see people are coming back now. It's going to be a manner of time before Cinder and her team gets back." I let out a quiet hiss hearing that. It's right there in front of us. We can take it down now. But the sad part is that Yang's right. I don't have a lot of time. All I can do is jump in and hope that I don't fail too badly.

I started towards the monster, causing it to stand up onto its two feet. A growl escaped my mouth. "You're not going anywhere. I'm going to make sure that you stay here and you give us back the Arrow. Now, are you going to give it to us or not?"

In response, the Cupid let out a titter before jumping out of the window. My eyes widened. No! I jumped right after it, sinking my hand into the part of the wall right next to the window. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** closed the window in the meantime.

I glanced around the area. Come on… where are you… there! I spotted the creature a couple of meters below me. Something was off about how it was flying, though. It occasionally wobbled this time around, instead of smooth flying like back in the dorm. Did something happen to it? I shook my head. It doesn't matter. What matters right now is capturing this thing and taking the Arrow back!

I ripped my hand out of the wall, allowing gravity to drag me down towards my target. The Cupid stared at me in return, not really reacting to my approach. Maybe this is my chance. Claws shot out from **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS.** **」** I'll make a move right here and now! And then just like that, the Cupid waved its arms before diving to the ground and entering a nearby sewer grate. No! I slammed into the ground. We couldn't have lost it! We can't! It was right there!

My scroll rang. "Blake!" Yang exclaimed from the other side of the speaker. "You okay? Did you get it?"

"No." I let out a sigh. "It got away." I slammed my fist into the wall. "And we were so close! We could've gotten it right there!"

"Hey, look at the bright side. We know for sure that it's here in Beacon right now. We can easily pick up on its trail. Let me get to you. By the way, where did the thing go?"

I groaned. "It escaped through one of the storm drains. It's probably down there in the sewers."

That got a gasp out of Yang. "Sewers?" I heard a sigh escape the speaker. "Oh boy. That's not going to be fun. But don't worry. I'll get to you as soon as I can. See ya." The call ended.

We're so close now. I stared at the grate the Cupid entered. We know it's here. This thing doesn't have a lot of room left to work with. All we need to do now is track it down and take the Arrow.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without any incidents. And before we knew it, we were on the third day of the Vytal Festival. I shivered, pulling the strings of my hoodie tighter. My eyes flickered to the evening sky as it dipped towards twilight. And from the looks of it, nothing's going to happen today, either. I sat in the stadium with Ren. Nora and Pyrrha were on the field, fighting against two of the guys from team SSSN. I think it was Neptune and Sun? Yeah, that's right.

A yawn almost escaped my mouth as I watched the fight go on. Man, I wish I could be searching for the White Fang right now instead of sitting here. But it's necessary. I'd probably raise the suspicions of my team if I wasn't there to watch them. I mean, Weiss said that she'll be able to handle herself until the two v. two match between JNPR and SSSN was over. At the same time, it does worry me a bit. After all, Ciel's still out there.

Even the Headmaster's message about the deal taking place doesn't do much to put me at ease. They're still working on the agreement. Which means that within this timeframe, somebody could still get hurt by Ciel either unintentionally or intentionally. Knowing that we still aren't safe is just— I'm a little freaked out, to be honest. Hopefully nothing goes wrong.

"Jaune," Ren stated.

"Hmm?" I looked at him. "What is it?"

"Have you ever had a moment where you reflected back on your life? When you thought through everything that has happened so far?"

"Of course. All the time. Honestly, my life's gotten crazy ever since I decided I wanted to apply for Beacon. Why do you ask?"

Ren shrugged. "No reason. I guess watching Nora fighting just got me thinking. About back home at Mistral."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You guys used to be from Mistral, just like Pyrrha." I rested my hands against the back of my head. "It's kinda strange now that I think about it. Three people on a Valean team used to be from Mistral. I know that Pyrrha decided to move because she didn't like how she was put on a pedestal there. What about you and Nora? Why did you guys choose Beacon instead of Haven?"

"The story's... a little weird." Ren sat up a bit. "Did we tell you about how we were orphaned?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Alright then. So we spent a bit of time traveling all by ourselves after… we were orphaned. We originally wanted to go to the capital, where they would most likely have an orphanage."

The boy watched his partner fight. "But because we didn't know where to go, we actually went in the opposite direction, towards the southwestern coast. To make a long story short, we managed to make it to a port town, and we stowed ourselves in a boat. We thought the boat would take us to the city of Mistral. We ended up in Vale instead."

He rubbed the back of his head. "To answer your original question, it's not like we picked Haven over Beacon. We stranded ourselves in Vale, and Beacon happened to be the closest Huntsmen Academy we could get to. We didn't have any lien, either."

"Oh… huh." I nodded my head at that. "That makes sense." I sighed. "But yeah… it's pretty interesting to think about. The sound of the buzzer followed by the roars of the crowd caught my attention. Is the match over? I looked over to see my teammates battered and tired, yet victorious over the other team.

"And the match is over!" Port let out a chuckle. "Ladies and gentlemen, give a round of applause for team JNPR!"

I clapped with the rest of the audience as Pyrrha and Nora left the stadium. "It's almost scary seeing the two of them fight together," Ren said, nodding his head. "Pyrrha's like the scalpel of the team, while Nora's like the hammer. Together they can break through anything, don't you think?"

"True." I leaned my head against my arm. "Sometimes I'm convinced that these two could become a two-woman army. No need for us. Just Nora and Pyrrha is enough to break through anything."

My scroll started buzzing in my pocket. Oh, is somebody calling me? I pulled it out. "Hello?"

"Jaune Arc." My breath hitched in an instant. Ciel Soleil. She must've searched up my number yesterday. But this can't be happening… she's calling me right now. I can feel my heart beating faster. Now this is scary. Can her Stand ability work through calls? Do I want to risk it to find out?

Before I could say anything, the girl continued. "Before you say anything, let me say what I want to say. What happened yesterday was an error on my part. It was foolish to try and trap you. I'm not calling for such a thing this time. If anything, I want to extend an olive branch. I am currently in the maintenance rooms like yesterday. The door right before the area where the terrains are stored is a surveillance room. Meet me there. I promise it'll be worth your time." The call ended right after that.

What in the world? I pocketed the scroll. That was weird. Why would Ciel do something like that? I mean, the Headmaster did tell us he warned the General. But to tell Ciel so quickly? I can't help but feel there's something else in play. She might be trying to do something. At the same time… maybe she has changed. I don't really know. But something tells me that either way, our issues with Atlas are finished after this.

I guess there's only one thing to do. I have to go back and see what this is about.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 6/22/2018**

* * *

 **Arslan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 4**

As I walked out of the airship and into the Amity Colosseum, I let out a long sigh. It's been an entire day and a half. And despite the fact that night has come once again, we've still heard nothing from the Atlesian general. Granted, that should be expected. He is a busy person, especially with how he's trying to run security here. Still, it's tense waiting for his answer. It will very much decide how the future will go.

My mind went back to yesterday's events. That meeting… went a lot better than I thought it would. I didn't mess up too badly, there weren't any twists or surprises that caught me off guard. The General was surprisingly accepting of the deal we laid on the table, especially considering how hard line the initial deal was. It might've been what we ideally want out of the deal, but we weren't trying for an ultimatum. I was expecting to fight tool and nail with him on some aspect of the deal or another. But then… he didn't resist that much. Maybe a bit of debate, but not nearly as much as I expected.

I didn't think that he would take one part of the deal in its current state. My eyebrow furrowed. You would think someone whose best interest is keeping the Arrow as long as possible would be more resistant to the deal, or at least more willing to counter offer. Maybe the General was more willing to make a deal than I thought he would. But certainly something changed about the situation. Maybe it's the pressure of finding the Cupid and stopping the White Fang before they strike.

My grauntie appeared on the screen of my scroll, letting out a long yawn. "Hello, Arslan. Good—" She glanced at something on the screen. "—evening, I suppose. I'm sorry about not being able to call yesterday. Something came up, and I unfortunately forgot. But let's hear what happened. Did everything go well with the meeting?"

"Well enough," I responded. "While Atlas and the General have not formally agreed to anything yet, they did concede the first point. Should we accept right now, we have the guarantee that the Arrow is ours and that we are our own sovereign group."

The old woman hummed, nodding her head. "That's already a lot more than I expected us to get. That is quite unusual… you didn't need to bargain with him just to secure that much?" I shook my head. Grauntie Carna furrowed her eyebrows. "That is unusual, indeed. That's something to stay watchful of. He must have some kind of lead if the General's confident enough to both push off the deal and give a concession. Either that or he's going to do something drastic. And if my past experiences don't lie, it's most likely the latter."

I nodded my head. "Maybe. There's something that he's hiding, that's for sure. The Headmaster did mention that Atlas was the Kingdom to watch for a reason, after all. However, there's a hint of earnesty in his words, similar to the simple soul I talked about earlier. It's not as pure, not as straightforward, but inside his heart is someone who believes in something simple."

"Simplicity isn't always the best trait to have in some cases," Grauntie Carna sighed. "A simple heart knows what it wants, but doesn't always get what it wants. And I don't believe for a moment that a general like him got himself up to that position through earnesty alone. There is a place for a simple soul, and it rarely holds under the burden of power."

"But I've seen that proven wrong." I brushed a lock of my hair back. "The simple soul was a Stand user like the rest of us. And through everything, I never saw that spirit be tarnished by power."

"Not now, I suppose. But what about later? If not the next day, what about the next week, or the next few years?" She shook her head. "The greatest weakness to purity is time. Nothing stays pure forever. Like a beautiful ring, hearts can eventually tarnish and lose its luster over time. Hearts can be warped as the ages pass by, even more so under the stresses of power. It's a lesson I've personally experienced."

She rubbed her eyes. "I shouldn't be rambling about this. I guess waking up this early is affecting me. We should return back to our original conversation." She stared at me right in the eyes. "Could his intention be pure? If you say it's so, then I'll take your word at face value. But intentions can be morphed bit by bit through the justifications they make to reach a goal. And I don't doubt that he might do something misguided and damaging, all in the name of a simple desire."

She sighed. "But at the end of the day, we did get more than we expected, and we also got a chance to negotiate with the rest of the Kingdoms at a later date. I would consider that a success in and of itself." Grauntie Carna nodded her head. "When are you going to meet up with with the Vale Headmaster and the Atlesian General?"

"As soon as the rest of the matches end for the day. My team's going up in the last match of the doubles matches, and I did promise them that I'll come to watch." I glanced at the time on the top of the scroll. "And from the looks of it, I might make it with an extra match to spare."

"I see. Well, enjoy yourself then, Arslan." The elderly woman let out a yawn. "Cheer on the rest of your team for me, would you? I'm going back to bed."

"Good night, Grauntie Carna," I said.

"Good night to you, Arslan." The screen went blank a moment later.

A sigh escaped my mouth as I slipped the scroll into my pockets and continued onward. I felt a pleased hum rumble through my throat. This is definitely something worth celebrating. This is a big part taken cared of. It might not exactly stop the attack itself, but knowing that it will help make the transition easier for Ruby and her friends when they get the Arrow back. Well, I can also help in the search for the White Fang, but a promise is still a promise. I glanced at all of the vendor stands to the sides of me, all filled with various kinds of food. Maybe I should buy them something to enjoy after the match. Now, what was that one treat Reese keeps buying that we like—

My eyes stopped on an unusual figure walking through the crowd. Unlike everyone around us in light, thin clothing, he was wearing a thick, baggy zip up sweatshirt and sunglasses. It's way too big for him, with the sleeves covering his hands. Two small elephant tusks jutted out of his face. I raised an eyebrow. That's strange… Why is he wearing sunglasses at night? That's not really normal… maybe he just likes how they look. No, but then there's his demeanor. He's seems, well, twitchy. His head kept twitching ever so slightly to any kind of movement, which in this crowd meant he twitched constantly.

I narrowed my eyes. Something's suspicious about him. A bad kind of suspicion. I moved toward him. "Hi, excuse me. I was looking for some recommendations—"

In an instant, he let out a yelp, falling to the floor. Out from under his sweatshirt appeared several wires. My eyes widened. "What in the world?"

"I've been compromised!" He got up and started running. He pressed against the side of his ear. "I'm moving to the alternate position! Get the birds ready for transport and send the bull running!"

"What the— get back here!" I started after him. The White Fang— they're making their move! I have to stop them!

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Let's get right into the reviews!**

 **Guest 1: I'm assuming you're talking about a war between Atlas and Vale. It's not really a civil war, per say. But there's definitely some tension between Vale and Atlas. Whether they start fighting... that's only for me to say.**

 **Guest 2: Thank you, Guest 2! Admittedly, this is a different take on Stand battles. But I'm glad you still found it interesting, even if you think it's a bit harder to follow!**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! I'm glad you liked this Stand battle! Yesh, this is a bit more like the Lock, now that I think about it. I'd also compare it to Osiris. Mind game fights instead of normal battles. It was definitely a nice change of pace to write.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **doa5700047: I definitely agree with the stuff you've said. I'm of the opinion that yes, don't describe the fight word for word. Describe the emotion of the confrontation. I like seeing fights as peaks of conflict, a chance to challenge and change the dynamic of the story and the characters within. I loved writing Last Breath and the dynamic change there. The battle of words and wit was something I've always wanted to play with in the story, and I am proud of this one. Thank you for enjoying this fight and the story so far!**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **Next Chapter Update: June 22, 2018**


	39. Last Breath - Part 2

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Whoa boy, there's a lot of news to talk about. First up, this fic just passed 35K views! It's such an amazing accomplishment, and I want to thank you guys for sticking with the fic for this long. It warms my heart that people enjoy the story and the adventures of Ruby and her friends.**

 **Non-fic related news: Vento Aureo has officially been confirmed for an October 2018 release yesterday! It gets me so excited to hear how we'll finally see the adventures of Giorno and Passione on the silver screen. It might be four months away, but we can finally count the beginning of the end. It's also probably when RWBY V6 will start as well. JoJo and RWBY running together in the same season... Guys, this is an absolute dream come true. I really hope this'll bring in more JoJo x RWBY fics. It's been a wonder to read as well as write this type of crossover, and I would love to see what the next group of inspired writers can dream up.**

 **Back to fic news. There's going to be a retrospective next chapter. So watch out for that! But I've spent enough time talking. Let's get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for everything!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's** **Knight**_

* * *

My fingers tapped against the side of my seat as I let out a sound between a sigh and a whine. "Jaune, don't do this. This has to be a trap."

"I know, Ruby. I know." The boy sighed with me as he plopped down to my right. "This is absolutely crazy. I mean she finds my scroll number and calls me wanting to partner up. It's odd, especially considering we were fighting just yesterday." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But at the same time… I think she might be serious. Ciel has to know that she doesn't have much time left, just like us."

A hum escaped my mouth. "Maybe? I mean, one part of me wants to see what she has to say. On the other hand, it's risky. The Headmaster hasn't said anything about his talks with Atlas yet. Maybe she wants to make peace with you. But maybe the Headmaster and the General are still trying to make a deal. So who knows?" I played around with my thumbs. "I wouldn't go. Maybe you shouldn't do that either—" I gasped. "Oh my gods, but Weiss!"

My face paled. "Oh gods, I didn't think about her! She's still exploring the maintenance halls right now, right? I mean, we did tell her to be careful, but she doesn't know that Ciel is down there. What if Ciel tricks Weiss into activating her Stand?" I stood up. "We have to go!"

Jaune held a hand out. "Ruby, stay here. I can deal with Ciel myself. After all, I'm the one she wants."

"But… the two of us together can beat her," I started. "We can probably take her out before she can defeat us—"

"That's not necessary. You're better off staying here. It's more important that you keep watch over the stadium. After all, Ciel's going after me. As long as nobody else attracts her attention, I'll be the only target. And besides, I've defeated her once before. I can figure out a way to do it again." He gave me a small smile. "Don't worry. I'll be okay. Focus on the White Fang."

I gritted my teeth while tapping my foot against the ground. Is it a good idea? To leave Jaune? I balled my hand into a fist. We don't have any other choice, do we?

"Okay." I let out a long sigh, plopping back into my seat before looking at him. "Go ahead. Message me whether something is happening. I'll try to help you the best I can."

"It'll be fine," Jaune said as he turned around. "And I'll keep in touch. See ya later."

I nodded, watching him walk away from me. The moment he was out of sight, I pulled out my scroll and started texting. _Weiss, Ciel is maintenance hall. B careful 4 her. Jaune coming 2 make deal w/ her. B rdy to hlp if Jaune attacked._ I sent the message. There. Now Weiss knows. I groaned as I slumped in my seat. Gods, I hope nothing goes wrong. We can't let the Kingdoms fight each other.

Oh man. Now that I think about it, it's day three out of four of the Vytal Festival tournament… The attack has to either be today or the only Stand user we've found at the moment is Ciel. No White Fang. Are they hidden that well? Maybe they won't bring in Stand users until the attack day. Or maybe they aren't going to attack Amity at all. But that White Fang user said there would be one! There must be an attack here. So why can't we find anything?

What could we be missing? It's just— I don't know! I closed my eyes and exhaled. There's something that we're not noticing, I just know it! But what could it be?

The slightest amount of movement in my rose petals caught my attention. Huh? What the— I focused harder. Rapid movement… like two people chasing after each other in the stadium concourses. But there's something off about it… It's not like kids playing a game of tag or anything. No, it's like a grown man being chased by a Huntsman…

My eyes shot right open to the sight of the shattered moon. I've never felt anything like this before. Could this be it? Is this their move? I shot up from my seat. I have to check it!

"Don't go away, everyone!" Professor— I mean Doctor Oobleck exclaimed from the speakers. "The next and final match of the day is going to be between team KATS from Mistral vs. team GRFN from Vacuo! We'll be right back after these messages." I stared at the empty stadium, then at the packed crowd as an advertisement for a sports drink came on the screen. I felt dread floated through the air. I can't transform into rose petals and float over to the exit, I can't use my Semblance until I've put myself back together… _and_ I don't have time to waste. Gods, why did this have to happen right now?

"Excuse me." I started pushing past the seated crowd. I'm starting to think the attack's today. Right as we're having issues with Ciel and Atlas. Right when we're spread thin. I gritted my teeth as I waded through the crowd. There's nothing we can do but push through. I just hope that we can solve these problems before it's too late.

* * *

Yang furrowed her brow as she stared at the projection on the wall. The two of us sat on our dorm room. My scroll was plugged into the projector, showing the image I took from team CMEN's room yesterday.

She bit her lip before letting out a hum. "I don't know. I'm almost convinced that it doesn't have any meaning whatsoever." My partner shrugged. "I mean, it's a creepy image, sure. But I can't make the connection between this and the Cupid. It doesn't seem any different from those edgy doodles some kids draw in order to let out their angst. This one just happens to be very, very dedicated." She sighed. "Maybe it's nothing?"

I shook my head. "I refuse to believe that. There has to be something about this that connects the image to the Cupid. It can't possibly be a coincidence that the Cupid went to their dorm out of all of them." I shrugged my shoulders. "Look. Remember the talk from the Headmaster about the Cupid's attack patterns? How it would always attempt to strike one person with the Arrow before running away?"

My partner nodded her head. "Yeah. Ruby, Nolan, you, Weiss, that tapeworm, Russel, and Ciel. Each time the Cupid appeared, it was always aiming to hit another non-Stand user before running away."

"Well, this is the weird thing. The Cupid appeared in CMEN's room instead of the hallway. If it was following the pattern we established, it should've appeared on your side and tried to attack you. But it didn't. It tried to run away from CMEN's room. So why? Why would it come into their room when I'm already a Stand user? It doesn't make sense. There has to be a reason for it."

"Uh-huh." Yang threw up an eyebrow. "But why this image? Out of the hundreds of other pictures in that sketchbook, why is this one important?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know, I just had a hunch about it. Like I said, the rest of the pictures are portraits of disfigured people, landscape shots, what you would normally expect from a sketchbook. But this one—" I wagged my finger at it. "This one feels more… deliberate. Like the others simply want to capture something at the moment. This picture feels more abstract, more planned. Maybe it's the symbolism catching my attention, but this image definitely has something about it. If only I can figure out what…"

"Well, it's not too helpful if you ask me. " Yang yawned as she stretched her arms. "We already looked through this last night with the rest of team RWBY and Jaune, and all five of us couldn't understand what the picture means. Why spend all of our time staring at this image when we could be searching for the Cupid?"

"And explore the sewers again?" Yang winced upon hearing that. "I think you've proven my point." I turned towards the projection yet again. "I have to be honest, we _could_ be using this time to search for the Cupid in the sewers. But the sewers are pretty big. We're never going to find the Cupid down there with the time we have left. So why not spend it on some other clue that could potentially lead us to the Cupid faster?" I waggled my finger at the projection. "There's something bringing the Cupid to that room. And we need to figure out what exactly is that thing."

Yang let out a hum, thinking through my argument before nodding. "You're onto something there. It definitely beats wandering around in that nasty place without any idea of where we're going. But I still don't think you've thought this through enough. There's no way you can figure it out from just this picture. You should've taken a picture of the entire room or something. And plus, this is from CMEN. They might not be the best of friends, but they're still close to us. It could very much mean nothing."

Now it was my turn to hum in contemplation. Yang has a point. Maybe I made a mistake with only looking at one piece of evidence and hoping that it was enough. There's no way I could figure anything else from just this picture. I should've taken some more pictures. Maybe then we could figure something out then.

But does it really mean nothing? I focused on the image. Well, taking it at face value, the baby hand could be related to Grimm baby. But then again, as Yang said, it could mean nothing. The black liquid probably represents the Grimm. There's no other substance that shares the same inky-black color as Grimm ichor. And the people in the lower bulb are probably Remnans. But now it poses the question: why are the people covered in the Grimm fluid happy? You'd think that the people being swallowed by the Grimm would be scared as well. I mean, that's often how Grimm attacks end: the people get swallowed up in their negative emotions and die out. It's so strange seeing people happy. Is it like embracing death or something like that?

My eyes roamed towards the pattern on the top of the hourglass. Huh. I think I skipped over it the first time around. It's some kind of circular rune. It reminds me of the inside of a clock, if the gears and all of the mechanisms were organic. I tilted my head to the side. Now that I think about it, something about that rune looks familiar. Like I've seen it somewhere… I scratched my head. Where have I seen that rune?

"Uh, Blake?" Yang asked. "Are you okay?"

I ignored her, focusing on my train of thought. I don't think I saw it in some kind of book or movie or anything like that. Or at least I don't think I did. It's not a historical rune, either. I hummed. It's like I've seen it in team CMEN's room before… But that can't be possible. I'm pretty sure that the rune's only in the book— Wait a minute. Wasn't there a pair of gloves that had something rune-like as well? My eyes narrowed. There is… maybe…

"There's something I have to see," I announced all of a sudden, shooting up to my feet and snatching my scroll as I ran towards the door.

Yang let out a small yelp, scurrying to follow me out of the door and into the hallway. "What the— Wait, did you figure something out, Blake?"

"It's more of a hunch." I made a beeline towards the foreign exchange student's dorm area. "I just got an idea. It might work, it might not. But I think we might have found the missing puzzle piece."

The blonde started, "Well, okay. Could you fill me in on what your idea is?"

"You know how there's that engraving on top of the hourglass? I think I saw that symbol on something else inside that room. A pair of gloves, I think. Look, when you think about it, the picture has way too many allusions to our current situation. The baby hand is kinda similar to the Grimm baby. The black liquid covering the people is like the Grimm destroying the world. There's a rune that's actually on a real life item. Maybe if just one of these things appeared in the picture, then it would've been more of a coincidence. But all of them at once? There's no way that's a coincidence."

"You could be overthinking it," Yang suggested. "Isn't it confirmation bias or something to see just facts that you want to see?"

I gave her a shrug. "Maybe. This could just be me letting my imagination go way too far. But then again, that's not going to stop me from actually looking again and seeing if it's true. Maybe I'm wrong, it doesn't really matter. But if it did matter—"

We approached CMEN's dorm. "Then we can't just ignore it," I finished. Before she could say anything else, I took a deep breath, stuck my hand through the door and repeated what I did yesterday. My eyes started watering immediately after I stepped out. Wow, even with my eyes, it's pretty dark in here. The moonlight doesn't enter through the windows, leaving this place basically pitch black. Add that with the smell inside, and I swear this place can be the perfect torture chamber.

Alright, come on… I need to focus. I glanced around the room. I wonder if I can remember where the gloves were. If I remember correctly, it was on someone's bed. But that could easily change… if it isn't on the bed, or if the person moved it somewhere else or just wore it today, then me being here's absolutely useless. My lungs started burning from the lack of oxygen. Where are they?

Wait a minute… last time it was on the bed closest to the window, on my left. So that means it has to be… I glanced in that direction. Aha! There they are! I snatched them from under some kind of vest. My eyes narrowed. Huh… there's something… comforting about holding these. I don't know why, it just… does. I turned the gloves over. Yeah, these have the rune on it, or at least something really similar to them. I pulled out my scroll. Yeah, definitely the same one. And now that I think about it, wasn't the Cupid reaching for this yesterday? This has to mean something. What's so important about these gloves?

"This is it," I said as I crossed back into the hallway, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. Never again. For real this time. I held the gloves up to my partner. "I think there's something about these gloves that attracts the Cupid. These are the same runes as in the picture. And I remember the Cupid reaching for the gloves. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm sure this is how we can track the Cupid."

"Hmm… maybe. I'll admit, you might have a point when you say these gloves seem a bit suspicious. But how?" Yang took the gloves and held them up in the light. "Nothing looks different about these— Oh my gods!" She dropped them. "Holy— Blake! Those gloves— oh gods, I'm gonna be sick—" The girl started gagging.

"What?" I asked, picking up the gloves. "What is it?"

"Oh gods— the gloves—" She took a sharp breath. "There are veins and arteries below the surface. The gloves… it's flayed skin from a human being!"

My eyes widened. Oh my gods! I threw the intact skin away from us before wiping my hand against the carpet. That's— that's disgusting! Why in the living hell do team CMEN have gloves made of human skin? In fact, where and who did they get this from? Because— I shook my head. I can't believe it… They had something like this in Beacon all along… They're sick people! If we didn't have enough evidence before that something was off with team CMEN, I'd say owning the skin of human hands would definitely make that clear.

But at the same time… this was the thing the Cupid was reaching for. It's so different from what everybody normally sees the Cupid doing. So, maybe there's something about these gloves… Something about these hands that gets the Cupid's attention.

I reached for the gloves again. "Uh… Blake?" Yang let out a groan. "What are you doing?"

"Figuring out what's so important about these gloves," I responded, picking them up. "There's a reason why the Cupid wants these so bad, and I only know one way to figure that out." I lifted my hand up.

Yang paled at the sight. "Blake, you're not serious, right?" She let out a nervous laugh. "You're not going to… stick your hand in, right?"

I nodded, sliding one of the gloves over my right hand. A shiver slipped up my back. Oh gods, this feels so wrong. There's some kind of sleekness to it that just screams wrong. I feel like a disgusting person sliding this person's hand over my own. It's so wrong on so many levels—

The glove started pulsing. What the— I swallowed a gasp as the glove shrank over my hand, giving it rhythmic squeezes like heartbeats. Then it started getting… warm? Huh? This… this is weird. These gloves are alive somehow. How are they alive? There's no way Remnan skin could even do this sort of thing.

But for some reason, I feel like my hand is trying to pull me in a certain direction. Like it wants to drag me outside… What does this mean? Could this be the break we're looking for? Is this how we find the Cupid? I started for the exit. Yang followed closely behind.

* * *

I ran my fingers through my blonde hair, biting my lip as I traveled through the maintenance halls. There's no way this meeting could go well. As much as I want to believe that Ciel changed for the better, her last words to me yesterday still rang in my head. Did she really change? Is this meeting just a trap to catch me off guard again? Maybe. I just have to be careful with what I say. If I can do that, then she can't use her Stand ability to force me into her will.

At least it's only going to be me. One of my hands rested on the pommel of Crocea Mors. If Weiss or Ruby or any of the other Stand users got caught, it might become an absolute mess. I mean, now that Ciel knows about the White Fang attack happening soon, she's probably going to be more on edge with any Stand users that appear. Better that I'm being targeted by her than anyone else.

A sigh escaped my mouth, looking up. This part of the hallway definitely looks familiar. And I can see the door leading to the terrains across from here. I have to be close to the surveillance room.

But once I walk in, I have to prepare for the worst. I took a deep breath. I'm probably going to be put through some questioning. Ciel's probably going to try and capture me again. But all things considered, that's a lot better than somebody else getting caught by **「** **LAST BREATH.** **」**

I stopped in front of the door next to the terrain storage area. But now it's time to face Ciel. I took one more deep breath. Here goes nothing, I guess.

The first thing I noticed walking in was the giant wall of screens that took up one entire wall. It had video footage of everything, from the fight going on in the stadium to footage of the screaming crowd in the stands to bored sellers watching the match on their scrolls while serving customers to the maintenance areas themselves. I felt my stomach churn when I made out Weiss walking through the corridors, eyes flickering around for any signs of danger. Didn't Ruby already send the message to her to get out? If Ciel was here the entire time, how did Weiss not get caught by her?

I turned away from the screen wall. Then there were several curved desks, each with four monitors. Swivel chairs were connected to the desk itself. Each desk was fairly close to each other, which didn't leave a lot of room to walk around. It didn't help that the room itself was fairly small. It just gives off this cramped feeling. How can people work in these conditions? Then again, nobody's here at the moment, so… I raised my eyebrow. Wait a minute… nobody? Where did they go?

"Over here, Jaune Arc." I glanced over at the voice. Ciel leaned against one of the walls. "It's a good thing that you decided to meet with me today. We have plenty of things to talk about, and it is serious. As for the staff that's supposed to be here, don't worry. The General decided to call them into his flagship for a 'special prompting.' They're not going to hear anything."

I honestly don't know if I'm supposed to be relieved or worried about this. She continued, "But now that you're here, let me get to the point. I'm here to make a deal with you."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "A deal with me? That's surprising. And what kind of deal would that be? Because the last time I've checked, you promised that the next time we meet, you would kill me for sure."

"Circumstances change. I made a statement that I realized in hindsight wasn't beneficial to the two of us. It's important that we focus our efforts on the White Fang and that they don't successfully commit an act of terrorism within the Amity Colosseum. The scope of the mission has changed, and therefore I will discard my previous statement." She pushed herself off the wall. "It's vital that we work together to stop the White Fang. So, I want to propose a deal."

Here it comes… Ciel adjusted her beret. "This is what I propose. In exchange for help to find the Arrow, I'll help with your assignment to search for the White Fang. When the Arrow is found, it will be in the possession of Atlas. That's all we ask for. My Kingdom isn't interested in anything else." She walked over to me, raising her hand. "Is that a fair deal?"

Is it? I closed my eyes and let out a hum. At first, it doesn't seem like a bad idea. I mean we are getting another Stand user to help us out with rooting out the White Fang. And her Stand ability would be useful if and when we find a member of the White Fang. She's definitely helpful to have, and it would be a good idea to bring her on board with the search.

However, it's what she's asking for that catches my attention. I know for a fact that Atlas wants to learn about the Arrow and what it could do. Giving them the Arrow helps them achieve those goals. But after they figure out what the Arrow can do, what will they do with it then? What about the people they might test the Arrow on? How would they be affected? What will Atlas do with their knowledge of Stands once they figure it out?

"I only have one question to ask," I started. "So if I remember correctly, you said before how Atlas just wants the Arrow for research purposes. And that by studying what Stands are and what they can do, we can make it less scary."

She nodded her head. "That's still true."

"Well, then I have to ask: what does Atlas plan to do with the Arrow once they find out how it works?" I rested one of my hands against the side of one of the desks. "I mean, we were planning on returning it to a Mistralian family who used to guard it a century ago. We're in contact with them right now, and I'm sure they won't be happy if they learn that we made a deal behind their back. So why should we trust Atlas with the Arrow?"

Ciel stood silent upon hearing the question. Oh boy. My hand ran over the desk, picking up a couple of stray paper clips. This isn't going to go well. After a moment, Ciel sighed. "I recognize that you don't trust the integrity of our Kingdom. And if I'm to be honest, you have every right to believe that. It's not too noticeable, but ever since we've arrived, we've been getting a lot of judging looks from the Valean population. From their perspective, we're effectively occupying the city of Vale. For the citizens, that image can be terrifying. So it's not a huge leap in logic to mistrust us when we ask for an item that gives anyone a tremendous amount of power."

The girl straightened her back. "But at the same time, Atlas has no intention of world domination. Like the rest of Remnant, all we want is to continue living our daily lives. And if learning about the Arrow and the Stands gives us the clear mind needed to live without worries, then that's what we'll do. Don't make any mistake, Jaune Arc. Atlas only wants to do this to guarantee the safety of the people."

I relaxed a bit hearing that. Maybe Ciel's telling the truth, after all? From the sounds of it, she and to an extent, Atlas only want the best for everyone. Maybe I shouldn't be so doubtful of her words. I narrowed my eyes. Wait a minute…

My back straightened out as I stepped away from the desk and towards Ciel. "I'll agree, but only if you make one last promise to me with your Stand." I stared at her straight in the eyes. "Summon **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** right now. Promise me under it that Atlas won't ever try to use the Arrow after they're done researching it, and will return it to the Mistralian family I was talking about. I won't accept anything else."

That caused Ciel to pause. "All you want is an oath?" The feathered boa-constrictor appeared, curling around her arms and shoulders. "Alright then." She placed one hand on the snake and lifted the other up, palm facing me. "On my **「** **LAST BREATH,** **」** I swear… I swear an oath that…" While her face remained neutral, the twitching of the muscles on her face showed a different story.

I've never understood how long certain Stand effects can last. For example, anything affected by my Stand starts reverting back to its original density once I call it back. Ruby can't even call back her Stand unless her body's completely together. But for a Stand involving a promise that needs to last beyond a day, can she maintain that promise even after she calls back **「** **LAST BREATH?** **」** Or can she simply unsummon her Stand and resummon it to escape whatever condition she made? … But if it's the latter, then she can't do it without freeing me as well. Either way, I'm going to see if she was ever telling the truth.

"I—" At this point, Ciel's chest started heaving. She threw her hand down. "I can't make that promise. All I can guarantee is that the Arrow will go to Atlas for research immediately after this. Making any promise of what happens to it afterward would be disingenuous. I can't give the order to dispose of the Arrow, and I defer to the General for his decision."

"Hmm… I see." There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two of us. Glancing at one of the screens revealed that Weiss isn't in view of any of the cameras. Did she leave the corridors? I turned back towards Ciel. "So I guess this means that we can't make this work out?"

She shook her head. "It seems to be that way." Ciel pulled out her scroll and hit a button. A slamming noise behind me made me jerk up in surprise. What the— I turned around just in time to see the door lock with a solid click. "Jaune Arc, you are a surprise to me. You seem like a weak boy on the outside, but inside you're a power to be reckoned with, in both mind and spirit. Whereas I loathed you before, you now have my utmost respect. Shame it is then, that my orders are to make sure you don't speak about this should you refuse." She pulled out a sleek Atlesian pistol and cocked it.

"Ciel, you don't have to do this. You must understand that we don't have time left. We can't be fighting each other when the White Fang could be launching their attack at any moment!"

"I know. Why did you think I chose the surveillance room? Atlas has always been watching everyone's movements. I myself have been keeping a watch on everything ever since this morning. Did you think we weren't watching the colosseum, just hoping that nothing goes wrong? Reviewing the footage from the previous two days shows no suspected agents of the White Fang. And if someone appears, we'll be on it in an instant."

"Take for example a couple minutes ago. I saw a pair running down one of the concourses. One of them is suspected of having a bomb. We've already dispatched Atlesian soldiers to go after them. It won't take long before they're stopped." She snapped her fingers. "Just like that, Atlas has the situation under control. There's nothing to be scared of, Jaune Arc."

"That's not what I meant," I growled. "Like I said before, the White Fang has Stand users as well. People are going to die if they can't understand what they're being attacked by in the first place. We're the only ones able to stop other Stand users in the first place!"

"But we know every Stand user has a weakness. Their bodies aren't protected by Aura. We can limit the damage any Stand ability can create, evacuate the civilians, then send in several androids to fire at the user until they get overwhelmed. Because at the end of the day, Stand users can't fight against an army. They're civilians with powers."

"And if those powers can destroy cities?"

"I've never seen a power that went to such a level," Ciel shrugged before leveling the gun barrel at me. "There's no way that there's a Stand power of that magnitude. That's preposterous. So you have a choice. Join us, or let Atlas take care of it."

"No."

"Fine." I dove to the side hearing that, wincing as a bullet flew through my right sleeve. One of the desks covered me from her view moments later. I reached for my arm. Oh gods, everything went wrong. Everything went all so wrong.

Of course it would go wrong. I don't think there was any way anybody would be happy with whatever plan Ciel proposed. I looked in the palm of my hand. It held five stray paper clips.

It has to happen, does it? Whenever two Stand users meet, conflict will occur. What a sick twist of fate, especially considering it happened now. When we needed everyone to work together to stop the end of the world, we started fighting each other.

I shook my head. No use crying over this now. What's important now is that I get out of here as soon as possible. I took a couple of deep breaths. This is straight up a shootout. I don't think I'm going to get close enough to Ciel to hit her with my sword, at least not without getting shot. And it definitely wasn't fun last time during our school holiday. I shivered, instinctively reaching for where Ren's bullets had hit me. All I can do is shoot back. I drew Crocea Mors before placing it on the floor while my shield popped open. Let's go.

My body twisted as I jerked up, throwing my body behind the shield just in time to feel a couple of rounds pepper the metal. I winced in pain. Man, Atlesian weapons pack a punch! But she's still in her old position. A paper clip went flying in her direction, forcing her to duck behind a desk of her own.

Okay Jaune, think about the situation for just a second. I don't think I need to take her down. All I really need to do is get out and make sure she doesn't follow me. So I should go for the scroll. That's probably the key to everything. As long as I have that, then there won't be any issue.

I stood up, twisting my body so that my shield hid it from view. The shield grew in density by a tiny amount. Ciel's still not up. Okay, not bad so far. I'm going to have some problems protecting myself once I get close to her, but I should be safe from any attacks—

A sleek pistol appeared from the desk Ciel hid behind. Oh gods— I grunted as several shots raced across the room. Both the whizzes of bullets and flying debris of desks hit in the blind fire forced me to duck behind my trusty shield. She has to run out of bullets eventually, I can charge her the moment she has to reload.

Something slithered from the corner of my left eye. What the— I threw myself around, just in time to swat away the feathered snake Stand. It hissed when it slammed into the side of another desk, coiling itself before slithering on top of the desk maybe a meter to my left.

I felt a bead of sweat slide down my face. They're putting me in a sandwich. Metaphorically, of course; I hope to gods it's not literal. I adjusted myself so that my shield faced Ciel while my free hand faced **「** **LAST BREATH.** **」** My eyes locked with the eyes of that snake. It did nothing besides bob its head back and forth. At the same time, my foot started feeling the ground. Where's my sword? It's gotta be here somewhere… My boot bumped into something, making it clatter against the concrete floor. Okay… I started lowering myself. Steady…

The Stand pounced right there and then. Oh gods! My shield flipped around as my legs collapsed, sending me collapsing to the ground. The sound of gunfire registered in my ears right as my shield smacked **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** down to the ground. My free hand slipped the paper clips into my other hand before wrapping their fingers around the leather handle of Crocea Mors.

Before the snake can recover from the shield blow, I lightened the density of my sword and ran my sword across its face. Behind me, I heard a grunt, followed by the ugly sounds of gushing blood. **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** quickly slithered back onto its desk perch, its eyes shooting daggers at me. I pressed my back against another desk. "Ciel!" I yelled out. "You can stop this right now! Let me go, and let's put our differences aside for just this one moment!"

"I am a loyal soldier of Atlas. I fulfill my orders without any objections." Suddenly the desks started rising. My eyes widened as some of the desks all over the room floated up towards the ceiling, including the one with **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** on it. What in the world? How did she do that? There's no way she's lifting all of those using her Stand powers… right? Gods, I really hope that I didn't underestimate her abilities. If she can use telekinesis just like Professor Goodwitch— I swallowed. That would be bad. Very bad indeed—

Wait a minute. I narrowed my eyes. Are those… anti-gravity jets? My eyes widened. They are! These ones are a lot smaller than the ones on a Bullhead or on any kind of airship, but it's definitely something like that. Atlas managed to miniaturize these and put them under desks? So that explains why it seemed so cramped on the ground. They probably have each desk hover at different heights as people take their positions. It's an interesting idea, that's for sure.

But at the same time, that's not good for me. Ciel can change the entire room whenever she needs to. That means I can be exposed to gunfire or a Stand strike just whenever! As long as she has control over the machinery here, I'm going to have a hard time taking her down. And I don't have a lot of time to waste.

I flinched when the snake Stand leaped up and sailed through the air onto another desk, this time farther away from me. Maybe she can control the strength of the jets. But at the end of the day, it's only designed to consistently move a certain load…

It finally clicked in my head. That's it! I could make out the jets on the desk behind me growing louder. Without another doubt, I threw myself on top of it and decreased its density.

The desk shot up like a rocket, causing me to yelp as I clung on. Okay, too much! The desk immediately leveled off. Whew, didn't have a lot of control right there. I shouldn't change its density that quickly. But it's a start. I can control the elevation of the desks as well. Maybe my control isn't on the same level as Ciel, but I do have a bit of power. I'm not going to let her keep the high ground forever.

Ciel let out a gasp. I looked down to see the bloody-faced girl giving me a wide eyed look. While she had her gun pointed in my direction, her index finger was off the trigger. "Impossible… You shouldn't be able to do that! This— you shouldn't be controlling the thrust of the jets! Your Stand is incapable of doing that!"

"I'm not controlling the jets, Ciel. I'm changing the weight forced onto them." I pointed Crocea Mors at her. "It's over! I have the high ground! End this right now, and we still have a chance to hunt down the White Fang!"

"You underestimate my power, Jaune Arc." Her face returned to its neutral stoic pose. "My **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** isn't as weak as you think it is, and I still have control over the desks themselves." She held out the scroll, thumb being raised up to the screen.

I shook my head. "Don't try it, Ciel. This isn't going to end well for you. We're both better off if we stop fighting—"

The desk below me shut off its jets. Oh gods. The hands of gravity embraced me before yanking both the desk and me down to the ground. Nope! I threw myself onto another floating desk, pulling myself up, right as another torrent of bullets flew my way. One of them managed to pierce through my shoes, causing me to hiss in pain. I have to end this right now. This battle's been going on for way too long now. Ciel needs to be knocked out right now.

My body pulled itself close to the edge of this desk. I just need a clear shot of Ciel or her scroll. One clean hit with the paper clip: that's all I need to get out of here with everyone alive. If only I can get Ciel to move out of cover… But how am I going to do that?

I glanced at the area around Ciel. She's behind the desk closest to one side of the wall. The station she was hiding in started to float upwards, hiding her entire body from sight. I don't hear **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** moving in any way, but who knows when that could change. I wrinkled my forehead. And with the hole in my foot, I can't trust myself to move again without me messing up and falling to the ground, which could end with me dead. Shooting from my position is probably the best choice. But with so few paper clips, there's no way I can just fire until I hit her. I have to get it right in… I looked at the palm of my hand. Four shots.

There's no way I can get her out of cover. I can't shoot at her directly. Shooting through the desk is risky, and will probably kill Ciel. Too much power. My eyes roamed back towards the wall. For some reason, my trip to the arcade popped up in my mind. How the ball knocked the last bottle off from a bounce shot. An idea popped into my head. Hmm… that could work.

One paper clip flew through the air, nicking the edge of Ciel's cover and splintering it. I narrowed my eyes, focusing on any kind of movement. Anything? The silver barrel appeared a little left of my original location. Oh gods— I ducked back into cover just as several rounds flew over my head. Okay, I have the general area. She's right handed I think, so… aim a couple of inches right. Okay, I think I know where she is. I poked my hand out, lifting it a couple of inches up towards a wall. Here goes nothing.

All three paper clips whizzed through the air in rapid succession, passing over Ciel's head. She poked her head and arm out of cover before firing a volley of bullets of her own. They slammed against the desk below me, none of them coming even close to hitting me. I kept my eyes on the paper clips. Three clangs rang through the room as they bounced off the wall, followed by three smacking noises. The girl's head slammed into the edge of the desk before her body slumped over. Her scroll fell to the ground.

The sounds of jets shutting off registered in my ears as the desks started to float to the ground. I looked behind me. **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** fanned its feathers out and tried to leap towards me before fading away. I jumped off the moment we made impact.

Is it… is it over? I walked over to her prone body. She's knocked out, alright. The paper clips clearly hit her torso. I spotted the paper clips stuck within what looked like body armor. Ciel's not going to die, but she's going to have some bruising. There's a bit of blood dripping out of her mouth, but that already was slowing up as her Aura enveloped her. A long sigh escaped my mouth. Yeah. The battle's over.

But we don't have time to stand around. I scooped up Ciel's scroll. I need to get back out. There's no telling how much time we have left before the White Fang start their attack. My thumbs started tapping on the screen. Okay, so how do I get to the controls to the door? It's gotta be here somewhere…

My finger slipped, sending me to the home screen. Oh boy. I can fix this. It should be pretty easy to get back to the controls… uh… I stared at the screen. That's weird, they don't have a button for application history? I mean it makes a little sense that things would be different. This is technically military property. But this also means it's going to be awhile until I figure out how to get out. I groaned. Oh, come on! All of this fighting, and I can't even get out of this room because of a misclick. Okay, time to start looking, I guess.

A folder caught my eye while I was scrolling. Huh? 'Info?' I wonder if they have some stuff about how to control all of the stuff in the Amity Colosseum. My eyes narrowed as I opened and scrolled through the content. No… not really. I'm not seeing any instructions whatsoever. However, there is some stuff about the Cupid, the Arrow, and Stands. General research on the Cupid, previous sightings of the Grimm that we provided, an in-progress Stand user list with only me in it, some kind of roadmap of where Stand users were allegedly sighted.

That one caught my attention in particular, and I opened it. There were the appearances during the past few months, which was expected. What I didn't expect were the occasional appearances even before that. There were some incidents in Mistral, which made some sense. But there was a series of incidents almost three decades ago, taking place in a small coastal village outside Vale by the name of Adonis. Funny: I think my dad and my uncles and aunts used to live there, back when they remembered it as the town of Mori— oh?

I glanced through the timeline/roadmap. Then after Adonis, there was maybe a couple of incidents on the continent of Sanus. And the furthest back I can go is— My eyes glanced at the furthest point on the timeline: the Great War. That's weird… there's a clickable link for this point. Why just this? Why weren't the others searchable as well? I hummed to myself. I mean, it could be that Atlas only had enough time to properly research this event. But what do they have on this?

One click brought me to some kind of folder, filled with what looked to be digitized letters, official reports, and so on. My eyes narrowed as I started reading. There's something about a scouting group coming back from a routine mission with mystical powers not related to Semblances. This was maybe a year before the Great War started, from the looks of it. The group was some of the first Knights, a task force dedicated to destroying Grimm-the precursor to Huntsmen. Okay… hmm, that's a little interesting. But what does that have to do with the Stands?

The series of reports quickly answered my question. Reports of the group standing around and doing nothing while a wave of Grimm was destroyed by an invisible source, a historian/archaeologist somehow predicting Grimm movements by running his hand against dirt, a soldier creating multiple versions of themselves before fighting the Grimm, stories of Beowolves merging with the ground, instantly killing them. Yeah, those seem like Stand abilities, alright.

More reports on these four individuals in the scouting group, focusing on less important aspects. I mainly skimmed over those. Then… information just dried up. A few years after the Great War, there was one report that stated that the team went out on a top secret mission. However, it's filled to the brim with redacted lines. I couldn't get any more information past that. No more mentions of Stand abilities or unusual happenings, not even a mention of the Arrow.

I furrowed my eyebrows. What could this mean? None of this makes any sense. Why would Atlas choose to collect this kind of data, especially when they don't have any mention of Stand Arrows or anything? What's so important about this particular scouting group? I continued to scroll through the files. Nothing worth paying attention to. Is that it? I felt my chest deflate. This is a bit disappointing. Atlas really must not have a firm idea of the situation if this is all of the information they managed to dig up. Well, there's not much lost there. I guess I can focus on looking for the controls now—

One of the files caught my eye. An image. I raised my eyebrow. I've never seen an image in this folder before. Maybe it can clarify some stuff? I pressed it.

A group shot appeared on the screen a moment later. On one of the corners was a watermark reading 'Obscura Studios' and handwriting stating: "Hawk Team before leaving for home; May 23, 933 AD." In the picture in question were four individuals, all huddled together and making really strange poses. My eyes widened in recognition. The gray-haired man… isn't that Headmaster Ozpin? Then there's the woman and bulky man next to him that I don't recognize. I guess they're his former teammates?

But what especially caught my eye was the blonde-haired man. His hair was messy and all over the place, with a patchy beard. The beard didn't hide the youth behind his blue eyes. I remember staring at this face when I was young. Well, he looked better on the family mantleplace, but I can still recognize my ancestor, Nicholas Arc. The first of the Arc hero lineage. The Headmaster served with him in the Great War? Why didn't my family mention that?

But the thing that caught my attention for sure was the Arrow bound around the woman's backpack. It might've been covered in a ton of cloth, but there's no mistaking the bound shape of the arrowhead. This is the same one the Cupid has. My jaw dropped. This raises so many questions in my head… just how far back does this go? And why did the Headmaster have the Arrow?

" **URGENT MESSAGE FROM GENERAL IRONWOOD,"** Ciel's scroll interrupted, causing me to nearly drop the device. Huh? I glanced at the alert flashing over the information.

"Uh…" I glanced at the machine. "Play message."

" **ACKNOWLEDGED. CONNECTING CALL."**

"All available Atlesian personnel, be on high alert. We have Bullheads with unknown signatures approaching the Amity Colosseum and Beacon Academy. Be ready to arrest the individuals inside, and if need be, blow them out of the air. Your orders, should the Bullheads land, are to prioritize the safety of all civilians and eliminate anyone who steps out of those ships. There can be no hesitation. Do whatever it takes to—" The mutters of someone else interrupted his speech. "What? The tracks from Mountain Glenn to Vale? Those were buried years ago, nothing should be moving—"

The man went silent for a moment. "Let me clarify my orders. All Atlesian personnel on the Amity, perform the orders given beforehand. Everyone else, relocate to Vale and prepare for an attack. Again, all personnel not on the Amity relocate to Vale and prepare—"

Rumbling sounds registered in my ears in the distance, akin to explosions. That was quickly followed by distant mechanical wails. My eyes widened. What the— What's going on? The General's tone grew tense. "All personnel not on the Amity, set up a boundary around breach areas. Repel any Grimm and minimize civilian casualties until the Huntsmen and the droids arrive!" A breach? What the— There's no way! They managed to breach the city?

I dropped Ciel's scroll and pulled out my own. Ruby's voice appeared in an instant. "Jaune?"

"The attack is happening now," I stated. "We were wrong. They're hitting both the city and Amity. I'm currently locked in with Ciel, you need to get Weiss and hold off the other users!"

A silence enveloped the both of us. "Okay," Ruby finally said, letting out a long hiss. "I hear you. I'm on my way."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 7/6/2018**

* * *

 **Arslan's Bizarre Adventure - Act 5**

"Oof!"

"Ow!"

"Hey, watch it!"

Cries like that and more erupted from the crowd as the White Fang member shoved past them, knocking them off of their balance. They didn't get the chance to stand up and recover as I plowed past them moments later. Several indigent grunts escaped from the crowd as they went tumbling towards the ground. I winced inside rushing through the crowd. I wish I could go back and apologize to all of them. But that can't happen. Doing so would mean losing the White Fang, and many more would die.

My eyes remained locked on the White Fang member running away from me, who must've been six meters away from me at this point. I won't let this guy get away. Too many people depend on me stopping this person. There's no way I'll let him trigger an incident that could very much cause the end the world.

"Somebody stop that man!" I yelled, managing to point a finger that the hooded Faunus swimming his way through the crowd. At this point, I could make out several Atlesian soldiers coming in. "Officers! Over there! He's going to—"

"Nobody touch me!" The man yanked out what looked like a detonator and held it high in the air. He continued pushing his way through. "I have a bomb! If I notice even the slightest attempt to stop me, I'll blow everyone up and send this place crashing into Vale! Now get out of the way!" The annoyed mutters morphed into screams of horror as the crowd thinned right in front of him, running out of his way before stampeding towards me and the other guards. The soldiers were swallowed up in the wave of people in an instant.

"Everyone, step to the side! I'm here to catch him!" I let out a grunt as the wave of people washed over me, all of them in a panic to get away from the suicide bomber. No! I stumbled back. "I'm a Huntress! I'm here to save your life! I need everyone to step aside!" Nothing I could say could calm the crowd down, slowing me down.

The man took a sharp right, running deeper into the stadium. He was gaining ground by the second. I'm going to lose him at this rate. My eyebrows furrowed. He's way too far away from me for an early strike… **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** appeared within the confines of my body, mimicking my every movement. With a 'hmph,' my Stand locked her bucklers onto her knuckles. This is a tough one… Wax would normally be my go-to strategy in stopping a chase. It's unfortunate though that there are so many people around me. It most likely wouldn't go so well if I threw wax into a crowd like this.

If only I can get within two meters of this person… Just two meters, then I could stop him in his tracks. Is there any other option? My eyes shifted around the area. No. There's little I can use in the area that can help me here. I don't think that there's anything else to do except try a certain Stand technique. It's a long shot, but I need to try.

I leaped up, allowing **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** to shove off the ground with her own foot and away from the retreating crowd. Moments later, I felt my chest yank forwards as I flew towards a nearby wall, my Stand dragging me with it. A gasp of surprise escaped my mouth. Oh my gods… I did it. This is it… this is the power of Stand jumping. I didn't think I would be able to use it properly, but here I am right now.

It's an advanced yet unusual technique, only semi-viable either after years of practicing with a Stand or with immense natural talent with one. In order to pull this off, a Stand user needs to understand how to balance Stand intangibility with Stand interaction and how instinctual protection works, both concepts hard to understand.

Then there's the Stand string theory. That is the hardest thing to grasp. Think of the Stand and the user as connected by an imaginary string. The Stand can move in space up to their limit forwards or backward. Should the 'string' get taut, the user can be pulled along as well.

However, the issue is maintaining a close distance between Stand and user. I felt my head pulse trying to keep my Stand within the confines of my body. Said 'string' isn't firm on its own. It's common for the user to fly ahead of the Stand with this move, often ending in injury. It takes absolute concentration to maintain the distance needed to perform Stand jumps consistently. Only a few users were ever able to use this technique competently, and even then only in short bursts. But when they could, it was like they can fly through the air.

As for me, I don't need to fly through the air. **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** caught the side of the wall right as I landed. A grunt escaped my mouth due to the impact. Almost immediately after that, it kicked off parallel to the structure so that we stayed near the wall. That single push brought me ever so closer towards the White Fang user. At this point, I would be neck and neck with the man. He's right in position for me to strike.

With one firm push off the wall, I flew through the air, **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** forming a wax ball in one hand as we both soared towards the fleeing man. Despite the man's threats, there's still a lot of people trying to run past him. However, that won't be a serious concern.

 **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** shot out, flinging the ball of wax into the man's still outstretched hand. The wax wrapped around the detonator and the White Fang member's upper arm, causing him to grunt and stumble for a moment. Just enough for me to bring **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** into range.

A fist shot out, slamming into the man's leg and sending him falling to the ground. I landed on the floor right after that, making an expert roll onto my feet before rushing towards the man. My Stand didn't waste any time, smashing his wax-covered arm and flattening it out along with the detonator. He screamed at the sight. That should stop him from activating the detonation sequence. No one's going to die here.

I stood over the man in the baggy sweatshirt. He turned to glance at my figure. His tusks quivered at the sight of me. I gave him a stoic stare. "Surrender," I stated, "And you'll suffer fewer consequences for your crimes."

"Go to hell!" The elephant Faunus lifted his unflattened arm up, revealing the barrel of a gun. A yell escaped from his mouth as his weapon barked several times. **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** didn't even flinch, punching the bullets towards the ceiling with a roar. Bits of concrete pieces rained to the ground, causing me to wince as some of the tiny fragments land on my hair.

After eight or so shots, a dry _click_ sounded from the gun. "You're out of bullets," I noted as **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** smacked the empty gun away. My Stand reached down a moment later, pulling his sunglasses off of his face to reveal scared yet defiant green eyes. The White Fang member stilled his body. "And the attack has failed. You're not going to kill anyone on this Colosseum tonight."

Then he did something I was not expecting at all: he smiled. "Oh? Who said I was supposed to do that? If that was my plan, I would've been at the packed stands with a bomb strapped to my chest. But I was nowhere close, was I?" I narrowed my eyes. Now that I think about it, he was walking towards the airships when I went after him. An evil look formed on the elephant Faunus' face. "Now you'll say, 'what were you doing, then?' Your move."

"What were you doing, then?" My eyes snapped wide. He just— He just called my words—

"Why don't you open my sweatshirt?" the man whispered. I did so, pulling the zipper down and throwing the jacket open. Huh? I'm staring at what looked to be jerry-rigged radio equipment. There was no bomb vest this entire time? The White Fang member was absolutely grinning now. "I'm just the messenger, the one who coordinates everybody to start the attack. The bomb? It was a bluff to divert attention. And you fell right for it."

I shook my head. "You're wrong. The fact that I have you right here says otherwise. I don't understand why you told me the White Fang's plan, but you won't be able to signal the others before us Huntsmen crack down on the others."

The man shook his head. "No, you're wrong, you naive child. You said you were going to stop me and the plan from happening. Did you seriously think I'd explain it if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome? I already set it into motion five minutes ago." My eyes widened. What?

At that moment, I heard the sounds of explosions coming from the city of Vale. My head shot back towards the airships in horror. The man laughed. "And now… now, the White Fang will finally bring justice to all us Faunus."

I ignored the man, knocking him out with **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** before standing up. The crowd around me had looks of absolute panic grow on their faces by the second. Oh my gods… Vale has been breached.

 **=ARSLAN BA END=**

* * *

 _ **Stand Description:**_

 **「LAST BREATH」-** **Activated by any oath/promise/agreement between two parties. If the Stand hits another person, it will wrap around the victim. The user then can command the victim to do something. If the victim refuses, the Stand will automatically constrict until either the victim acts in accordance to the user or air flow is constricted and the victim passes out/dies. However, the user is bound by their word as well, and is affected by the same rules of the Stand.**

* * *

 **Song Reference: Ciel Soleil's** **「** **LAST BREATH** **」** **is inspired first and foremost by the band Eyeshine's My Last Breath. It's an alternative indie rock song released in 2010. I chose this song because the lyrics remind me of a loyal soldier willing to throw their life away for the sake of their country, like Ciel in this case. Unwavering loyalty and dedication even when you are weak: that's the emotional tone I picked up from this song. It can also indirectly be a reference to Evanescence's My Last Breath, mainly because the song is inspired by 9/11, a terrorist attack not so different from the Battle of Beacon.**

* * *

 **As you all know, there's going to be a retrospective next chapter. It'll be focusing on the Vytal Festival and Last Breath. Can't wait to talk about that. But with that out of the way, let's get right into the reviews!**

 **Guest: Yes. Yes, it is, Guest. Thank you for your continued support!**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! The image is an interesting detail, for sure. All I'm going to say about it is that it's important, and it reveals a lot of things. What it reveals is my secret, though. And yes, I realize I like holding on to my secrets. But you'll learn what it is in time.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **doa5700047: Oh, the person found is definitely a RWBY character. Like I said, there's never going to be an OC Stand user. Admittedly, I kept the details vague, but you'll find out who she is in a few chapters.**

 **On the point of mental institutes being a good battleground for Stand users... that *would* be a good setting for a new JoJo part. If I remember correctly, there isn't a Speedwagon Foundation or any equivalent of that in the SBR universe. Basically, a distant JoJo relative is committed for "seeing ghosts," and it turns out the institute is a hub for Stand users, and the main JoJo has to fight other Stand users/themselves as they try to break out. A decent-ish parallel to Part 6. I'd read that.**

 **As for the Cinder comment, I agree with it. I feel that the best antagonists are "failed" protagonists. Failed in the sense that they stray from their ideals, their actions become irredeemable instead of morally ambiguous, they let their flaw consume them, etc. Aka there's a reason why the focus isn't on them. And yes, while there are exceptions (and there are definitely stories of protagonists becoming villains for sure), the kind of antagonist I like is the perfect foil for the protagonist.**

 **Ruby's Knight: Considering Hocus Pocus was the culmination of one of my strongest fears and the disturbing aspects of music videos, yeah I would say it's the scariest Stand I've made. And yeah, the JoJo ghost was fun to write. He's a nice change of pace compared to the others.**

 **Ciel being the Stand-user specialist versus Winter is a** **left-field surprise, for sure. But I think the story makes more sense with Ciel. Then moving on to the RWBY/ABRN fight, now that was fun to write. Definitely interesting getting characters to throw a match. As for the inconsistent messaging about RWBY, that's something I'm going to have to look at.**

 **Ah... the slightly different text messages. It's a little detail I like playing with. That was inspired by Naoto's texts in Persona 4. It's kinda adorable how much Naoto's texts stand out from the others, so I incorporated that dichotomy (sorta) into this story.**

 **And I checked the minor error. It is Chapter 38. I've fixed it now.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **Next Chapter Update: July 6, 2018**


	40. Common People

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **First thing's first, I'm proud to announce that we've officially hit 150 followers! I want to thank everyone who decided to follow the story so far. It means a lot to know that you all want to see the story continue, and I hope to continue that.**

 **There's going to be a retrospective for this story, of course. Other than that, I have nothing else to say. Thanks again to my beta, and let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

"Everyone, please stay in your seats and remain calm as we analyze the situation," the PA stated as murmurs started to erupt from the crowd. Distant sirens wailed in the background, doing little to soothe everyone's nerves. My hands gripped my cape, staring at the video screen with horror as Professors Port and Oobleck fumbled with the microphone. The mustached man cleared his throat. "Huntsmen and the Atlesian military are looking into the situation and are working together to address it. Until then, remain calm. There's nothing to be worried about."

I know better. Jaune just told me. I let out a sharp sigh. I can't believe it… A part of me doesn't want to believe it. But I can't deny what they did. The Amity isn't the White Fang's target, or at least, not its main one. They've been focused on Vale.

Suddenly it clicked. The Dust Roman stole… that's where it all went. Not for the black market, or for normal crimes… it's all for this attack. Now it completely makes sense. Why did the White Fang disappear from the news, from the public eye? They must've spent all of that time setting up this attack under our noses. I slapped my cheek. How did we miss that? And Blake's research… oh my gods. We forgot all about that during the search for the Arrow! If we only found out sooner, or used the information we had…

No. I shook my head, gripping the scroll still in my hands. There's no time to feel bad. We have to act now. We might've failed to stop the attack, but we can still drive the attackers away and minimize the damage. I dialed my partner.

"Weiss?" I asked after her face flickered on the screen.

She frowned. "Ruby? Is everything okay? I heard some distant explosions and gunfire all the way from down here. And something tells me that it isn't just Nora's doing. What's going on?"

"Weiss, listen to me." I leaned into my scroll camera. "The White Fang have finally made their move. They've set off some explosives in the city, and from what I heard from Jaune, they have Bullheads carrying Stand users flying towards the Amity Colosseum. I have to protect the civilians and get them to safety, so you have to find and take down as many Stand users as you can. I'll be there to support you the moment everyone else is safe."

A bead of sweat slipped down her face. Weiss pressed her lips into a thin line, letting out a long hum before nodding. "Okay. I'll try to get out of the maintenance halls as soon as possible. What about Jaune? Is he going up?"

I shook my head. "Ciel managed to lock him into a room somewhere. He's doing everything he can to break out, but you're basically alone until then."

The girl grimaced. "That's… not good. If Jaune can't fight, that makes us the only Stand users who can fight back. I don't think us two are enough to push back the White Fang."

"Not quite. It's not just going to be us two." I glanced at the group of students standing around us. Nolan, Fox, and Gwen all turned their heads towards me. I couldn't find Arslan or Russel anywhere.

All three of them stood up the moment I made eye contact with them. In Nolan's sharp pink eyes, I saw fear dancing around. Gwen's brown eyes revealed indecision. And in Fox's pale, milky eyes… resignation. They were all hurt by the Arrow in one way or another, Nolan by my own hand. This isn't their fight… they don't have to do this.

But at the same time, I saw those emotions slowly get pushed out by determination. Each of them took on a pose, conviction taking over. They might've stayed back during the search to live normal lives, but they know just what's at stake here. And there's no doubt that at when we need it most, they won't hesitate to protect everyone in this stadium from other Stand users.

Seeing their teammates stand up, the rest of the student body started rising to their feet. Every team that I've met and even teams that I'd never come across all stood up, almost in solidarity. Oddly enough, I couldn't see Cinder and her team anywhere. But looking at the students here… well. It's still a lot of people.

Despite the doubt and terror running across their faces, their eyes all glowed with the same look of determination the rest of us Stand users have. Team JNPR… they all looked so worried, but they all kept their composure in face of it all. I let out a quiet sigh. Stand user or not, we're all here to protect Remnans from extinction. This is what we've been training for. I stared at this group and felt hope surge through my chest. We can do this. We can protect the Amity from the White Fang.

I looked back at Weiss on my scroll, a smile growing across my face. "Don't worry, Weiss. We have others that can help us. I know it's going to be hard, but I think we'll be okay. Just focus on holding off the White Fang. I'll come to you once all of the civilians are safe."

"Okay." The girl nodded her head, swallowing. "I'll see you soon." And with that, Weiss's call ended. Should I make a call to Blake and Yang? I looked at the crowd of students standing up. The rest of the Colosseum's inhabitants stopped muttering amongst each other, leaving behind only the sounds of sirens and gunfire ringing in the distance. Just a quick text will do. We need to rally together and move the civilians as soon as possible. I'm sure Blake and Yang have more time to think about their situation. I started typing out the message. But as for everyone on the Amity… we can't waste a second.

Right after hitting send, I stepped onto a nearby chair and cupped my hands around my mouth. "Hey, everyone!" The crowd of Huntsmen-in-Training turned their attention towards me. Oh, gods. I felt a sweat drop slip down my face. There are a lot more people than I expected. I pulled at my collar and waved. "Uh, hi! I got a call from the Headmasters, and they tell us that… that we need to get all of the civilians to a safe place!" I threw my hands out. "We need to make sure that none of the civilians get hurt while the adults are trying to figure out what's going on."

"Alright, hold up." One of the older students raised their hand up. "I get that it's smarter to get everyone off the Amity, but this isn't something we can't rush into. I don't know about you, but the event coordinators ordered us to stay here until further news. And I think that following those instructions is the best choice. So unless you got a good reason for us to move, I'm not moving."

Okay, this is already not going well. I silently pleaded with my fellow Stand users for help. They looked down in thought. Okay, uh… Oh! Camera, camera… My eyes quickly locked onto a nearby surveillance camera. I stared into it, mouthing 'help' to it as murmurs escaped the crowd of Huntsmen. Oh, please, please… Headmaster, if you can see me, please do something…

A chorus of chimes sounded off in our area, causing everyone to pull out their scrolls. "Well, by the gods," the same student murmured. "That's the Headmaster of Beacon right now." Huh? I pulled out my scroll as well. _To all students,_ it read. _If you are reading this, then the kingdom of Vale is under attack. While this attack is hard to take in, we as Huntsmen must fulfill our duty to protect all Remnants from any threat to the Kingdoms._

From there, a second message popped up. _To the students in the Amity Colosseum, your number one priority is to escort all civilians to one of the designated landing pads and defend against any threats to their safety. The location of all designated pads are automatically being uploaded onto your respective scrolls. Several airbuses are already on station and ready to extract._

"So, we take them to one of the landing pads and get everyone off?" Yatsu mused, rubbing the base of his chin. He nodded his head as Coco stood up, hit something on her scroll, and started towards the arena. "Coco… what are you doing?"

"Getting ready to protect these people." She threw a grin before flinging herself over the rails. "After all, what are Huntsmen without their weapons?"

The entire crowd nodded, letting out mutters of agreement. It didn't take long for the crowd to start streaming down. A wave of Huntsmen-in-Training rushed to the arena as the dark skies were painted with streaks of colorful smoke. I followed suit, my hand hitting the button for Crescent Rose before throwing myself over the ledge.

All of the rocket lockers landed in the arena with a series of thumps, causing the entire stadium to become silent once more. All of us ignored the change in mood, focusing on grabbing our weapons and arming ourselves. I myself had to push through a couple of students before I could rip off the door to my rocket locker. Inside, seated above several filled gun magazines was my Crescent Rose. I wish I had the time to admire her and do all the proper checkups.

Instead, I snatched the weapon, loaded a fresh magazine, took several spare ones and pocketed them all. Sorry, Crescent Rose. No time for pampering like I usually do. We have a job to do. I glanced at the map the Headmaster sent us. From the looks of it, the stadium is divided into eight sections, each one with a landing pad for airships. We have roughly four Stand users who are here right now… well, this isn't ideal. I furrowed my brow. We're still going to need to spread ourselves thin. Two sections per Stand user is a lot… but we have no choice.

I turned towards the rest of the students. "So here's what we're going to do. We need to split into four groups. Each group is going to have to take care of two sections, which lead to two landing pads. The sections are labeled A-H. So we'll split ourselves up like that." I got on top of a rocket locker and kept in mind where all of the Stand users are. "Okay, so this group," I counted off everyone, including Nolan and his team, "you're responsible for sections A and B." I did the same with the rest of the students, putting Gwen 'in charge' of protecting C and D while Fox was placed in the group covering E and F. Which puts me in charge of defending sections G and H.

"If there are any signs of White Fang or Grimm attacking, call 'Ruby Rose' on the student directory. My Semblance allows me to transform into rose petals to go faster, so I can relay things to the other groups even if we lose scroll reception. We'll back each other up that way. Does that make sense to everyone?" I got nods of affirmation.

"Good," I said before turning towards the larger civilian crowd. I brought my hands to my mouth. "Everyone!" The entire stadium glanced in my direction.

I flinched back as all their eyes focused on me. Oh my gods… come on, not again… I just got over this! I took a deep breath. "We're going to start getting everybody off of the Colosseum! Just stay calm! We have Huntsmen who will escort you to airships based on what section you're in!" I glanced back at the rest of the students. "Go ahead."

They all nodded, moving to their assigned spots. The crowd started flowing as well, making their way towards the exits. I let out a sigh before turning towards my respective sections. Nolan, Gwen, Fox, Weiss. And every person that I've met and haven't met. Everyone… stay safe.

"Alright, guys." I glanced at the group of students I'll be working with, a group of roughly thirty or so people. "We'll start out by splitting this group in half to cover both sections. Remember to call me if you run into trouble." A blur high above the skies caught my attention. From the looks of it, Nevermores. They haven't made any attempt at dive-bombing us, and even if they did the shields above us should hold up. But I don't think that's a big comfort for any of the civilians here right now.

Speaking of which, the crowd's growing restless and agitated again. We need to get control of the situation now. My eyes flew over to the massive flow of civilians as we climbed over the railing once more. "Everyone!" I yelled. "Start making your way to one of the exits in an orderly fashion, and don't panic! We'll get you guys out of here before you know it!"

With that, all of the Huntsmen fanned out into the crowd. A few of them guided the crowd towards the exits. Others helped up the elderly and guided them out of the seats. A few of them kept their eyes on the sky, ready to act if the Nevermores took interest in the stadium. As for me, I made my way up to the exit in section G. I waved my hand at the crowd moments later. "I'll be guiding everyone here to the airships closest to this section! Follow me!"

I pulled out Crescent Rose, shifted it into its sniper rifle form, and started walking down the corridor. The first few minutes walking was filled with nothing but murmurs from the crowd behind me.

"Did you hear the rumbling coming from Vale?"

"Do you think there's an attack on the city?"

"Why else would they have Huntsmen-in-Training escorting us somewhere?"

I ignored all of those comments, keeping my eyes out for anyone we might come upon. By now some of the bulkier students made their way to the front, serving as a shield for anything coming our way. My mind started to wander a bit as we moved forwards. What kind of Stand users should I expect? It's such a broad question, I don't think there's a good way to answer it. Well… the corridors in the stadium tend to be narrow, so any ability that can take advantage of that should be expected…

My thoughts were interrupted moments later as something in the distance caught my eye. I squinted to see two figures laid on the ground a far distance away from us. From the looks of it, everybody else must've either ran into the arena or towards the landing pads. I frowned. We're going to need to hurry before the White Fang runs into those guys.

I have to take care of this first, though. The one pinned on the ground didn't make a single move as the one on top shook around. What in the world? I looked through the scope. Who's doing that— Wait a minute… I narrowed my eyes. Why does that outfit look familiar— My eyes shot open with surprise. Is that—

"Arslan!" The platinum blonde-haired girl turned to look at me as I ran over to her. "Oh my gods, it's great to see you."

She nodded her head, her eyes flickering back before they could meet mine. "And you too."

"Yup!" My eyes fell over to the unconscious elephant faunus lying on the ground. What the— what's with the wires on this person? Not to mention there's a flattened brick on this guy, and he was holding some kind of detonator… Is that a bomb strapped to their body? Wait a minute… could this be? I turned back to Arslan. "Arslan… don't tell me… is this?"

The girl swallowed before nodding. "Yes. From the looks of it, he's part of the White Fang. His job was to signal to the rest of the White Fang to start the attack. What you see here… this isn't a bomb. It's apparently wired for radio communication. Just in case, I disabled his detonator. I covered it in wax and stamped it. Even if he hit the button, nothing would happen."

"Oh, that's good," I sighed, wiping my brow. "I can't believe it… he was supposed to start the attack. I'm glad you stopped him, then. But Arslan, there must've been more than one of them, because the city of Vale just got bombed—"

"Ruby. You aren't listening. He did start the attack." The girl pushed herself into a seated position and took a sharp breath. "I failed. They called for the attack to commence, and I failed to stop them in time. The attack on Vale… that rests on my shoulders." My eyes widened. Wait, what?

The normally stoic woman hiccuped as she combed a lock of hair back. "There was a panic button on them that they hit before I started chasing them. They made the call to start the attack before we could stop them. And now…" She let out a drawn-out sigh. "Now the White Fang— the White Fang are—!"

Her words were interrupted with a hug from me. "Arslan, stop. Don't go around blaming yourself. No one could do anything about the panic button. From the sounds of it, we would've been attacked either way. No, what's more important is that you prevented so many people on this stadium from dying, assuming the stuff on him's an actual, working bomb." I turned to look at the crowd behind us. "These are all of the people you saved, Arslan. If you didn't intercept that guy, everyone here wouldn't be standing here right now."

"But— But—"

"But nothing." I let my face soften. "I wish this attack didn't happen, either. Every day, my heart aches with every mistake I made, of how many people were affected just by us existing. However, we can't think about that right now. We don't have time to mourn the people we lost. We have to make sure no one else mourns in our place. So, Arslan." I released her and offered her a hand. "Help me with this. Let's bring the rest of the civilians to safety."

Arslan took a sharp breath, wavering a bit before taking my hand. "Thank you, Ruby. I… I appreciate it."

"Great. Could you pull out your scroll for a moment?" She did, and I tapped my scroll onto hers, transferring all of the files. "We're trying to get all of the civilians off of the Amity as soon as possible. We're most likely going to run into some users in the process. So here's the plan. I've already split up the Huntsmen-in-Training into four groups, each group taking care of two sections. I also have one user in each group. Weiss is actively searching for users to intercept. Could you take care of this section for me? I'll get section H, and then we'll regroup to hunt down any White Fang Stand users here."

She nodded her head. "Alright then. Stay safe."

"I will." I turned to the crowd. "Everyone, follow this person! She'll take you to the airships! I'll check on section H!" Before anyone could say anything to me, I started pushing through the crowd. I grunted as the mass of people started to restrict my movement. Maybe I should've asked them to step aside or something… It would make this part so much easier…

As if they heard my thoughts, the crowd parted a bit, allowing me to rush through. A smile grew on my face. Thank you, everyone. Don't worry, we'll make sure everyone stays safe.

It didn't take long for me to exit the opening to G and enter section H. Well, especially considering how the entrances are right next to each other. But never mind about that. My mind left to wander a bit as I ran through the empty corridors. So Arslan _was_ on the Amity Colosseum, I wonder if there are any other Stand users that I didn't see in the stadium. I narrowed my eyes. Maybe Russel? I'm not really sure. Didn't his team get eliminated earlier on in the day? I'm not sure if they would stay here to watch the other matches, but who knows? We might get lucky twice in a row.

The group walking this route appeared in front of me. Okay, this should be fine. I'll just go in front of the crowd, get a basic status report on what happened, and then help them lead the rest of the group to the landing pads—

I stopped in my tracks. Wait a minute… why isn't the crowd moving? I tried to piece something from all of the murmuring in the crowd, but I couldn't make out anything. What is going on?

"Hey," I whispered to one of the students in the back. "What's going on? Why isn't the crowd moving forward?"

"Oh! You're the one who spoke! But… beats me," the guy whispers back. "There are too many people in the way, and the guys in the front aren't communicating." He sighed. "It's kinda unnerving, to be honest. Maybe it's just my paranoia, but us being here must be dangerous. This would be a perfect time for someone to ambush us."

"No doubt." I pulled the slide on Crescent Rose back a bit. Normal Dust rounds. Did I remember to put in the subsonic rounds? Considering we're in close quarters, subsonic wouldn't be a bad idea right now. The last thing we need are civilians who get spooked by the sounds of gunfire. But okay, Ruby, focus on the situation at hand. Why would the group stop walking all of a sudden?

I don't think it's from a Stand ability, otherwise there would probably be more of a panic. I don't think there are regular White Fang fighters here, either. I would've heard louder gunshots and more panic. It's likely that somebody injured themselves during the walk, but I'm sure there would still be some movement if that were the case. People can continue to move forward even if somebody was hurt. I sighed. There's only one way to know for sure.

"Excuse me." I started pushing myself through the crowd, earning grunts and mutters of disapproval. "Sorry! Please step to the side for just a moment! Huntress, coming through!" This crowd was a lot less receptive of me, parting just a bit. Enough to make my journey a little easier, but not nearly enough to get me to the front with ease. And the constant complaints every time I moved past one of them— I let out a grunt of frustration. Keep calm, Ruby. If this is due to a Stand user, then you have to be calm. You cannot make a mistake because you got frustrated.

Finally, after what felt like forever, I managed to make it to the front of the crowd. "Whew!" I wiped the brow of my forehead. "That took me some time! Now, what's going… on…" My eyes widened as I looked at the sight in front of me. There's what looked like a squadron of Atlesian soldiers on the ground, all contorted in painful positions. Oh my gods… are they breathing? I ran over to the closest one, rolled him over, and yanked his helmet off.

A frozen face of shock and horror greeted me. "Oh gods!" I yelled, throwing the helmet to the side. There's no easy way to describe the disfigurement. Most of his skin was turning brown around several shallow channels, which tended to run in a wavy pattern up his face. I turned away from him when the smell kicked in. Oh— I gagged, plugging my nose and backing away. Ugh… this is— This is something, alright. I felt nothing but fear spike in my chest as I looked at the downed person in front of me.

There's no way. He couldn't be— I took a deep breath, holding it as I pressed the side of my ear against his chest. No heartbeat. This guy is long gone by now. I backed away in an instant and sighed. There's no doubt about it. This has to be the work of an enemy Stand, and someone who's on the Amity right now. But what could've caused this kind of disfigurement? What kind of ability would do this to someone through a thick helmet?

My eyes narrowed. This can't be good. I can't tell how long has it been since this attack happened, but I think it's safe to assume it's fairly recent. Which means the Stand user and/or the Stand is still relatively close. Knowing this, moving forward is a risky option. We're probably going to need to get the crowd to double back and go through section G while I clear out H.

With that plan in mind, I called Arslan. "Hey, just wondering," I started. "Did you run into anyone on your route?"

"No. Not a single person." The girl let out a confused sound. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm going to bring the section H group out and send them through G. We just ran into some dead Atlesian soldiers. They have weird scarring from… from who knows what. But I think I'm close to a user."

"Oh gods…" Arslan whispered. "I'll come over as soon as I can—"

"No, make sure everyone gets on an airship. I might be close to a user, but I don't know exactly where they are right now. They could be in your section as far as I know, and I didn't notice. We have to make sure the civilians are safe as well. Plus, whatever this scarring is, I can simply repair myself if it hurts me. Just make sure that everyone else is safe."

From the other side of the call, Arslan sighed. "Okay, then. Good luck with that."

After ending the call, I turned around to the nearest student. "I'm going to check out this area first. Alone. Message the Huntsmen in the back to start funneling the civilians towards section G. Everyone in the front, stay here and make sure nothing goes through. If I don't come back within five minutes, then just leave with the others."

One of the students straightened their backs. "Wouldn't it be best if you have at least one other person with you? I mean, what if the enemy decides to attack while you're exploring the corridor? What would you do then?"

A glint of light from a distance caught my attention. What in the world? I looked up and felt my jaw drop. Close to the ceiling floated what looked like a swarm of jellyfish. They all clumped up into a five-meter cloud, just floating around and doing nothing. But the worst thing of all… their head-things all had the face of a skull on it. They all glowed an eerie pale green. Jellyfish skulls… floating in the air. I have no words. That has to be the Stand. No way it could be anything else.

For now, the swarm was pretty far away, but who knows how long that might last. I turned back to the student. "You won't understand even if I tried to explain. But focus on the civilians. Don't worry about me, I'll handle it." They nodded, turning away and calling out orders to the rest of the group.

At that moment, the swarm started drifting in our direction. I swallowed. Now if only I knew how to back up my words.

* * *

My mind was reeling at the sight outside my office windows. It's not easy watching all of Vale in chaos, especially from where I can see everything. Gods, it's like the watchtower all over again. I gave my cane a tight squeeze. So this is her move… this was what she was planning the whole entire time…

I glanced back at the message sent to the students on the Amity Colosseum. By gods, I hope that they're able to get everyone off of there alive. But that's just a distraction. A move to spread Vale's resources thin, generate negativity for more Grimm to come in, and cause chaos in general. No, she's going for the user in Vale. The one who can get her out of her prison. I felt my fist clench. It's sad to admit, but I have to leave the Amity to Ms. Rose and the other users. I, on the other hand, have to make sure that witch doesn't escape.

A couple button presses later and Qrow appeared on my screen, wiping his face of sweat. "Qrow, give me a status report on the city and on the mission."

The man nodded. "Sure thing. To put it lightly, Vale's a mess. Huntsmen have been fighting White Fang raining from the skies and Grimm pouring out of several holes in the ground. My best guess is they somehow dug up the old Mountain Glenn train route, loaded a train full of explosives, and blew several holes in the heart of the city. We're trying to get to the breach closest to us. I can hear Atlesian soldiers fighting in the distance, but we're still neck deep in Grimm. We need more firepower. Where's that fancy android army James was crooning about?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'll get in touch with him as soon as possible about that. But what about the girl you found? Is she still with you?"

"Who, Winter? No, wait. Oh! You mean Amber!" He nodded. "We have confirmation. Wandering traveler who recently entered the city for the Vytal Festival. She has a teleportation power. And yeah, she's still here with us. She's currently helping out with fighting our way out, since she claimed that she had some level of combat training. And if you want my opinion on the matter, she's pretty good at handling Grimm." He let out a chuckle. "She's like a Dust wizard or something, considering how well she can use her Aura and that quarterstaff—"

"Thank you, Qrow." I let out a hum. "Ahh… I was going to tell you to get her into one of the Grimm-proofed buildings and hold off there, but I presume she's not going to comply?"

Qrow sighed, shaking his head. "So kind-hearted, yet so stubborn. She's not going to move an inch until all of Vale's safe. I mean, I'm not exactly complaining, but considering how important it is to keep her out of the enemy's grasp…"

"Right. That's more work on your end on making sure she isn't captured, but I'm certain that you'll make sure she doesn't." My eyes glanced at the giant cloud of aerial Grimm. "Again, I'll check in on James and see about getting some extra firepower to hold off the Grimm. As soon as the airspace is clear, I'll come in with a Bullhead and extract everyone. I trust that you can keep her safe until then."

"Right. See ya then, Ozpin."

The call ended. But there's no time to waste. I started another call with my fellow Headmaster. As I listened to each ring, I thought about why James hadn't sent down any androids. It's strange. Qrow's right in a sense. James takes a lot of pride in his choice to foster an automated army. Which makes it even stranger that he hasn't deployed it in a situation where we would need it the most. I rubbed the base of my chin. I know that he was having problems with the Black Queen Virus, but was it that big of a concern?

James popped up on the screen, rubbing his eyes in a lamp-lit room. He's clearly seen better days, considering his bloodshot eyes. Most likely from exhaustion. While the rest of him looked proper as usual, there's no doubt in my mind that he's at wit's end. He stared at me with horrified eyes. "Ozpin, make it quick. I can't guarantee the safety of this message." That got me to raise an eyebrow. Huh?

I sat up in my seat and brushed it off. "Evening, James. I'm sure that you've heard about the events going on down below." The man nodded his head, not saying a word. I continued: "We could really use the support of your Atlesian Knights. What's going on?"

"I wish I could help, but that's going to be a difficult task," the man sighed. "Only yesterday did we discover the extent of the Queen Virus. Well, it's less of a computer virus and more of a computer worm. No… It's actually a bit of both. Let me explain."

The man sat up. "I'm sure you're aware of the CCT attack a couple of months ago. The infiltrator managed to install the Queen 'virus' into the main building, but she never got the chance to run it before one of your students managed to drive her off. Because of that, we let down our guard. While it infected a noticeable amount of our computers, it wasn't an issue. Until we realized that it kept popping back up in places where we cleared it. And when we checked the code, we were shocked."

He rubbed his eyes. "This entire time we thought we managed to contain the malware, but we failed to notice that there was also a worm in the background. It exploited our local network and got into all of our systems without us noticing. I'll spare you the technical jargon, but there's good news and bad news. The good news: it only affects the local network Atlesian ships share. The rest of Vale does not have the malware. The bad news is that it infected everything within that network. Ship controls, communications, amenities, and the androids. We went completely analog except for this call and one more."

James let out a sigh. "I wish I could send in the Knights and the Paladins. I really do. But something tells me if we do that, the virus might activate and do who knows what with them, which would put so many lives at risk. I'm sorry, Ozpin, but I can't risk the androids turning on the people they were supposed to protect."

That's… not good. Not good at all. I rubbed the back of my neck. I mean, at least we're not going to be surprised by any androids turning against us, but at the same time, it doesn't really help when we need to contain the breach made by the White Fang. I let out a sigh. "Thank you for that. Considering your situation, do you want me to send a message to the rest of the Kingdoms, or—?"

The man held his hand up. "No need for that. I already sent a message to the other Headmasters about the situation as well as back home. They're mobilizing their Huntsmen right now, although I can't make any promises on how timely their arrival might be. I'm getting reports that the fear is starting to draw Grimm towards those Kingdoms as well. I'm getting varied estimates, but it might take about a week for my own Huntsmen to reach Vale."

An entire week? That's… not the worst, especially since James' trip from Atlas to Vale was roughly four days. Having a couple extra days to organize their local Huntsmen, debate how large of a force they can afford to send, and actually send the manpower normally wouldn't be that big of a deal. But I fear that if we lose this Amber girl, Vale wouldn't even have a week. We'll be wiped off the map before the reinforcements ever arrive, and the rest of Remnant will soon follow. I sighed. Let's just hope we don't need to make a last stand like that.

I nodded my head. "Thank you for that, James. I'll leave you to your task. Goodbye."

He returned the nod, ending the call quickly. The moment the screen disappeared, I shot out of my seat and pressed one of the buttons. "Glynda, prep a Bullhead for the city of Vale. We're going to need to make an emergency extraction of a certain individual, and we're going to need to do it now."

"What?" was the first word that came out from the PA. "Alright then, if that's what you need. What's the location?"

"Use Qrow's scroll location," I replied as I gathered my cane. "Have the Bullhead on standby as soon as it's ready. I'll be performing the extraction myself."

Glynda let out a hum of confusion. "Wouldn't it be easier to have someone else do it? You don't need to do something like that, especially since you're better suited to coordinating everyone on the ground—"

"They already received their orders, and I trust that they can get the job done. But this extraction needs a bit of my own personal touch. I have to be there." I transferred the call to my scroll as I slipped into the elevator. "Glynda, it is of utmost importance that I am there to bring her here. I won't have it any other way. By the way, where are you right now?"

"Alright…" I heard the sounds of hair passing over the microphone. " I'm already at the Bullhead, telling the pilot to start it up. But are you absolutely sure you want to do this extraction? I'm looking at the skies right now, and there's a swarm of Nevermores over the city. We're not getting near it without one or more of them coming after us."

"No worries, that's why you're joining me. We're going to clear the air before we perform the extraction." The elevator let out a ding as it reached the first floor. I walked out, twirling my cane as I made my way to the Beacon landing pads. "So you might want to ready yourself, because this is going to be a long night."

* * *

It's quiet. Too quiet. I narrowed my eyes as I walked through the empty vendor alley, Myrtenaster drawn and at the ready. This is… nerve-wracking, to say the least. If I remember correctly, Ruby and a few other Stand users are currently evacuating the civilians. But it's strange. I can't make out any murmurs or footsteps in this section at all. Shouldn't a giant group of people make at least a bit of noise, no matter how stealthy they were trying to be?

Maybe the group hasn't left the stadium yet. That could be a possibility. But there's still something about this atmosphere that unnerves me. It feels like I'm being watched; stalked by someone or something that wants to kill me. And although I know for a fact that there can't possibly be anything here, I just can't shake this… menacing feeling around me.

My instincts are to double back and make sure that the civilians are safe. Without a doubt, that would be the best choice to go with. Take as little risks as possible, especially when you don't know how big the invasion force is. We probably have at most ten users available to defend the Amity, assuming all of the students are here right now and not counting the Headmaster. And knowing that that's likely not the case, with Blake in Beacon and Jaune stuck in a room with Ciel, I wouldn't be surprised if we only had half of that number. Five Stand users, maybe, versus who knows how many? Without a doubt, we're in a pretty bad situation.

I tightened my grip on Myrtenaster. It's insane how much the situation has changed. From occasional skirmishes with people not even involved in the Arrow conspiracy to a full-blown White Fang attack on all of Vale. From almost nothing to everything happening at once. I can feel myself shaking. We never had control of this situation, did we? All of us were played like a fiddle, right into this mystery enemy's hands. And now… now we risk the fall of Vale and maybe civilization itself.

No. I gritted my teeth. There's no way we're going to let it end here. Maybe they managed to pull off their attack, but they still need to capture a certain individual in order to actually succeed. As far as we know, they haven't done that yet. So we've still got a chance to pull this off! The Headmaster already mentioned something about having a lead on who the important Stand user is, and how he's getting close to getting them to safety. As long as the Beacon Stand users can rout the invading White Fang and get the Arrow back, then we can make it a lot harder for the villains to actually succeed. We're in this to the end.

And in order to do that, I have to jump right into this without a single doubt in my mind. I started walking down that alley again. Whether the civilians are ahead of me or behind me, that doesn't matter. What matters is that this place is cleared of Stand users. Ruby said it herself: she'll take care of the people. My job is to deal with the danger. So I'll go, no matter the cost.

I felt my spirits soar, my stride picking up. This is it. It's been a long time since I felt this feeling. The feeling that helped me train, even with fairly weak Aura. The feeling that helped me destroy the Grimm Knight that scarred my face. A feeling that was challenged when Ruby became team leader. Now it came back to me: the feeling of conviction. It came back, filling my chest as I walked into what could potentially be fatal. But that doesn't matter. I'm here to stop the White Fang from destroying everything we know and love, no matter the cost.

As if my silent challenge has been noted, I picked up the sounds of whimpering. The point of Myrtenaster flew up, ready to jab at someone at a moment's notice. I looked around. Doesn't seem like anyone's here. And true, the sounds of whimpering were pretty soft. Either I'm farther away from the source than I thought I was, or there's a Stand user trying to trick me into dropping my guard. I scoffed. Like that's going to happen. I'll stay on my toes until I'm sure this place is safe, I assure you.

I took shorter strides this time around, glancing all over the alley to make sure nothing's going to catch me by surprise. Every step I took made the whimpers ever so slightly louder.. I furrowed my eyebrows. Assuming this isn't a trap just waiting to be sprung, the sounds can't be made by anything bigger than a small group. Doesn't really tell me whether the civilian group is ahead of me or behind me, but I might be able to learn something about this situation.

Oh gods. I stopped in my tracks. The section in front of me… why is it painted in blood? Splatters of blood dripped down the walls, still wet and fresh. The previously brightly colored stalls were all now colored crimson. Streaks of said blood contrasted greatly against the concrete floor I stood on. Strangely enough, I can't find any bodies lying around. But the whimpers— I can hear the despair in them. Like they can't put much energy into making a single sound anymore. That's what freaked me out the most. They've given up on living.

I spotted one of the guys whimpering, their head behind a stall. Not a drop of blood covered their body in any way. My gods, they're still alive! "Hello," I started, walking towards the person with haste. "I'm a Huntsmen. Is everything okay with you— Oh gods!"

My body recoiled in horror the moment I saw their face. Or more accurately, without their face. Their skin was completely ripped off, showing off the facial muscles underneath. I can see said muscles twitch with every little movement this person made. Their neck, it was like the diameter of a twig. Even if I wanted to, I can't move their body without snapping their fragile neck. From their body shape, I can tell they look like a guy, but that seemed off as well. For one thing, their hands looked way too big in comparison to their noodly, almost bone-like arms. Same thing with their feet. My eyes widened at how their toes broke through the tip of their boots.

Bulging exposed eyeballs turned to look at me. It took all of my willpower to not recoil at the sight. Now that I'm close up, I realized the sound wasn't just whimpering. It's raspy, choking, a desperate attempt to keep breathing. Similarly, the man's voice was just as raspy. "Hunt… Huntsmen? Turn… back… Chainsaw… man—"

"What?" I dropped next to him. "What chainsaw man? He did this to you, right?" I got the tiniest of nods. "But what about the other people? Did they get attacked as well?"

"People? … Chainsaw… attacked… vendors… Only human. Took… wife." I furrowed my eyebrows. If I'm hearing this correctly, the crowd from the stadium haven't passed through here yet. Okay, that's a good thing, at least. Still, only human vendors? I narrowed my eyes. This definitely has to do with the White Fang then, and one of the crazier members, if they're willing to rip off the face of this person. The person continued, "Please… save… Mari."

I nodded. "I will, don't worry about that. Hold still for a moment." I ran over to a nearby first-aid kit and pulled out a spray can of chitosan. Biomaterial used to quickly seal up wounds and prevent infection… I don't know how well it would work on a face, but it's either this or die horribly due to an infection. "I'll be spraying this on your face as a temporary cover until we can get you to a hospital to get a skin graft." I covered his eyes with my hand before applying the sealant. "I need a bit more information, though. How many people were here when they got attacked?"

The man's lips twitched as a thin sheen of biomaterial covered it. "Almost… every… vendor… here… Twenty? Chainsaw… took… more than… third? Rest… either cut down… or like me." That got me to raise my eyebrow. Wait, twenty? That can't be right. I would've noticed the bodies if that was the case. Unless this guy decided that hiding all of the bodies was a good idea…

I shook my head. that's not something I should worry about at the moment. What's most important is that I find and rescue the rest of the hostages that this… this chainsaw soldier took. I'm not really sure why he would take hostages in the first place, but there's no way it would be for good reasons. Is he planning on torturing them? Bringing them to a place where they'll be indoctrinated? I shook my head. Oh, come on Weiss. It can't possibly be like that. You're just letting your paranoia and previous prejudice take over. But still, in the heat of the moment… I can't help but think that.

"Okay, this should be enough," I sighed, removing my hand from his face. Most of his muscles were covered up now. I couldn't really create eyelids for the guy, but I can't really do much. Except… I grabbed a nearby towel, soaked it in some water, and draped it over his eyes. "This should help with keeping your eyes moist." I stood up. "Don't worry, sir. I'll get your wife."

"Thank… you…"

"Don't say anything else. Rest now." The sound of a single set of footsteps forced me back down into cover. What the— who's that? I peered around the corner. A muscular man walked in our direction from a fair distance away. Short hair, basic White Fang uniform. Oh gods, so they managed to land here… My eyebrows furrowed further. And from the looks of it, he might be tougher than I thought. At first glance, I didn't think he was that special. But as he got closer, I noticed small differences.

For one thing, he had a unique mask that covered his entire face. For another thing, tribal tattoos in the form of fanged killer whales swam up his arms, giving him a more… psychotic aura. Out of context, he looks like a serial killer from those freaky horror movies. And nothing completes that picture of a deranged man more than the bloody chainsaw he had in his right hand. The squeals that it made as it was dragged across the ground made me wince.

I swallowed. This… this is the chainsaw man, huh? Is he coming back around to find more victims? I thumbed Myrtenaster to yellow Dust. I won't let him. I just need to hit him with a perfectly aimed bolt of lightning, and he'll be on the ground. Electrical shocks still work through Aura, so I'll be able to stun him long enough to disable him. Yeah. I scooted myself back just a bit. Just let him pass by you, and then shoot him from behind with lightning Dust. I won't miss at all if that's the case.

Ten meters. My heart started pounding wildly as his footsteps got closer. Five meters. My index finger wavered at the trigger, waiting for the chance to strike. One meter. Get ready—

He stopped, forcing me to pause as well. What the— What's he doing? "Hmm…" his voice rumbled. "What's this?" He started sniffing the air. Huh? What in the world? What's he doing? Why is he sniffing the air? There's no way… can he smell me being here through his faunus trait? That can't be possible… wouldn't the mask block any advantage he would've had? I can't risk it. I'll shoot the bolt right now—

The White Fang stopped, letting out a growl. "That smell… it reeks of human hypocrisy." My eyes widened. Huh? He continued: "Not just any kind of human hypocrisy. It's the smell of a human who enslaves the Faunus." The sound of a chainsaw revving caused the blood in my face to drain away. "SCHNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

I threw myself out of cover at that very moment, squeezing the trigger. A zingy smell reached my nostrils as a bolt of lightning arced through the air, slamming into the man's chest and knocking him back. One roll later and I brandished Myrtenaster. This ends here! I jabbed him in the chest with my rapier several times, knocking him onto the floor. Before he could get up, I brought the point up to his neck. "Don't move if you value your life. You're not going to get away with this, terrorist! Where are the people you kidnapped?"

He let out a chuckle. "Kidnapped? What an ignorant human thing to say. I liberated my fellow Faunus from your race's filthy hands. None of us should have to deal with monsters." He snatched the tip of my weapon. "Especially the heiress of the SDC." I felt my stomach churn when I saw his whale tattoos twitch. Was that just me, or did this tattoos move for a second—

An inky killer whale erupted from his skin where a tattoo was, baring its sharp teeth at me. No… that can't be… One by one, each tattoo burst through his skin like it was the surface of the ocean. It's a Stand! My index tried pulling against the trigger. But the inky marine animals shot forwards, diving into the blade of Myrtenaster. Moments later, I felt the pommel grow bigger and heavier, swinging the point of the blade up and sending the next bolt of lightning towards the ceiling. My eyes widened. What?

The man was at me in an instant, throwing his leg out to sweep mine. That got me to back up instantly. I looked at Myrtenaster in shock. By now the blade shrunk by tenfold, and the pommel's as big as the Dust cylinder now! Is this the man's Stand ability?

I shot a glare at the towering man, who let out a vicious laugh as he pushed himself up with the help of his chainsaw. "Surprised? You should be. This is the moment where we Faunus return all the pain and misery your people put us through. And when I'm through with you, I want you to remember the name of the Faunus that judged you for your sins: Lieutenant Banesaw." He revved up the chainsaw once more, letting out a satisfied hum as it gnashed its teeth together. "And with my **「** **SIX DAYS,** **」** I'm sure the weight of your sins will rip you apart."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 7/20/2018**

* * *

 ** _Retrospective:_ Planning out pre-disaster Vytal Festival and Last Breath, while not the hardest thing to do, was stressful and creatively draining, especially knowing the inevitable conclusion to it. There's a connotation of disaster assigned to the Vytal Festival that I realize cannot be avoided. It's attempting to justify a disaster that everybody knows is coming, and I've seen it enough in so many RWBY stories that it is our own fan cliche. When I first conceived RWBY BA, I chose to merge JoJo concepts into the RWBY world to avoid the typical crossover beats I felt are overdone at that point. But now... I have to bite the bullet and find a way to make a tired event sorta interesting to read through. And that is tiring.**

 **Now, don't get me wrong. I loved writing this version of RWBY vs ABRN, I loved writing the search for the Cupid, the Last Breath chapters, and so on. Writing the events themselves aren't too bad. It's making them interesting direction changes that I had trouble with. So many scrapped plot ideas went into making the Vytal Festival portion of Arc 4 to work. Thankfully, I can look back on these chapters and be proud of the choices I've made.**

 **Let's focus on RWBY vs. ABRN. Writing a convincing way for a team to throw their match, like I've said so many times before is so much interesting compared to writing a story where a team wins. I always wanted to explore a tactical loss, a way to set yourself up for success by taking an L. The idea seems so unconventional, so against the tenets of fighting that it intrigued me. So, I wrote a fight where RWBY deliberately tried to convincingly lose. I loved writing it, and I loved that everyone loved it.**

 **Now, onto Last Breath. This Stand went through an identity crisis. Originally, I gave it the name of Diamond Dogs because MGSV and then assigned it to Ciel. That happened fairly early on. However, I was stuck on what the ability should be for so long. What could I do to make this Stand interesting? All I knew that Ciel was to attack Jaune with it, but I drew a blank. So I shelved the idea and moved on, hoping for inspiration later.**

 **And inspiration I eventually found. I was in a class about logic in arguments when I started thinking about semantics: wording a sentence in a way that allowed you to technically slip through the cracks of the rules. Then my mind went to Jaune and the joke that "An Arc always keeps their word," and it clicked. I was overthinking it. The Stand didn't have to be that complicated and off the wall. And so its ability was born.**

 **From there the pieces fell together. I came up with the feathered snake by combining a boa constrictor with the Feather of Ma'at from Egyptian myth. And yes, I realize the irony of giving the symbol of chaos in Egyptian lore the feathers of 'truth.' I switched out Diamond Dogs for Last Breath when I realized, "Maybe Diamond Dogs the song doesn't do a good job with representing Ciel." And well, now you guys see the results of that.**

* * *

 **Now with the reveal of Amber, I should make this clear: I'm not going to be incorporating Maidens into the story. Mainly because they don't narratively work with the story. So this Amber, while a character from the RWBY-verse, does not have the same background as in canon. She isn't a Maiden. Just a traveler wandering the world, which she was presumably doing before the V3 attack. Just want to leave that out there.**

 **Let's get right into the reviews!**

 **Guest 1: Yup, the Breach is finally here. Never forgot about that, so now we can truly see the destruction this thing can really cause.**

 **tuskenpaw: Let's hope that Yang and Blake can. The timer's definitely ticking for them.**

 **And to be honest, you took the words out of my mouth. Even if the focus has changed from the White Fang to the Stand Arrow, things still happen loosely to canon. Admittedly, I wished I did a better job incorporating it into the narrative (since Roman was thirty chapters ago), but the shoe has fallen, the characters are blindsided, and it's time for action. I enjoyed writing these particular Stand battles, and I can't wait to show them off!**

 **Guest 2: Yeah... poor Arslan. So close, but not enough.**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Oh yeah. We got some Star Wars.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **doa5700047: I know, right? There's just nothing like JoJo, and the hiatus is hard. But the light's at the end of the tunnel. Part 5 is coming.**

 **For the Ciel thing, thanks for catching that. There was something to explain the lack of bullet penetration, but that must've gotten deleted from my drafts. Added that back in. And yeah, Ciel's Stand isn't the greatest in fighting. Then again, not everyone has to have combat-applicable abilities. It's fun trying to make it work regardless.**

 **I did say before the story started that the story takes place after the Dance Arc during V2, but diverges from canon there. In hindsight, should've better connected the actual narrative to that fact. But yeah, I like the idea of combining the Breach and Battle of Beacon. Considering that this was likely the original plan, it's going to be fun to explore that versus doing the Breach and Battle of Beacon separately.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: July 20, 2018**_


	41. Six Days

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Don't really have much to say here at the moment, so I won't waste your time. Thanks again to my beta as always, and let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

Ever since the Cupid cut me way, way back in the forges, I've seen more scary stuff than any one person should ever see. From **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** to **「** **HOCUS POCUS,** **」** I've seen so many terrible things happen to me, my friends, the populace, and other Stand users. At this point, you would think creatures that are scary to most people wouldn't be as frightening. I'd never think to be afraid of a swarm of jellyfish.

A drop of sweat slid down my forehead at the sight of the cloud of creatures floating towards us. Jellyfish… swimming in the air. I glanced down at the scarred bodies. Are these the things that caused the markings on those Atlesian soldiers we ran into earlier? If so, we're in trouble. Big trouble. I need to come up with a plan, and fast.

"Uh…" One of the Huntsmen-in-Training coughed into their hand, causing me to jerk up in surprise. "I'm sorry about interrupting your thoughts and all, but… what are you looking at, anyways?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You've been staring down that hallway for some time now," the girl explained. "And well… I don't see anything to be worried about."

"It's nothing." I waved the thought away. "I'm just… thinking about what I might face going down there." Well, I'm not wrong. I glanced back up at the jellyfish swarm. It's moving at a leisurely pace, giving us plenty of time for the others to escape. But if this swarm picks up or if we managed to get trapped… that would be worrisome. "How's progress on transferring the entire crowd to section G?"

"We're trying to get in contact with the guys in the back, but it's going to take some time before we can make some significant progress." She glanced back at the agitated crowd behind her. "After all," the Huntress started, "there's a lot of people in here with us."

"True, true. I guess we should tell them again." I turned to face the crowd. "Everyone! Like I said before, start moving back and start heading towards section G! Head towards the end of that section and wait next to the landing pads until somebody can load you into an airbus! But before you do so, I need to ask everybody something. Who here is familiar with types of jellyfish?"

Not a lot of people spoke up. I winced. Oh… I should've expected that, but still, I can feel my spirits deflate a bit. I took a deep breath. "Anyone? Please? It's going to be a real quick question, so if anybody knows—"

"Wait!" Somebody pushed their way through the crowd, a woman in her early twenties with tiny moose antlers. All eyes flew over to her. She let out an 'eep,' her body shaking to the sudden amount of attention. If I didn't know better, she was more deer than moose. Her light green eyes flickered down towards the ground the moment I made eye contact with her. "Uh… I know some things about them. But why do you need somebody who is familiar with jellyfish?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "So you know something about jellyfish?" She bobbed her head from side to side for a bit, eyes glancing at the crowd before giving me a nod. I gave her my best smile. "Great! Come over here for a second." To the crowd, I raised my voice, "Everybody else, start moving towards section G! Do not come back here!"

As soon as I saw the crowd start to move back, I turned back towards the moose girl in question. "Don't worry, I won't keep you long. What's your name?"

"Uh… Boreas." She glanced away, scratching the side of her neck. "I know what you're going to say, it's a boy name, right?" I kept my mouth shut. It's like she read my mind. The girl shook her head, doing everything she could to hide the ever growing redness swallowing her face. "It's embarrassing how I got my name, I'd rather not talk about it."

"That's okay," I responded. "We don't need to talk about your name. Let's go back to what I asked about. Just how much do you know about jellyfish? Do you know certain species or whatnot?"

She shook her head again. "Uh, not that much. I used to be a lifeguard at the beach near Derketo's Cove." She started playing with her short orange hair. "In the summer there would be a massive influx of jellyfish that would sweep in, making it more dangerous to swim there. I know how to handle those— well, more like me and my sister. She's more of an expert since she's working on her dissertation for marine biology and all that. But— but she couldn't come to watch the tournament, so I guess I have to do?"

Hmm… better than nothing, I guess. I gave her a nod. "That might be helpful, Boreas."

The girl flinched at that. "Please don't— I mean, can… can you call me Bori?"

I nodded. "Okay, Bori. So you see, these Atlesian soldiers have these scars and sting marks that remind me of jellyfish stings. Then I remember—" I glanced toward the slowly approaching swarm. "—I remember seeing a jellyfish. It broke down before I can grab it, but I still remember what it looked like. Can you check these guys out while I draw something?" With a loud gulp, she nodded, crawling towards one of the downed men and examined him while I snatched pen and paper from a nearby vendor.

Okay, okay… I just need to draw an okay version of the jellyfish approaching us. That's not too bad. A drop of sweat slipped down my face. Right? If my Stand could draw better than me, I would try that. But I'm pretty sure Rose would have just as terrible drawing skills as I do. I mean… give me any kind of weapon, and I can sketch it out to the last rivet. But the moment I have to draw something from nature… whoo boy. But it's not like I have a choice at this point.

With a sigh, I started sketching out an image of one of the jellyfish. Okay, so the head thing is like a box… then it has just a ton of the tentacles… I glanced up and shivered. Is it just me, or did the markings on that jellyfish look like a skull for just a moment? Better put that in, just in case.

Before long I held the completed image up before wincing. Oh my gods, this barely looks like the jellyfish in front of us. Really wish Cinder was here. She could probably do better. I really hope that this is enough… "Okay, so this isn't really good, but I think this was what the jellyfish looked like." I held out the piece of paper. "Can you figure out anything from the Atlesian soldiers?"

Bori shook her head. "All I can say is that they passed away quickly yet painfully." She took the sheet from me. "It's not easy to tell what kind of jellyfish caused this kind of sting, but there's something familiar about these kinds of stings—" Her eyes widened. "Is that the sea wasp?"

Huh? I raised my eyebrows. "The what now?"

"Chironex fleckeri. A type of box jellyfish. I remember seeing a ton of them washed up during my time lifeguarding. My sister likes studying them, said she's thinking about writing a dissertation on them. But if I remember her talks about this creature correctly, these are dangerous things. A tiny sting is like being branded by a hot iron. And if someone is exposed to enough of the toxin, they can suffer from cardiac arrest. I can't remember what the proper term was… but I remember she was thinking about trying to synthesize an antidote with some zinc compound or something…"

I nodded, brushing myself off before standing up. "Okay, I think I get it now. Thanks a lot, Bori. You should get out of here now. I'll search the area before coming with you."

"Okay," she whispered, all too happy to get away from the area. Her brow furrowed for a moment, but before I knew it, she merged back in with the crowd. Which left only me and the swarm. Bori really helped me out here. So letting my body touch any of the tentacles will cause my heart to stop, huh? Good thing I can localize any of the venom away from my body. I stepped forwards.

Just like that, the atmosphere around us… changed. It felt like every single jellyfish turned to stare at me. Before I could blink, their tentacles unfurrowed before the swarm shot at me at a surprising speed.

A shot of my Semblance shot me forward. I swung my arm up, calling on Rose right as it reached its apex. My hand detached from my body, flying up and away from me as it soared over the swarm. The rest of my body broke down shortly afterward. Every petal soared up, following the flying hand and escaping the grasp of the tentacles. I reformed myself instantly afterward, firing off a shot from Crescent Rose before landing with a roll. As if the swarm sensed my movements, it started moving towards me again. Perfect. As long as it's away from the main crowd. I started sprinting away from the swarm. Now, where can I find the Stand user?

* * *

Banesaw laughed at me, swinging his chainsaw to and fro as he sauntered towards me. I held out the misshapen Myrtenaster, which at this point was the size of a knife rather than a proper rapier. The whale tattoos kept swimming on the surface of Myrtenaster's pommel. The man let out a 'hmph.' "Do you feel it yet? The weight of your sins? A Schnee like you disgust me. Look at you!"

He gestured to me. "That sword, most likely commissioned on behalf of the Schnee family, bought with money made from exploiting Faunus miners. Your designer clothes, made in a sweatshop of Faunus workers. Your usage of Dust, likely obtained, again from Faunus miners who died painful deaths due to Dust lung. I've never seen the epitome of Faunus oppression stand in front of me. And worst of all, you have the audacity to say that you want to help the Faunus race. Like you think we can't help ourselves after your family screwed us over." He let out a snarl. "You are a disease, a plague on Faunus kind. I won't mind cleansing the world of your scent."

I kept my silence, letting him rant and talk my ear out as my mind raced. How do I counter **「** **SIX DAYS?** **」** In fact, what is its ability? It has to do with the whale tattoos, that's for sure. But what specifically about these whales warped Myrtenaster just like that? I glanced at my rapier. The pommel grew pretty big, but the blade shrank in size.

It reminded me of Jaune's Stand ability to change the density of anything he touches. But he doesn't have nearly the same amount of control as Banesaw. Jaune _can_ play with mass and volume, but it's uniform across the entire object. And the moment he lets go, the object slowly starts reverting back to its original density. Banesaw, on the other hand, doesn't have that same limitation. The whales keep the shape of the item they changed, regardless of whether he's touching it or not. So now I have to ask myself, what's different about Banesaw's Stand ability compared to Jaune's?

Before I can do that, however… I popped the Dust cylinder out and removed the vials before tossing the weapon to the side. As regrettable as it is, there's no way I'm going to use Myrtenaster in its current state. Something tells me that **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** can swim between two objects, and I'd rather not risk dying immediately.

"Oh?" Banesaw stopped for a moment. "Hmm… Getting rid of your weapon… You pick up fast." He lowered his weapon for just a moment, before lifting it back up. "But what a foolish choice. Are you that eager to die by my blade? Then again, who I am to complain? If you want to die so much, I'm all too obliged to give it to you."

"Where are the rest of the vendors?" I asked, staring him down as I walked towards a nearby stool. It let out a sharp crack as I broke off one of its legs. "Where did you take them?"

"Away and safe from the rest of you humans. Where else?" I swear that I can hear a grin grow over Banesaw's covered face. He raised his chainsaw up as he stopped in front of me. "Why do you care? It's not like it's going to matter once I'm done with you."

"You'd be surprised at how hard it is to take me down." **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared in front of me at that instant, shooting forward and swinging its saber right at the man's torso.

"What the—" Before he could react, **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** slammed into his chest, slicing across it. He let out an anguished hiss as blood dripped down my Stand's blade. Yes! I stepped towards him. While it's not a perfect slice, I think I can slowly yet surely hurt him enough to defeat him. His arms started slacking as **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** pushed through centimeter by centimeter into his body. Just a little bit more… I can do it—

All of a sudden it stopped. Huh? A pearl-like glow started enveloping the wound. My eyes flew over to his arms. And his tattoos— they're back on his arms! He must've called back his Stand to tank the blow— Banesaw reared his chainsaw back and charged. Oh gods—

In an instant, a glyph expanded in front of me as **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** disappeared. With a single push, the platform launched me away right as the chainsaw came crashing down to the ground. I skidded to a halt.

This is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would. This guy has a surprising amount of experience. Has he been a Stand user for some time? No, there's no way. I would think that someone like that would be on the news more often. Being able to rip the faces off of people is something the media would have to notice. But to be able to do this much damage with so little experience… this guy has to be a psychopath or something to use his Stand in such a gruesome manner.

But I can't exactly worry about that right now. My eyes looked over the area around Banesaw. Every fiber of my being says I should run and look for the hostages. At the same time, that might leave the rest of these vendors at the mercy of Banesaw. He had been torturing them before, but who knows what would happen if I leave him alone? I need to take him down, and quickly. But how? If I go in with my traditional glyphs, I might be able to overwhelm him. But at the same time, I don't know how fast **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** is. I could lose a limb if I'm not careful. It might be the same problem if I use my Stand. Can **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** work on **「** **I.D.I. TIME?** **」** Honestly, I don't want to find out.

So my best option is to use my Stand ability and blow him up with a ton of Dust. A couple of days ago, I would have been bothered by that. But now… when so many lives are at stake… I can't exactly complain. This guy can and will kill me. And once he does that, who knows how many more people will die by his hand? My Stand materialized behind me, saber already drawn. Today won't be the day we find out.

For a moment, we stood silent, staring at each other. Once in awhile, one of us twitched, daring the other to charge forwards. When nothing happened, Banesaw started chuckling. "So, the Schnee happens to be one of the gifted. How… appropriate." He started moving towards me, chainsaw gnashing its teeth. "Is there anything you didn't take for yourself? I doubt that." He rolled his head. "I can see it in your eyes. Eyes of denial, eyes silently whispering empty words of understanding. You don't understand. You'll never understand us as long as you live."

"Maybe not. But I'm not going to stop trying." **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** zipped out at that moment, dragging its sword across the ground as it made a beeline for Banesaw.

The White Fang member let out a hmph, stretching his hand out. " **「** **SIX DAYS,** **」** " he muttered. In a blink of an eye, the killer whale tattoos swam into his hand and burst out of his palm, their tiny pointy teeth bared and ready to sink into the sword of my Stand. I smiled. Got you. I pinched a tiny amount of fire Dust powder between my index finger and my thumb right as **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** disappeared, its blade never making contact with the man. A thin layer of red Dust grew where my Stand had dragged its sword, culminating with a red and white Dust crystal.

Banesaw let out a 'hmph' of confusion. "What the—"

A single snap ignited the Dust between my fingers, sending the tiniest of fireballs towards the line of Dust. The entire trail ignited with a roar, the spark zipping toward Banesaw at breakneck speeds. I didn't have time to watch the effects. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** reappeared, slashing a crescent line in front of me. Out shot a wall of stability Dust, just big enough to cover me. "SCHNEE!" the man roared. I ignored him, covering my ears the moment my Stand faded out.

My eardrums shook and quivered when the crystal went off, sending jolts of pain into my head. Agh! I pressed against the sides of my head even harder. Ow… Still hurts… The ground rocked below me. I can feel myself losing balance—

A wave of fire spewed past the crystal Dust shield in front of me, forcing me into a ball. The tips of my hair felt like they were burning just being close to the flames. Sweat dripped down my entire body. Now that I think about it, I've never been conscious through one of my explosions before. Just how long does this explosion last?

Before long, the fires were replaced with a cloud of concrete smoke. I stood up, letting out a cough as I waved my hand over my face. Ugh… That was maybe a little less strong than the explosion I made during the simulation. Still, my ears are still roaring with pain. The ringing came back, but I could already feel my Aura healing my eardrums up. But that's not important. Was that attack enough to take Banesaw down? And more importantly, did it do its job without killing anyone else?

I stood up, letting out a couple more coughs as I leaned over to look around the side of the wall—

Only to meet close up with a swinging chainsaw. A scream escaped my mouth as its teeth clawed across my face, gnashing at my eyelids. The only thing keeping me from losing my sight was the flare of Aura right above my face. Moments later, I felt myself soar through the air. The clawing stopped. I opened my eyes, watching the charred body of the giant grow smaller and smaller as the distance between us grew. Huh—

I slammed into a nearby vendor with a 'clang' and bounced off. Ooh, ow… I took a sharp breath. My Aura feels so weak… that's not good. I stumbled back onto my feet, using the chair leg to push myself upright. One attack like that managed to cleave through a ton of Aura… I can't afford to take another one.

I stared at his sooty but otherwise unharmed body. How? How did he make it through that explosion? There's no way… He should be severely hurt from that. It could be Aura… But even if he managed to call back his Stand, a Dust explosion that close should be enough to rip off a major chunk of his Aura. I should at least be seeing the signs of Aura stress, like what happened when I managed to get a hit in with **「** **I.D.I. TIME.** **」** But nothing.

Maybe it has something to do with his Stand ability? Hmm… Maybe what he did to stop the explosion is a hint to how **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** works. I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the soot-covered man. But what could it reveal? Without any kind of context, him getting out unscathed could mean anything.

But let's think about it for a moment. I need to look at everything he's done so far. First things first, he managed to survive the explosion. Presumably without Aura. That doesn't tell me a lot, so I'll put it to the side for now. Then there's all of the face ripping that he's done to all of the human vendors here. There's no way he managed to do that with the chainsaw. It would probably rip off chunks of flesh along with the skin. Nobody would live from the strain of that. But not only did we have survivors, but their facial muscles are relatively intact. So that has to be due to his Stand ability.

Then there's the thing he did to Myrtenaster… That should be the most telling thing, but I can't put a finger on it. His killer whale tattoos swim into the surface of an item and then… it warps. No, but the strange thing is how it warps. The blade of my rapier shrank, while the pommel grew. Initially, I thought his Stand worked a bit like Jaune's **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** in how it changes the amount of matter an object has. That's how Jaune could shrink and grow whatever kind of thing he grabbed. But that's not how **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** work. For some reason, it doesn't want to violate the law of conservation of mass. He's not creating new matter, that's for sure. It started clicking in my brain. His ability _can't_ violate the law of conservation of mass…

The image of the mutilated vendors appeared back in my mind. They were breathing weird because their necks were thin. In comparison, their hands and feet were ginormous, not following basic anatomy at all. It follows that conservation. So if he used his Stand ability to rip off everyone's face, what if… what if he adjusted the mass of the person so that their skin was too heavy to stay on their face? If he can do that, then it would make sense how only skin fell off—

Everything clicked right then and there. My eyes widened. Oh my gods. He's not increasing or decreasing the amount of matter in a certain area. He's moving matter within an object. There's no better way to explain it. Being able to move matter through the killer whales explains why everyone looked all mutilated and misshapen, as well as what he did to Myrtenaster. It also explains how he managed to escape the Dust explosion relatively unscathed. He must've transferred **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** into the crystal and shifted the Dust concentration towards me. There's no doubt that matter manipulation is his Stand ability!

But just knowing that doesn't exactly solve the problem I'm facing right now. I swallowed as Banesaw walked around the Dust wall I made earlier, chainsaw still turning and growling. Okay, I know exactly how his Stand works now. That's one step towards beating him. Still, it's not nearly enough. Knowing his Stand ability now only poses more questions. Just what is the extent of his abilities? Can he transfer matter between two objects using the killer whales? How extreme is the warping?

My eyes flickered towards the stall Mari's husband laid behind. Once Banesaw turns his Stand off, is it possible for everyone to revert back to their original shape? Well… not immediately. I just learned that. So I have to defeat him. But that brings me back to my original problem. If it's almost impossible to hurt the user, how can I hurt **「** **SIX DAYS?** **」**

I need to get to somewhere safe first. There's no point in me trying to concoct a winning strategy if I die before I can pull it off. Can I hide? Maybe I can try to take advantage of a distraction. Let's go with distraction. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** shot out of me, doing a wide sweep in front of me before striking the tip of my chair leg with a flourish. Around me, an extremely thin layer of ice Dust formed on the floor we stood on. I kept my sights right on Banesaw and the area around him as I made out a crude fire Dust point crystallizing on the wooden plank.

Banesaw tilted his head, letting out a chuckle. "Do you really think a stake made out of fire Dust can stop me?"

"What else?" With a yell, I swung down at the ground with all of my might. Steam shot out from the ground the moment my Dust stake made contact with the floor. I held my breath and started towards a stall behind him.

A growl escaped from the murderous Faunus. "Coward… Coward! SCHNEE!" He revved the chainsaw yet again. "You think you'll be able to escape from me, but you're mistaken! I will find you, and I will kill you! Nothing will stop me!" He started sniffing the air around him. "Where are you?"

I held in a sigh. The steam ever so slightly changes the smell of the area around us… he's not going to smell me even if I'm close to him. Okay, but back to the plan… What can I do to actually hurt the Stand? I mean, they're technically ink drawings that have come to life. That's… kinda like Blake's Stand, now that I think about it. But from my experience, nobody's been able to touch her while she's merged into a wall. We had to wait for her to pop out before we could do anything.

My hand moved to rest against the stall I hid behind, grabbing what felt to be a cardboard box. What can we do… if none of us could even touch Blake, how am I going to stop Banesaw's Stand? There has to be something that I'm missing… I leaned a bit more onto the box. Think, think… I do have a vial of gravity Dust in my possession right now. Maybe if I could isolate the Stand— no, Banesaw himself from any kind of surface, then he can't do anything with his Stand, giving me the perfect chance to attack him with explosions. Although I don't think I can hold him in the air for long with only one vial… maybe my Stand can create more—

The box at that moment collapsed, crackling under my weight. Wait, what the— I jerked my hand away. It wasn't filled up? Who in the world leaves unfilled boxes underneath their stall— The man stopped, letting out a low rumble.

Oh gods… uh— I don't exactly have time to think about it anymore, do I? The Dust saber in the hand of **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** swung out, creating a decent sized chunk of gravity Dust on what I thought was a serving tray. I pinched a bit more fire Dust powder between my fingers as I placed my foot on the tray. The moment he moves, I move. I can feel the tension in the air as the both of us waited for the other to strike. Come on… I know that you want to attack me. I tossed my improvised stake to the side.

"I found you!" As if spurred by his words, the chainsaw let out a screech as he moved towards me. "I'll make sure that you'll pay—"

Before he could continue with that train of thought, I kicked the gravity Dust tray in the direction of his voice before throwing myself out into the open. The giant of a man was maybe five meters away from me. My Stand disappeared from sight. That should be enough. I snapped another firebolt at the tray.

The moment the fire struck, the gravity Dust crystal activated with an eerie purple glow. Already I can feel the crystal starting to pull me in. Gravity Dust: gives off slightly different effects depending on whether or not it's trying to absorb heat or release it. It's not a coincidence that happens to correlate with whether it attracts or repels objects. A glyph formed between the tray and me, stopping me from being pulled toward it. I think that's enough Dust to bring him in while not bringing him towards the crystal in question.

And just like I thought, Banesaw started floating in the air. "What the— What is this?" he roared. His limbs flailed in the air, not that it would help him in any way. "This will not do! I won't be held by this amount of gravity Dust!"

"I don't think you have a choice." Several glyphs formed around the floating White Fang member. "It ends here. Tell me where the hostages are right now."

"Never!"

A tsk escaped my mouth as I pulled out all of the Dust vials I had in my pockets. "Okay then." The room became a blur as I shot towards Banesaw. However, instead of striking him directly, I flicked a bit of Dust at him. Flames ignited his clothes. Then I landed on another glyph and did it again, this time with ice Dust. Then again with wind Dust. I bounced around glyph to glyph, throwing a bit of Dust at him with every pass. His hisses of pain said everything. There's no doubt that he switched back to Aura after my first attack. But if I stay mobile and keep throwing Dust at him, there's nothing he can do but take it.

So I kept going, conserving as much of my energy as possible while I chipped away at him. Bit by bit I could make out the familiar pearl-colored glow surround him. I'm close… His Aura's getting close to breaking! Just a little more and he'll have to surrender!

"Banesaw!" I yelled, landing and stopping on one of my glyphs. I glanced at the empty vials in my hand. That's the last of my lightning Dust used up. I lifted my fingers open. The fire and wind Dust are also used up. That just leaves the vial of gravity Dust I never used. That and maybe one last pinch of ice Dust. I think the ice Dust alone might be enough to push him over the brink and break his Aura. I turned my head to meet his eyes. "You're done! Surrender!"

"No! I won't surrender to any human, let alone a Schnee!" Strangely enough, he revved down his chainsaw and ripped a small part of his internal shirt. "The only time I surrender is when I'm killed in cold blood!" The Aura around him disappeared. "And besides, it's mighty arrogant of you to think that you've won."

With a chuckle, he threw the scrap of cloth at me. Normally I would expect a piece of cloth to flutter in the air before being sucked into the gravitational field. Except this piece of cloth grew thinner and thinner until it became a needle. It soared through the air, solid like any item. My eyes widened. What the—

Before I could do anything, the needle-like fabric jabbed into my hand. Ow! I released the vial of gravity Dust. Wait, what the— oh gods, no! **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** shot out from me, arm outstretched towards the Dust. He swung his chainsaw at my Stand in response. My eyes widened again. On the teeth of the weapon were the heads of several killer whales. I grimaced, recalling the frontier-esque Stand before Banesaw could hit it. Instead, he slashed through the vial. A shockwave flew through the air, pulling Banesaw towards the tray.

Darn it… I need to get away from here right now. I just need to create another glyph to stand on… Already he snatched the tray from the air. The moment his hands made contact with the crystal, it started inflating, becoming more of a sphere rather than an actual crystal. That got me to narrow my eyes. What in the world? Why is he making it bigger? Wait… is it just me, or is the crystal hollowing out? I swallowed. Oh gods, it is hollowing out—

With a ferocious roar, the man threw the crystal on the ground, shattering it in an instant. Gravity snatched me again, and with a firm tug, the force dragged me to the ground. I felt my breath get knocked out of me with the landing. Ooh… ow, it hurts… but I have to get up. My hand pressed against the ground as I pushed myself up to my knees. Banesaw could attack any minute now… And I'm not going to be on the ground when he does. I can't let **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** touch me… there's no one else to protect these people—

My eyes widened when at that moment, I saw several killer whales on the surface of the ground swimming towards me. Oh gods— I started scrambling up to my feet. Come on, gotta get up—

One of the trays came flying, smacking me in the face. While it didn't hurt too much, it did surprise me enough to knock me back to the ground. What? Where did— My eyes flickered up to see Banesaw standing up himself. "Let me tell you one thing, Schnee. Do us all a favor and stay down!"

At that moment, I felt it. I looked down to see the killer whales of **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** start to swim from the ground to my right arm. I shivered. Oh gods, it felt like something was wiggling under my skin. So it's over, just like that? **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** is just going to make it into my body, where it can wreak havoc. This is the end of the line for me, isn't it?

No… I furrowed my eyebrows. Never in a million years! I didn't come this far to die now! I'm going to stop Banesaw and protect the people of Vale! I tightened my grip on the vial of ice Dust in my left hand. A crazy thought popped into my head. Surfaces… **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** can swim on surfaces, so what if…?

I slammed the vial of ice Dust on the back of my hand, right after my wrist. A block of ice encased my hand in a snap. I winced and shivered as numbness took over. Oh gods, it's so cold… and I can't move my fingers at all. With the amount of ice Dust I used at once, this probably killed all the cells in that hand. But it definitely paid off. As the block of ice encased my hand, **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** got dragged away from my body, instead being dragged up to the surface of the ice. I can't exactly tell, but the Stand's not warping my body outright. It looks good so far… there's only one way to see if this truly works now.

 **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared behind me and swung the blunt end of the saber onto the ice chunk. And just like that, the block shattered, freeing my hand from its grasp. For once I get to have a smug grin of my own as the little killer whales contorted in pain, visible cracks on their forms. Banesaw, in turn, had several cuts slice through his body, causing him to double over as the red liquid flooded out of his wounds. That's a satisfying sight to see. My smile dropped a moment later. I let out a shiver as I started rubbing the already numb body part. Ooh… ow. Encasing my body in ice didn't feel good. Heh… I'm not as much of an ice queen as people think I am.

But the fact that I finally managed to hurt Banesaw made my spirits soar. I finally figured out his weaknesses. One: his Stand is completely surface level, which means that **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** would have to swim on any surface blocking them in order to get to their intended target. As long as I don't expose any of my skin, then I will be fine. Then there's the key to hurting him: I need to destroy the surface the killer sharks are on. Any damage to the image will hurt Banesaw as well. I need to somehow take Banesaw by surprise.

That's easier said than done. He has to be aware that my strategy relies on that. From the corner of my eye, I saw him lift up his mask a tad to spit out blood. He might be a brute, but he's a wily person, no doubt. So he's not going to let me try that again. Not that I would or can try encasing myself in ice again. So that's off of the table. And he can call back his Stand at any time, so pulling off any kind of trick is going to take a lot of preparation this time around.

Hmm… I pressed my hand against my chin. There has to be something I can try… Maybe I could take something flimsy like a plank of wood, quickly hollow it out and inject it with Dust, then trick him into grabbing it. I set it off when **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** crawls onto the object, and that should take Banesaw out. It would be a great idea if only I can figure out just how I would do that without Banesaw noticing or suspecting something. I have to get him to react impulsively, and that's going to be a lot harder than I think. Just how do I do that—

Before I could think a bit more on that point, Banesaw slipped his mask back on and let out a growl. "No more! I'm getting tired of this!" He revved up the chainsaw yet again. "Just die!"

He charged towards me. Oh gods, that isn't good. Or maybe it is… Besides **「** **SIX DAYS,** **」** the biggest thing I have to worry about when dealing with Banesaw is the chainsaw. So, if I manage to break the chainsaw, he will be forced to use his Stand, which means more opportunities to end the fight!

If only I knew just how to break it… What can I try? In fact, how do you break a chainsaw? My mind rushed as I jumped to the side, narrowly dodging a swing from him. I rolled over and picked up the abandoned chair leg, cracked but not yet fractured. Well… normal chainsaws are meant to cut wood and trees. However, it wouldn't be that surprising if the one Banesaw is using happened to be modified a bit. As a personal weapon, the chainsaw is probably able to cleave through flesh and metal. So I can't exactly slam something hard on it and hope the chain breaks in the process…

Actually, that might not be a bad idea. My Stand appeared in front of me, drawing its saber, swinging it around with a fancy flourish before leveling it at the charging White Fang member. I have to agree, Banesaw. We'll end this here. I slid my feet apart, and with a deep breath yelled, " **「** **I.D.I. TIME!** **」** " The frontier-esque Stand nodded, shooting off, saber raised up. Seeing this, the giant of a Faunus raised his chainsaw, forming miniature killer sharks on the teeth of his weapon. I narrowed my eyes. This is it. This is where we face off. Honestly, I would lose if I wanted to go head on.

Good thing that's not what I'm doing. The chainsaw dropped towards my Stand's head. And the second that happened, **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** jerked to the right, slashing across Banesaw's body and grazing the edge of his weapon before rushing past him. Some blood started soaking into Banesaw's gray uniform as he stumbled to a stop. He let out a pained hiss. I gasped as well when I felt my left shoulder shrink and the respective forearm grow. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** disappeared soon afterward, leaving just the two of us standing. I brushed the affected arm. I don't think I can use that anymore…

"Tsk." Banesaw's Aura started glowing again before he continued forward. "You missed. I might be at a disadvantage due to the nature of my Stand, but don't think that you've turned the tide just because you can move faster than me. I've already taken away your strong arm away. It won't take long to eviscerate you."

For once, a smile crawled over my face. "I think not."

He let out another growl. "Why, you!" Banesaw yanked the pull cord, only for a clattering sound to sound out followed by the squeal of warped metal and explosions. "What?" He looked down and growled. The chainsaw was smoking. Its engine whined and squealed, refusing to move another inch. Close to the tip of the chainsaw, the chain was snapped in two. On each end of the broken chain were inch long fire Dust crystals.

"Now you don't have any weapon to hurt me with," I said as I tried picking up a nearby plank of wood. My eyebrows narrowed. It's a lot harder when my strong arm is anatomically different. I continued: "I've said this before and now I'll say it again: where are the Faunus you've captured?"

"Screw you." He threw the broken chainsaw aside. Wait a minute… since when did his Aura stop glowing? He pointed a finger at me. " **「** **SIX DAYS!** **」** "

What the— In an instant, several killer sharks sprang from the floor into the plank of wood. All of them bared their teeth at me as they swam towards my hand. Banesaw gave me a venomous stare. "I have to admit, for as much hate I have in my heart for the Schnee name, I can't help but admire your wiliness. You share traits with a rat. A pest and a plague on society, but there's no doubt that the Schnee intelligence is the reason why they're still a problem. And just like you would with, you have to trick them into thinking they've won. And you've fallen into my trap."

"Oh, really?" I let out a huff, glancing at the fire and explosive Dust mixture underneath the plank exterior. "I would say the same thing for you. You've fallen into my trap."

I slammed the plank of wood into the ground, causing it to erupt in flames. The killer whales of **「** **SIX DAYS** **」** let out melodic yet haunting wails as the wood cover disintegrated and the flames of the explosion consumed them all. Likewise, Banesaw roared in pain, dropping any pretense of control as he waved his arms around, trying to put out a fire that wasn't on his body. It took way too long for him to drop to the floor, writhing in pain. Oh gods… I winced. He took one last gasp, reaching towards me in pure agony before going limp.

Is… is he gone? I walked over him and pressed two fingers against his neck. There's barely a pulse, but it's there. He's not going to die, but he's not going to hurt anyone anytime soon.

Whew. Finally. I felt my knees sink to the floor. It's over. We're okay. I lifted up my left arm. Already I can see my arm start shifting back to its original shape. Oh gods, that's good. At least that means that we can get the people hurt here to a hospital without worrying about snapping their necks or something. Although I don't exactly know what to do about the people with their faces missing—

"Gray!" I turned my head at the sound of a feminine voice. A faunus woman with a small, furry striped tail ran towards me with maybe five or six other faunus. She flinched at the sight of me, stopping for a moment. "Oh gods, Schnee." She raised her hands up in the air, gesturing to others to follow suit. It's so strange, watching them raise their arms in surrender as if I could kill them at any time. "Please don't hurt us. I don't mean any trouble. I'm not White Fang, none of us are. We managed to escape from where one of the White Fang members took us and we just—" Her voice cracked. "We just want to get back our loved ones. You have to believe us, please."

"Are you looking for your husband?" She nodded her head furiously. I pointed a finger at her. "You must be Mari, then. Right?" She nodded again. I let out a relieved sigh. "Gods, you came just in time. You don't need to worry. I'm not going to take you in. Your husband should still be behind one of the stalls, I'll take you to him. Does anyone have rope by any chance?" I gestured towards the unconscious Banesaw. "I managed to knock out the person responsible for this, and we need to tie him up before he regains consciousness." I turned over to Mari. "Follow me."

It didn't take long for us to get to Gray's body. He's looking a lot better now. His entire body looks proportionate again, and he's breathing just fine. However, there was still the film of chitosan that was still on his skin. "Gray?" Mari stumbled over to the man. His eyes flickered over to the woman in question. Tears started rolling out from Mari's eyes. "Oh my gods, you're still okay." She pulled him up and brought his head to her chest. "I thought I lost you."

"I thought so, too." The man returned the woman's hug. "I thought I would never see you again. But I— I can't believe we're both alive." Gray started making choking noises as he started tearing up as well. "Thank gods you're still alive."

As I watched the both of them share a tearful reunion, I took in a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. We did it. We stopped another Stand user. And… I'm so tired… Just knowing that there are likely more in the Colosseum scares me. And who knows how many more are out there, ready to take on the mantle of destroying the Kingdoms. I let out a sharp breath. We can't let the enemies gain any more ground. I hope Ruby and the others are doing a decent job at keeping the other Stand users here at bay. My mind turned towards the other half of RWBY. Blake… Yang… Hurry up.

* * *

"Blake!" my partner yelled as we charged down Beacon Academy. Yang grunted, firing off a cloud of buckshot into a nearby Beowolf and sending it tumbling to the ground without missing a step. "Where are the gloves taking you now?"

"Um…" I clenched my fists. For some reason, my fists were nudging me to the right. I glanced up. There's a split path a couple meters in front of us. "Right! Make a right!"

We both made a sharp turn before continuing onwards. Yang narrowed her eyebrows, letting out a hiss at the sight of Boarbatusks in the distance. "Gods, what is up with all of these Grimm? I know that there were several explosions that tore Vale a new one. But there's still no way that there would be this many Grimm on campus! What gives?"

"It must be the fairgrounds," I gasped. "The people are still on the edge of the Beacon Cliffs. Considering that the people there saw what happened from over a cliffside, there should be a wave of negativity coming from them. But it makes no sense. That shouldn't be possible, considering the school's good about clearing the cliffs of Grimm." I gritted my teeth. "But knowing that the White Fang are the ones behind this… I can't believe they decided to go with that plan."

"Huh? What plan?"

"Grimm drops. In my final days there, there was a suggestion to capture various types of Grimm and drop them into populated areas." I held out a hand before Yang could open her mouth. "No, I didn't approve of it one bit. It was originally proposed to be a temporary distraction to buy time for operatives sneaking in, but the danger of capturing and carrying Grimm to a certain area just to be used as a distraction made the idea not worth it. Most of the senior members, including me thought it was suicidal. To think Adam was crazy enough to actually try it…" I shook my head. "What kind of madness is this? Using Grimm all for the sake of hurting others… What a spiteful man."

"... Well then." Yang let out a long sigh. "Geez, it's as crazy of a plan as it sounds. Granted, it doesn't look like it worked that well, anyways. These particular ones are wandering aimlessly. Either the crowd either thinned out or the Huntsmen already got them to safety. Plus, these Grimm are pretty easy to handle. I guess he can only put so much into the Bullheads." She rolled her shoulders. "But let's get back to Cupid searching. Are you getting any kind of signs that we're getting close?"

I shook my head. These gloves are so weird. There's no realistic way to explain what these things are exactly. Not Dust, not a Semblance. I want to go on a limb and say it's a Stand somehow, but… it doesn't feel like that. It doesn't feel like a manifestation of someone's Aura. It… it feels like an actual part of someone. But nothing's making any sense. What made these things so special? Why in the world does Cinder own these things, and where did she get them from?

Before I could think through any of these question, I felt my hands grow almost burning hot. I stopped, Yang following shortly afterward. Floating in front of us on top of one of the streetlights was the Grimm we were looking for. Just... scratching its buttocks. The Cupid turned and stared at us, cocking its head as it waved the Arrow in its hands.

We shared what felt like the longest staring contest ever. It's right in front of us. What should I do? Pull out my weapon? Summon my Stand? Move around to more effectively trap the monster? There's so many options and so little time to decide—

" _Mama."_ I jerked back. What was that? Mama? I looked up at the Cupid again. This time it had a toothy smile that was made creepy instead of cute with how it bared its sharp fangs at us. But for some reason… the Cupid looked genuinely happy to see me. It waved its arms at me. _"Mama!"_

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 8/3/2018**

* * *

 _ **Stand Description:**_

 **「SIX DAYS」- User can move the mass of any object within the user's sight to any other part of said object, effectively changing its shape. The effect is not immediate - the mass will be transferred over time. However, the more whales there are in an object, the faster it distributes mass.**

* * *

 **Stand Reference: Banesaw's 「SIX DAYS」 is inspired by DJ Shadow's Six Days. Six Days is a dance/electronic/downtempo song released back in 2002. Special thing to note: this is technically a remix. The lyrics are actually sampled from Colonel Bagshot's Six Day War. I chose this name because of its reference to the historical Six Day War and the general futility of war born from race hatred.**

 **Quick history lesson: in the Middle East, there's an ongoing conflict between Israel and the Arab states ever since WWII, a consequence of the UN giving Israel to the Jewish. There are two wars I wanted to reference in particular: the Yom Kippur War and the aforementioned Six Day War. The Yom Kippur War was a surprise attack by the Arab coalition on Yom Kippur, a holy day for the Israelites, similar to the attack during the Vytal Festival. Similarly, the Six Day War was a surprise attack, this time by the Israelites. They bombed and invaded Egypt in a preemptive strike, similar to the Breach.**

 **Now granted, the parallels aren't quite that exact to the events of the show proper, and this isn't an attempt to take a side in the ongoing conflict. What I ultimately wanted to reference is the needless violence that happens to people and the cycle of hatred born from it, which the song Six Days also reference. Banesaw hurts people to be right. He thinks he is bringing Faunus kind up by bringing down humankind. That enacting "justice" for the sins of the past will save the Faunus. But just like the Arab-Israeli conflict and any racial tension in the world today, that just continues the cycle of hatred. Because one person's justice is a slight to another.**

* * *

 **Well, that Stand reference took longer than it really should.**

 **Only thing I need to say here is that this is the start of Stand abilities suggested to me by one reader almost a year ago. Loved writing those Stand suggestions, they are way better options than the ones I originally had planned. But yeah, I wasn't kidding when I said it would take time to get to their ideas. But if you're still reading, thank you darkmist111 for the suggestion! The rest will be appearing soon!**

 **With that out the way, let's get right into the reviews!**

 **Guest: True. Oh, I just realized that I have a surprising amount of partner Stand fights, both on the villain side and hero side. Cornerstone/Chaining Day vs RLR/Everyday Boy, IDI Time/Sande Mountains vs Lady Marmalade. So you're more right than you think.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! As for your question, you're going to find out real soon.**

 **tuskenpaw: Turns out, both... but mainly Six Days and Weiss's fight. And as for the situation with Amber, don't you worry. She'll appear soon enough.**

 **doa570047: Oh yeah. Frustration with fire alarms is what I based the calmer walk-away of the crowd. Which when you think about it, is more ideal than absolute panic. You should want people to roll their eyes, walking away from danger before they realize the gravity of the situation. Especially so when panic = Grimm.**

 **Yeah, taking out the Maidens was best for the story. They are, without a doubt, overpowered. Already I have it so that Stand users are glass cannons. They are designed so that they can go down with smarts and a bit of luck by any person with a gun. Maidens are basically power-scaled Huntsmen that can brute force their way through Stand users. There can possibly be a weakness to exploit with the Maidens, but I have never come up with an interesting one. And I really had no purpose for keeping them in the story, so, unfortunately, they must go.**

 **And Gangster's Paradise: good outro song. Would really love to see it happen.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 **Next Chapter Update: August 3, 2018**


	42. Free Bird

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **So, RTX is happening today and the weekend. Pretty excited to see new news for RT Animation in general! I've been seeing reports that V6 is probably going to be released October, around the same time as JoJo Part 5. Oh man, I can't wait to watch the adventures of Giorno and Passione at the same time as what happens next for team RWBY. And I'm definitely interested in seeing how Gen:Lock's shaping up. Maybe my only significant exposure to the mecha genre is Mechquest, but man, am I hyped to see what the future has in store!**

 **But let's not waste any time. Thanks again to my beta for all their help! Let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

Crescent Rose shifted in my hands once more, bringing my baby into her sniper rifle form. With a flick of the wrist, the used magazine dropped into my outstretched hand. I chambered a new round. The swarm shifted yet again at that moment, twirling around before a cluster of jellyfish-shaped like a tentacle tried to swipe at me. Another cluster formed a thin wall right behind the tentacles in an attempt to keep me trapped. Yet another tried to speed towards me, trying to get me from behind.

Instead of the loud, explosive bang you would expect from regular ammunition, Crescent Rose let out almost a quiet hiss. Moments later, the jellyfish wall burst open, pushing away enough of the creatures to create a hole the size of a fist. I racked my weapon and broke myself down, allowing the tentacle to swipe through me. Without a blink, I reformed and sped forwards, my Semblance kicking in just before the ambush cluster got me. I ducked and weaved, jumped and shot myself around, dancing my way through the path of the flailing tentacle and feeling every swing get closer and closer and the bullet hole I made growing smaller and smaller by the second.

But before the tentacle could make contact, I flung my pinky through the hole yet again, breaking myself down and passing through just in the nick of time. Crescent Rose's thorn popped out and flew forwards with another bang, sending the crowd of jellyfish flying away from me. The moment I rebuilt myself, I took off running, my eyes flickering at the wavy glows of the jellyfish around me. All that effort, for two meters.

I leapt behind a nearby vendor stall, my breathing absolutely ragged and a dull headache forming at this point. Oh gods… That took a lot out of me… Are the jellyfish still following? I looked back from where I came. The biggest cluster of the swarm was a fair distance away, glowing in that ominous pale green color. With how slow it was moving, it wasn't that big of a concern. But the jellyfish were a lot more packed than before, forming a more effective wall. And that means that I can't run away from the situation I put myself into this time.

Okay, I have to admit. I was way more confident than I should've been. I thought that what I saw coming towards the crowd was all of the jellyfish we had to deal with. But turns out, the size of the swarm was a lot bigger than I initially thought. All over the walls and ceiling were box jellyfish. Floating in random parts of the air were clusters of the creatures. I'm honestly nervous to open any of these stalls. With the amount of jellyfish floating around, I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few that could pop out and surprise me. As Yang would probably say: these box jellyfish have boxed me in. I cringed. Just thinking about the pun makes me want to groan.

My stomach churned. I mean, there is a silver lining to all this. With the jellyfish all focused on me, everyone else back there should be safe. I don't need to worry about anybody else getting hurt.

But still… this maze of jellyfish is insanity. I leaned back into the stall. Just navigating through this one hallway is hard on the eyes. Jellyfish break away from the walls and float towards me, only to float back. The clusters form moving obstacles, which force me to constantly switch between Rose, my Semblance, and Dust rounds just to move forwards. The sheer amount of jellyfish creates an almost hazy look all around me, making it even harder to tell what they are doing. And worst of all, I have no idea how big this maze is and where I could possibly find the Stand user.

Seriously. Anyone could be the Stand user, and I won't know who it is. They could be an animal or an object, for crying out loud! Whoever the user is, they could be hiding anywhere, from somewhere in this hallway to the landing pad or maybe even part of the crowd I just left behind!

I squeezed my eyes shut. I have absolutely no leads on who to look for in the first place, and the barricade of jellyfish approaching me has me on a time limit. I'm lucky that I haven't messed up yet. But with the amount of effort I have to go through just to gain another meter? It's only a matter of time before I start slipping, and I start getting stung. I think I can make it through a couple stings, but if I get surrounded? If I make one really bad move? The chances of making it out alive are almost impossible.

A sigh escaped my mouth. Well, I shouldn't be spending my time in hiding. If I get trapped while I think all this through, then it's not going to matter in the end. And besides, there's the crowd of people I still have to worry about. While I think the jellyfish are automatic Stands, the fact that they chose to follow me instead of the much bigger crowd means that there has to be some manual control over the swarm. I need to deal with the Stand user as quickly as possible, before they realize what I'm doing and try to go for the civilians instead. I might as well go for the landing pads.

My head popped out from cover. I took one glance at the passage to the airships before ducking back in an instant. I let out a shiver. Oh gods, there's another jellyfish barricade in my path, and they are packed! There's room for someone my size to squeeze through the gaps, but I've seen the tricks this Stand plays. That one barricade is probably a maze of its own. A single mistake navigating through that will get me surrounded, and then it's over for me. But I can't run away, either. They've trapped me here, and the only thing I can do now is wait for them to catch up.

Whoever this is, they have a surprisingly strong Stand. Maybe it's just jellyfish, but the sheer numbers of them this Stand has is nothing to mess with. With proper planning, they could basically use this technique and leave no survivors. This one person alone most likely has enough jellyfish to sweep the entire stadium and kill everyone by themselves.

But thinking about it now, there's something unusual about that fact. If they have the numbers needed to engulf the entire stadium with jellyfish right now, why haven't they done that already? This is during a White Fang attack. It's like… like they're trying to limit the damage that they're causing. Like they're trying their best not to kill someone or a certain type of person within the crowd.

But who would bring in deadly jellyfish into a stadium and _not_ use them to kill everyone? It doesn't make any sense. There's no way that the Stand user isn't White Fang. We know for a fact that the White Fang had planned an attack on the city for some time, and they're doing it right now. Maybe the Stand user is trying to take down any human they run into and avoiding every single Faunus they find. But if that's the case, then why don't they send individual jellyfish to take care of just the humans? None of this makes any sense.

… I shook my head. Maybe it's not an issue of choosing who is being attacked. Maybe the reason why the Stand can't spread out everywhere is because it has a limiting factor. Like the user can produce a ton of jellyfish, but the more there are, the shorter the range is or something. That's really the only thing I can think of—

—And I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. I slapped myself in the face. If I don't do something, I might put the crowd in danger! A sigh escaped me. I guess I'm going to have to go in blind. I really, really wished I didn't have to. If there was a way of making sure I could continue forwards without having to worry about getting stung… if I could figure out how to make some kind of armor that can prevent the jellyfish from stinging me…

My eyes flickered to the jellyfish wall behind me. They floated over and around the vending stalls, but for some reason, they wouldn't float past it. So it is tangible… Wait a minute… I blinked. They're not entering the stalls. But that can't be right… the Atlesian soldiers… they had sting marks all over their face. So they must be able to go through armor, right? I bit my lip. But then again… I never did check their bodies… I only saw sting marks on their faces. And their helmet _does_ expose their mouths… Could it be that I'm thinking about this wrong? That I _can_ create something to protect me, but I thought otherwise?

I turned towards the stall I've been hiding behind for way too long. A vehicle to protect me against the jellyfish. I know I didn't want to take the risk of a jellyfish hiding inside, but if I'm right… and I just needed to create a tight seal around my armor… The risk is worth it! I jerked the door open… and found nothing. Whew. I'm right. I stood up and started ripping off anything that immediately going to help me. Petals started floating away from my legs and flew under the stall, forming into tiny little insect legs to grip onto the floor.

And before I knew it, I had it. I stared at the terrible job that was the stall. My armored vehicle. I pulled myself into the stall and slammed the doors shut. Several more petals formed a seal in the gaps, enough so that the jellyfish couldn't get in, but loose enough so that I could still breathe. I willed the vehicle to move and gasped a second later when it actually jerked forwards. Oh my gods, this actually works. I'm moving! And I'm not seeing any tentacles in here. This is perfect!

I bumped into something a second later. Oh, yeah… I can't see where I'm going. That's going to be a problem. What's the point of completely being protected if you don't know where to go— Wait a minute. I pulled my scroll and called a familiar number.

Jaune picked up almost immediately. " _Ruby?_ " he asked through the speakers.

"Hi, Jaune!" I blinked multiple times, the light from my scroll blinding me for a moment. "I'm currently looking for one of the Stand users, and I could use your help. You're stuck in the surveillance room, right?"

" _Yes. The good news is that Ciel hasn't woken up yet, so I'm not in any danger. The bad news is that I'm still stuck in here. But… where are you, and why do you ask?_ "

"Well, in order to find the Stand user, I need to get through a jellyfish swarm." I looked up, imagining the swarm that must be engulfing the stall. "I hid myself in this stall to avoid the jellyfish, but I can't see where I'm going. I'm currently in section G. Can you tell me what's up ahead?"

He let out a hum. " _Well… okay._ " The sounds of ruffling sounded out from the speaker, followed by keys on a keyboard clacking. " _Section G… Oh! I see you. You're in the stall with the broken sign, right?_ "

"Yeah."

" _I see you._ " He let out a gasp. " _And oh gods, that's a big swarm._ "

"Yup. But again, I'm safe from where I am. I can get through this place just fine. I just need to know what where to go, and whether it's safe for me to exit, stuff like that. Oh yeah, if you find the Stand user in question and where they are, that'll be nice."

" _Alright,_ " he said. " _Well, you're currently against one of the stalls. Back up, then turn right. From there it should be clear for you to go._ "

Oh yeah… I nodded, making the adjustments he asked for. "Thanks, Jaune." And with that, I started my journey through the jellyfish swarm.

* * *

Shivers kept running down my back. My Faunus ears were twitching beyond belief. If there was any way to describe what I'm feeling right now, I would say it's a combination of confusion and dread.

" _Mama!_ " the Cupid cooed, stretching its limbs toward me. Me? It's considering me its… mom? I stared at the creature in horror of the revelation. Its glowing red eyes were almost… friendly and child-like here. I couldn't find the mischievous and malicious look I remembered it having long, long ago, back when I first discovered and tracked it back to our room.

This was an absolute twist in personality, a complete one-eighty degree turn. Why did it become so relaxed and happy at the sight of me today, when it had stabbed me with the Arrow before? And 'mama?' How— Why would think that I'm its mother? There's no way that I gave birth to it. Hell, I've never even done _that_ with another person! The closest time I came to that would be… Adam…

I shook my head. Don't think about him. He's out of your life forever, Blake. What he wants is not what you want. He might have convinced a significant part of the White Fang to follow his aggressive ideas, but it's not going to live forever. His one-sided thinking will only lead to his downfall, and the downfall of the White Fang. That's not you anymore. It's easier to forget and do the right thing.

I shook my head again. Why was I thinking about him? I should be focusing on the Cupid! I looked up. So 'mama…' what could this mean? Why would it react that way, especially towards me? Does it have to do with the gloves somehow?

"Blake." I turned to look at my partner to see her lilac eyes locked right on the Cupid. "I don't know what's going on, but it seems to think that you're its mom. Maybe we can use this to our advantage." Yang pointed towards the Cupid. "Since it's paying attention to you, maybe you should distract it. That'll let me creep around the streetlight. Then I'll attack it once it lets down its guard completely. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I started creeping towards the street light, taking tiny steps. "Hello there," I said in a soothing voice. Well… my best attempt at a soothing voice. With how monotone my voice is, my attempt came out more creepy and sinister than the calm and motherly voice I wanted. I ignored the thought and kept going. "Hi there, baby. Uh… Did you miss—" I sighed. "Did you miss 'mommy?'"

" _Mama!_ " The Grimm being clapped its hands together, ignoring the arrowhead that swung dangerously close to its nose. " _Mama!_ "

"Yes, I'm your 'mommy.'" I bit my bottom lip. Okay, what in the world do I do now? What's a thing parents do to entertain a baby? My mind went back to my own parents. Well… I did remember when Mom would get me to eat food by pretending it was a flying snake… I don't think that's going to be too useful. Uh, what else… Dad would give me piggy back rides through the gardens of Menagerie—

Oh, come on! Think! I tried racking my brain. Games, games… maybe a game would help. But what kind of game would I play with a Grimm baby? Maybe… Oh! Peek-a-boo! I could play peek-a-boo with the Cupid! … That sounds like the stupidest idea out there. Why would anyone think that just covering your face and revealing it would be entertaining? Ozpin said this thing has the wisdom of someone who is a century, no, maybe many centuries old! This thing has more knowledge than I can possibly hope to know! There's no way that such a being would fall for a game of peek-a-boo!

I let out a sigh. But it's worth a shot, I guess. I covered my eyes. "Where's 'mommy?'" My ears could pick out a sound of confusion coming from the Cupid. I threw my hands away. "There she is!" I yelled with a bit of force. The baby drew back for a moment, looking shocked. What the— is it actually working? Or am I somehow scaring it? My gods, if it's the latter, I feel bad for any child I might have later in life. I would be a terrible mom. But I gotta keep going. I covered my eyes again. "Where's 'mommy?'" I revealed my face.

"There she is!" I yelled again, but this time with more force. This time the Cupid giggled, clapping its hands. My gods, this is actually working. Out of all of the things that could possibly distract this monstrous Grimm, a game is keeping it occupied! I glanced at Yang, who was already making a decent amount of progress moving away from me and around the street light. Is this plan actually going to work? Oh my gods, we just might be able to pull this off without a hitch. Who knew that the one thing that could stop this creature is a round of peek-a-boo and somebody who can shoot it in the back.

My hands covered my face yet again. "Where's 'mommy?'" An unusual squeak escaped from the Cupid. Huh? I separated my fingers and peeked through the holes in my hand. Huh? The Cupid had its head turned, as if it was looking at Yang instead of me. What the— I made a bunch of cooing sounds. "Come on, baby. Look at me. Seriously, focus on me. Where's 'mommy?" The sentient Grimm looked at me just a moment. Alright. Time to surprise it. I threw my hands out, giving the child my best goofy grin. "There she is—"

Before I could even finish, an angry squeal escaped from the Cupid, sharp teeth bared as it snapped towards Yang. It curled itself up into a ball, the arrowhead sticking out towards me. The formation reminded me of sprinters and how they would line up in starting blocks. Like it's going to spring out at… Oh gods—

I ran forwards. "Yang!" The girl glanced at me. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** formed in front of me before zipping towards the Cupid. "Get down!"

An 'eep' escaped my partner's mouth as she threw herself onto the ground. Come on, **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS!** **」** I held my breath as my Stand reached for the Arrow. It's so close… Just a good push into the street light. We can disarm the Cupid, if only I can submerge the Arrow with my Stand ability. I bit my lip. Come on, do it, **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS!** **」**

But right as the Stand grazed the shaft of the Arrow, the Cupid leapt. I hissed, the Arrow literally slipping out of my grasp. Oh gods, Yang! Gambol Shroud shifted in my hands, taking on its pistol form as I yanked it out from its sheath and fired a round at the soaring Grimm. It didn't really do much, just flying past the Cupid's face without hitting anything. However, it did force the monster to swerve just a bit. That meant everything.

Yang yelled, rolling away the moment the Cupid slammed into the ground next to her. Ember Celica roared with her, spitting buckshot towards the grounded monster. It took flight almost immediately after landing. Not a single buckshot made its mark as the Cupid flew back onto its perch, eyes narrowed as it watched the both of us closely like a hawk.

I put myself between Yang and the Cupid. "What just happened? Why didn't it work now?"

The girl shrugged. "No idea. I was shocked as you were the moment the Cupid turned its attention away from you. What could've caused it to start paying attention to what I'm doing?"

My mind drew a complete blank. I can't answer her question in a satisfactory manner. The Cupid is just unpredictable! When we think we found something, the Cupid proves us wrong. When we thought we had a trail to follow, this creature dashes our hopes without a care in the world. At this point, the only sorta reliable information we have on the Cupid is that it's a baby, it can fly, it uses the Arrow on people, and it's intelligent. But where do we go from there? We've tried several times to defeat this Cupid, and it just won't go down! How do we defeat this thing?

I stared into the Cupid's red eyes, trying to make out any hint of a clue we could use to stop this thing. It kept its muscles tense, like it was ready to make a break for it if we made the wrong move. The eyes were unrelenting, constantly staring without even as much as a blink. The only thing different this time around is that it's not trying to play and mess around with us. The other times we tried to take the Arrow, it flew circles around us. But not this time. It's taking us seriously this time around. But why now? When it had every opportunity to mess around with us, why choose now to take us seriously?

What do we have now that makes us enough of a threat to this thing? I started to notice the Cupid's muscles relaxing a bit. In an instant, all of the tension within it released, causing it to yawn before adjusting its seat on the street light. Despite that, it kept its eye on us. Or more specifically, Yang. Why is that? What's different between us? All that I have are these gloves— Wait. I think we need to revisit that…

"Yang, I know this is a bad time for this, but we need to talk about these gloves." I held up my hands. "There's no doubt that there's something special about them. They grow hot, you can feel blood pulse through it like an actual hand, they can signal to us where the Cupid is. Hell, they even look like Remnan hands, if the hand was skinned and this was what remained. But you know the weirdest thing about all of this? That while I'm wearing it, the Cupid isn't trying to capitalize on our mistakes."

"Huh? That doesn't make any sense," Yang started. "It went after me while I was trying to creep around it. How is that not capitalizing on a mistake—"

"I mean more in the sense that it could've hurt us while we were carrying out our plan. I was wide open the whole entire time I was playing peek-a-boo. No weapons, I didn't ready my Stand, I didn't have a plan to deal with the Cupid if it decided to attack me. But it laughed at me. It didn't try to lash out. That wouldn't make sense for an ancient Grimm. Then when it attacked you, it could've easily dodged the bullets and attack you directly. But it didn't. It backed off and chose to watch us. Hell, I think it was ready to pounce at you once it reached the street light again, but only stopped when I stood in the way."

A sighed slid out of my mouth. "It attacked you the entire time, but never me. There's no reason it wouldn't attack me, except for one. The gloves. There's something significant about the gloves that changes the Cupid's perception of us. Something about them that makes it friendlier towards us."

"The reason why it calls you 'mama.'" Yang's eyes widened. "I think I'm starting to get it. Whoever is wearing the gloves stops becoming a target for the Grimm. It won't try to hurt anyone with the gloves on. There's no way we're going to figure out why the Cupid finds them so important right now. But that doesn't matter. By putting on the glove—" I glanced up at the completely complacent Grimm, who clapped its hands together like an actual baby again. Yang nodded her head. "By putting on the glove, we can get close enough to the Cupid without worrying about getting hurt."

I nodded my head. "That's what I thought as well. Maybe these gloves are something that belonged to its… mother, for lack of a better term." I really didn't want to believe the alternative. "Well, we know that wearing these gloves protects us from any kind of attack from the Cupid. So…" I slipped off my right-hand glove and held it out towards my partner. "Maybe we'll be ignored by the Cupid if we each wear one."

Yang paled for a moment, biting her lip before sighing. "Oh man… you have a point there. But geez… the things we do to save the world." She yanked off her fingerless gloves and took a long sigh. "Ugh… here goes nothing."

My partner's face immediately scrunched up in disgust the moment she slipped her hand into the glove. "Geez… oh gods, it feels like slipping into the guts of a sheep, if the sheep guts were the shape of a hand and it was even less lubed. Uh…" Yang glanced up to see my eyebrow raise up at the statement. "Not like I actually tried that before. That would be… that would be messed up."

I nodded my nod in understanding, my frown clearly saying otherwise. "Sure… sure." My eyes turned back towards the Cupid, who still didn't move anywhere from its original position. If anything, it tilted its head as it leaned towards us. It doesn't seem like it's going anywhere… Well, it's not like it can get away from us anyways. I turned back to see Yang flexing her right hand, staring at the gloved hand. Her face still had that look of disgust, but now it has a bit of fascination showing. "So, are you good?"

She nodded her head, her eyes still focused on the fully gloved hand. "I think so. It's so weird… it's like a one size fits all kind of thing." Yang shook her head. "I'm over it now. So, do we try what we did last time?"

"Will it fall for the same thing we did last time?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I mean, this thing is smart. Even with the gloves on, we have no idea if this can recognize what we tried before." I checked the ammo in Gambol Shroud. Only used one round. Plenty more until I run dry. "If it does, it might do something we might not expect."

Yang let out a hum. "Hmm… that's true." She nodded her head. "Okay… But maybe we can confuse it as we attack from both sides." She gestured to each side. "We might be able to overwhelm the Cupid if we use our weapons, with your Stand coming out once in awhile to catch it off guard."

"Hmm…" Now it's my turn to nod. "Let's do that. I'll go left, and you go right, alright?"

My partner started to nod before stopping. Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment. A grin formed on her face. "Sure thing." She chuckled to herself. "Nice one."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind," Yang said, waving the comment away. "Let's do the thing now."

I nodded, and with that we split up, each circling the Cupid on opposite ends. The moment we did that the Cupid sat up, eyes narrowing as it glanced at me. Then it glanced at Yang. Back to me, then back to Yang. I watched, Gambol Shroud raised at it as its head bounced back and forth between the two of us. This is unusual, but this seems good. I think we've managed to confuse it. Actually, I think we could shoot it right now. This is the perfect opportunity. Shoot it while it's confused. I shook my head ever so slightly. No, let's sick with the original plan. That's the better one, anyways.

" _Mama?_ " the Cupid asked, looking at me. It turned around towards Yang. " _Mama?_ " So it is confused. I tensed up the moment the Cupid tensed up as well. Or maybe not? Gods, it's hard to tell with this monster. There's no way that this thing isn't suspicious of what's going on. Its eyes fell to the floor for a moment, making the baby Grimm look… lost, surprisingly. Like an actual baby who doesn't understand what's going on. I raised my eyebrow. With the look on its face, It looked… looked like an actual Remnan.

No. I shook my head. There's no way this thing has a lick of human or Faunus nature, or anything related to Remnans. This thing is a Grimm. Grimm don't feel emotion. They're just… there. Forces of nature who only want to destroy the world. Nothing matters to them except our deaths. There's no need to feel bad about what's going to happen to this thing. I brought the weapon sights and lined it up. I'm not going to let it continue to wreak havoc on Vale.

I squeezed the trigger the moment the Cupid turned to look at Yang. Gambol Shroud barked a moment later, spitting out a pistol round towards the monster on top of the street lights. Almost instantly it tried to throw itself off of the fixture, but not before the projectile slammed into the Cupid's shoulder, piercing through its body with a sickening crunch.

An ear-piercing shriek escaped from the Grimm baby, which reached for the hole through its shoulder as it fell to the ground. It didn't take long for it to stop its fall in midair. A small stream of wispy vapor leaked from the bullet wound as it swirled through the air. Black ichor streamed down its torso before dripping from its toe to the ground. It wasn't a clean hit, not by a long shot. But this is the most damage we've done to the Cupid, well… ever. I brought my weapon up to the Cupid again. One well-placed shot will end this thing. And it doesn't look like its going to move. I'll just shoot it again—

Before I could fire off another round, it started sniffing. Once. Then twice. I lowered my gun. What the—

High-pitched crying flew out of the Cupid and through the air, causing the rest of us to wince and cover our ears in pain. Ow! I contorted my face in agony, folding my Faunus ears into my head before turning to look away from the Cupid. It might not be an actual Remnan, but it really felt like I shot a baby. I shouldn't feel guilty about doing that, but for some reason, that ugly feeling of guilt started filling my chest. Why? I can't— why?

The crying started slowing down, its pitch becoming a bit more tolerable. I lifted my head up along with Gambol Shroud, focusing my aim down my weapon sights. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** appeared in front of me, diving into the ground before swimming towards the street light. Across from me, Yang racked Ember Celica, slamming her fists together and giving me a nod. I glanced back up at the Cupid, who shot me a dirty glare. It floated back up to an upright position, red eyes glowing with the flames of malice as it bore its teeth at me. My other hand snatched Gambol Shroud's sheath and brought it up to my face. What is the Cupid going to do? It raised the Arrow up above its head like a spear. Oh gods—

With a screech, the Cupid shot towards me arrowhead first, moving out of the way a couple seconds before my Stand could reach it. I took a sharp breath. Gods… The image of **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** disappeared as Gambol Shroud barked, firing several rounds toward the Grimm monster. It wasn't even fazed by it, twisting its body around the projectiles with little to no effort. My breath hitched. Come on… Just a little closer…

Before I could make a move, the Cupid broke through, piercing through my defenses and spearing my heart with the arrowhead. Now. I shed my previous body, throwing myself forwards and out of the way while the shadow of my former self-absorbed the hit. My head spun around. The Cupid let out a squeak of surprise right at that moment, pausing in the air for a moment when saw my shadow melt into nothingness. Alright. That's a good spot. I brought my cleaver up and took a deep breath. It's over for you. I swung it down as hard as I could, aiming right for its skull.

A flick of the wrist spun the Arrow around, its arrowhead catching on the cleaver. I let out a gasp as I felt my arm shake with strain. My gods… how strong is this thing? I shot it in the shoulder, and it still has the strength to hold me off? It turned to glare at me, furrowing its eyebrows in apparent disgust. With another flick of the wrist, the Arrow spun away, sending my cut off course. Instead of Gambol Shroud cleaving into its head, the weapon caught nothing but air. I jumped back immediately, cleaver raised back up to my face. The two of us stared each other down. We're both waiting for the other to make the first move. The baby Grimm ran its finger down the arrowhead for just a moment, as if it was checking whether the edge had chipped or not. It hadn't.

I narrowed my eyebrows. Jaune and Ruby weren't kidding when they said that the Cupid was a difficult opponent to face off against. But this is just straight up ridiculousness. This thing can react to anything I do, and it has the speed to pull it off as well. It's like it's in my head or something. I let out a low growl. How in the world are we supposed to hit this thing in the first place? The only times somebody managed to get a hit on it was when it was… distracted…

Wait a minute. I bit my lip. Okay, well let me think about it for a second. Out of all of the attempts we made on it, the only two times we managed to hit the Cupid were when Jaune broke a tree branch over it during the simulation, and when I winged it with a bullet from Gambol Shroud. If Jaune remembered everything correctly, his branch idea was definitely a surprise attack. But what about my attack, then? It was definitely looking at Yang when I fired the shot, but it still managed to react in time to avoid death. Even with its guard down, it reacted fast enough in both situations to survive the attack… could it be that we needed to be faster in our attacks?

But how? Admittedly, the tree branch attack was fairly slow. It does make a little sense that the Cupid survived that. But a Dust bullet? Especially one designed to fly at supersonic speeds? If that can't hit the Cupid, there isn't a lot else that can. Hell, even Ruby can't move fast enough to hit the Grimm, and her Semblance is super-speed! And I don't think we have any options faster than Ruby. So how are we going to hit that thing? I narrowed my eyes. Or maybe… maybe the issue isn't our weapon speed. Speed means nothing if someone can react quickly enough to avoid that problem. But if we can put the Cupid in a corner where it can't react… We just might have the solution—

The Cupid let out a screech, zipping straight towards me yet again at breakneck speeds. Instead of bringing the Arrow out in front, it opened its jaw, revealing the massive line of sharp teeth rearing to tear flesh out. New plan, then. I sheathed Gambol Shroud and grabbed it with both hands, holding the weapon like a cricket bat. We need to make sure that this thing doesn't outmaneuver us. I held my breath as I watched the monster approach me. Come on, Blake. Try to remember all those forgotten lessons from Dad about playing cricket. Something about swinging the bat… Wait, no. Why would I need to do that? I just have to let the Cupid hit the bat.

I readjusted my weapon, raising it up just in time for it to slam right into the metal. I gritted my teeth as I felt the blow vibrate through my arms. Oh gods, that doesn't feel good at all. It was worth dealing with the shock, though. The Cupid shrieked in pain moments later, drifting back as it rubbed the swelling bump on its head. Perfect.

Before it could do anything else, I pressed my palm against the shaft of the Arrow, pushing it towards its forearm before grabbing the both of them with one hand. "Got you!" I dropped my weapon before snatching its other arm. The baby didn't even get a chance to react before I twisted its arms behind its back and slammed its body into the ground. "You're not going to run away from us if I have you pinned to the floor." My Stand appeared right next to me, releasing her claws as she let out a purr of delight. "No more of this chaos. Your reign of terror ends today."

The Grimm underneath me disagreed, letting out loud shrieks as it writhed on the floor. I winced for a moment before pushing the pain to the side. " **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS!** **」** " The cat-like Stand bounced.

At the sight of the sharp claws, the Cupid doubled down on its struggle, trying to force itself out of my grasp. I yelped when it managed to levitate both it and me off the ground, but it couldn't fly away before **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** scored the skin on its side with light claw marks. The monster went berserk, letting loose the mother of all shrieks out of its mouth. By now its struggle finally bore fruit as it slipped out from under me. I dismissed my Stand. Oh gods no—

Another yelp escaped my mouth as the monster started swinging me to and fro, dragging me around the area. I winced, my Aura flaring as I felt the friction burn of the cement trying to rub my skin off. "Yang! A little help—"

Then the monster did the strangest thing: it brought its leg up to its face. My eyes narrowed. What? It revealed what it was doing soon enough when it shoved its foot in its mouth and slammed its jaw on it. I gasped. Black ichor dripped down its face as it pulled away, revealing a foot with no toes. I could see extremely dark red stumps where the toes should be, each one pouring the oily substance. The Cupid itself let out a groan, shuddering with disgust before spitting out tiny little nubs. Its toes… oh my gods…

Before I could react in any way, the Cupid flung its bleeding foot back, splashing my face with its ichor. Oh gods! It's in my eyes and mouth! I coughed, letting go of the monster. I groaned in disgust as I spat out the oily liquid out of my mouth. Ugh… ugh. I started to wipe my eyes. Gods, I need to get this stuff out of my eyes. It's so dark, I can't see a thing. I blinked a couple of times right as the foul substance rubbed off. Huh? What the— Where's the Cupid—"

"Blake, to your left!"

I jerked left, holding my arm upright as the monster clamped its jaws around my forearm. A shriek escaped my mouth, my body toppling over with the baby missile chewing on me. I grabbed its head and shoved my thumb into its eye. A muffled screech escaped from the Grimm, causing it to shake its body around like a shark who just caught its meal. At the same time, one of its tiny arms tried hitting the hand on its face. The other one reached for the glove, strangely enough. It didn't have the arm span to actually grab one of the ends of the gloves and yank it off, but it didn't stop it from pinching my hand.

Agh! I winced. Ow, get off! I kneed the Cupid in the stomach, to little avail. Come on! My knee slammed into it again. All that did was force it to clamp on my arm even harder. Get off of me! I tried lifting myself up, only for the Cupid to force my shoulders against the ground. My gods, how is this one baby making it so difficult to get up? Yang. Where is she? I could use her help right now—

The sound of a shotgun blast registered in my ears. Before I realized it, the Cupid's leg flew off, torn away from its body in a gruesome display. The baby Grimm itself let out a screech, releasing its grip on me and turning to see who shot it. I saw the chance. I rolled away and got up, turning to see Yang with her left arm extended. Smoke drifted up from Ember Celica as she stared down the monster in front of her. "Gods, thank you, Yang." I ran over to the forgotten Gambol Shroud and picked it up. "Yang, I know what we need to do. We just need to get—"

I couldn't finish my words when a whimper escaped from the Cupid. Hmm? I turned around to see the Cupid already flying away in a random direction, using the Arrow almost as a pointer. Ichor dripped freely from its leg as it fled. I let out a gasp. "What the— It's getting away!" I started towards it. "Come on, we need to end this thing right now! Look, it's not even flying that quickly anymore." I yanked out Gambol Shroud and switched it to its pistol form. "We can bring all of this to an end right now. All we have to do is just shoot—"

"Not yet, Blake." Yang cocked her weapons, reloading her weapon at an almost leisurely pace as she followed the Cupid. "Now's not the time to strike it."

"Yang, I don't think you understand." I started walking with her as I pointed to the Grimm. "It's wounded. There's no reason not to—"

"The Cupid's still strong even after you shot it in the shoulder and after it was cut by your Stand." She narrowed her eyes. "This thing might've lost its leg, but I don't doubt that it's still as strong as it was before. Plus, now it's looking for any sign of danger while it's running away. If we attack it now, it'll realize what's going on and not look back."

My eyelids lowered. Yang's right in that sense. The Cupid never lost its strength in spite of all the wounds it's taken. What makes this attack any different? Still, I let out a growl of frustration. I glanced at my partner. "But if not now, when? We can't exactly let it leave and heal up. So what now? What do we wait for?"

"For it to lower its guard again." She raised her hands up, revealing that her glove was gone. "There's one thing that I know for sure can calm the Cupid down, and that's the gloves. I realized it when you were pinning the Cupid down and forcing it to hold still. The gloves are supposed to represent the mother, right? That's the only thing that can console this baby." I nodded my head, letting out a hum of confusion. Where is Yang taking this?

"Think about it. What kind of baby finds it comforting for their mother to roughhouse them and pin them to the ground?" My eyes widened. Wait… could it be that my method… Yang continued, "What kind of mother hurts her baby, struggles to take away something the baby has, in this case, the Arrow? What kind of mother would abandon their baby and not leave anything to remember them by?" Yang bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as she let out a pained sigh.

I reached for the girl. "Yang, you don't have to try and force yourself through painful memories if you don't want to—"

"But I do, Blake. Because that's what showed me the solution to this problem." Yang opened her eyes again, both focused with resolve. "There's nothing a child wants more than love and comfort from its mom. And I'll give that to the monster. Just for a moment. Long enough to end everything." She took another sharp breath in. "Blake… can you hand me your glove?"

"Huh— alright, then," I said as I slipped the glove off of my hand and pressed it into Yang's outstretched palm. Just what was she planning on doing with the gloves?

Before I could open my mouth, my partner gave me a nod. "Thanks." She didn't do anything with it, just squeezing it in her hands before gesturing to me. "Come on, hurry up. We've gotta run a bit, but considering that the Cupid's currently wounded, I think we can make it in time." Yang ran off of the walkway and onto the grass, with me following close behind.

"Yang," I hissed when I caught up to her. "None of this is making sense right now. What do you mean, give that thing love and comfort? What difference would it make to do such a thing? It's a Grimm, first and foremost, it's probably older than we can comprehend."

"It's also a baby. Maybe not a baby _first_ , but still a baby, and you said yourself that it's a smart baby, right?" I nodded my head. "Well, think of it like sentient Grimm. They get more intelligent as they grow older, they get more in tune with the environment and grow stronger, but they never lose what they are at their core. Beowolves act like real wolves at the end of the day, Ursai act like bears, so on and so forth. And if this metaphor still works for the Cupid, well, the same thing applies. It might be very smart, but it is still held by what they are at heart. And at the heart of this Cupid is a small baby."

My partner and I started to slow down as we approached the cafeteria. The building itself still held itself together, but it definitely had seen better days. Flames burned within the building, likely due to a gas leak combined with a lit fire somewhere. It didn't look like the flame was getting out of control at the moment, but even if it did, there was nowhere for the flame to go, especially with the lack of buildings around it. Several chunks of the building fell inside and around the building. The attack was not kind to it.

I gawked at the sight. It's so strange looking at the building now in its damaged state. Just to think… a couple of months ago we destroyed this place in a food fight. And that a couple of hours ago, this entire place was still one entire piece.

But now… it's destroyed all in the name of misguided ideologies, both the White Fang and whoever is behind the Cupid attacks— and at this point, the evidence is starting to point towards Team C.M.E.N. I shook my head, letting out a sigh. How much things change so quickly. When this is over, we're going to need to confront those guys for everything they've done here.

But of course, that won't matter a bit if we don't actually take down the Cupid. Yang looked over her shoulder, behind me. "Looks like the Cupid itself is still pretty far away. I don't think this thing will notice us before we're ready." With that, she ran over to a nearby bush and pulled loose branches away. Underneath all of that rubble was the other pale glove, a bit dusty from all of the debris, but otherwise undamaged. My eyes widened. She must've used her glove as bait! That's why the Cupid was trying to run in this direction!

Yang snatched it up and started pulling the gloves over her hands. Soon after, she took a long breath before racking a bullet into her weapons. "Okay, Blake. Here's the thing. I'm going to have to go and approach the Cupid alone. It'll suspect something if I don't do otherwise. So basically all I need you to do is either hide somewhere and make sure that no other Grimm interrupt what I'm doing. Okay?"

I stared at the blonde girl. "Are you sure?"

She nodded her head. "More than anything else."

"… Okay, then." I ran behind an unbroken pillar, merging into it with the help of **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS.** **」** Once I was inside, I walked around to face the open area where Yang and the Cupid were going to meet. I sighed. I did my part. Now I just hope to gods that Yang knows what she's doing.

It wasn't too long when the Cupid finally floated in, looking all wounded and exhausted. The dripping ichor, although slowing down, was still pouring out of its leg. Looking at the trail it left behind, there was absolutely no way that any normal person would still be alive, let alone a baby. But as a creature of Grimm, it played by different rules. I could see inky black tears drip down its face as it made its way towards the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Hey, little guy," Yang said, catching the Cupid's attention. Unlike her usual energetic way of talking, here her voice was softer and more gentle. She held up her hands, revealing the gloves on her hands.

The monster tilted its head to the side, red eyes widening. " _Mama?_ "

"Yes, it's mommy. Mommy's here to take care of you." Yang started towards the Cupid, only to let out a gasp of surprise. Or an attempt of gasping, at least. The gasp itself felt more forceful than it should've been. "You're hurt!" Yang continued, "Oh my gods, let mommy take care of you."

It coiled back the moment Yang took a step towards it, seemingly more out of fear than anything else. My partner stopped immediately. "What's wrong? Did the bad people hurt you?"

Shockingly enough, the Cupid nodded its head, curling up to hold the stub where its lower leg used to be. Another gasp escaped from Yang. "That's so bad of the bad men! They shouldn't do that to you!" I started narrowing my eyes. Where in the world is she taking this? Yang gave the Cupid a gentle smile. "You don't have to worry, little guy. Mommy's going to make it better, but I need to come over, okay?"

The Cupid shook for a moment, considering what Yang had to say. I held my breath. Come on, please work… It finally let out the smallest of nods as it slowly drifted towards the girl.

"Alright then," Yang stated, holding her arms out before grabbing the baby. "Oof! You're a heavy baby, aren't you? Aren't you such a heavy baby?" She started rocking the monster ever so gently. "You're growing up pretty quickly, huh?"

She slowly sat herself down, still rocking the Cupid calmly in her arms. She let out a light shushing noise, running one of her hands over the baby's head. "It's okay. You'll be in a better place." Yang continued to stroke the child's head for maybe a minute or so, making nothing but a small 'shh.' The Cupid's eyes started drooping.

"You know," my partner said to no one in general after the minute has passed. "There's a song I remember, one that I really liked. I don't remember all of the lyrics, but it's… it's fitting for a lullaby."

With that, she started singing. "Twelve hours… is a long night. When you're searching… with no hope in sight." I furrowed my brow. For someone who sounds terrible singing, Yang's… actually not bad at this one. Actually, she's good at this one. But at the same time, I don't recognize it. It's nothing like anything she's listened to when I'm around.

Yang continued, "Aimless… on the inside… And the damage… makes you want to hide…" She never stopped stroking the child's head. "I know that it seems pointless. I know that it feels fake. I know you can't stand the thought of being stray… one more day." The Cupid's eyes had an almost somber look in its eyes, it staring into the night sky. I think I started seeing tears run down the Cupid's face.

Tears started to roll down Yang's face as well. "Dry your eyes now, baby… Broken wings won't hold you down…" She pressed the palm of her hand against its forehead. "You'll take flight soon, baby… You'll be lifted up… and you'll be there."

A crack rang through the air. The Cupid's head disintegrated, splitting apart in an instant as the buckshot at point-blank range ripped its skull apart. The child's body went limp, dropping the Arrow in an instant. As for Yang… she just sat there, covered in the ichor of the child, trying her absolute best to calm down her breathing. The torso of the baby she killed started smoking up in her arms.

I leaped out of the pillar and started towards my partner. "Oh my gods… you did it, Yang. The Cupid… it's gone now. We don't have to worry about the Arrow anymore. There won't be any more new Stand users to put the world at risk." I stopped. Yang had tears running down her face. Is she… crying for the Cupid? "Yang… what's wrong?"

She blinked. "I can't believe I did it. I didn't think I would be able to stoop so low, and now— now I know. I'm looking at exactly what I can do." Yang placed the torso on the ground. "You remember my mom, right, Blake? She abandoned me all those years ago… she failed me as a parent. And I know we needed to do this, we couldn't afford the Cupid to get away, but looking at the body, I just can't help but think—" She sniffled. "Am I just as bad as my mom?"

"You're being ridiculous, Yang." I shook my head as I grabbed the Arrow, plopping next to her. We stared at the decomposing body together. "You're nothing like your mother. The fact that you're having these doubts say a lot." I glanced at the Arrow I picked up. "I can't say anything about your mom, but from what I hear, she left because she couldn't face herself when times got tough. A good mother would do a difficult thing for the people they love." A mental image of my own mom appeared in my head, how great she was to me. "And looking at you now, I think you're already a better mother than your own."

Yang managed to crack a smile. "You think?"

"Yeah."

We sat next to each other, nodding our heads in silence. "Say, Blake." Yang turned to look at me. "The song I sang… it was a lullaby by Summer. Ruby's Mom. It was something she made so long ago, something that always stuck in my mind. I always thought that it was about us finding ourselves. Do you think… if the Cupid ever had a soul… do you think it managed to find peace in its last moments?"

A yellow wisp was caught from the corner of my eye. Huh? I looked up to see a tiny yellow spirit, soaring up into the sky. A child smiled, giggling as it floated towards the night sky. We locked eyes. It waved at me, letting out one last giggle before the clouds swallowed it up.

I smiled. "I think it did."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 8/17/2018**

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 **There's a lot I want to say about this chapter. But I'll save it for the retrospective. But until that happens, let's get to the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! And well... you now know what happened with Yang and Blake. I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Guest 1: I don't really get what you mean by your review. I'm going to assume you're talking about the Cupid speaking. Yeah... I would probably say that as well.**

 **tuskenpaw: In V2 canon? I can definitely see why you feel that Weiss should've won against Banesaw on the train. I personally don't hold that strong of an opinion on the train section. It was a pretty fun fight, and that's all I really cared about. As for the comments about Blake and the end events, I think the chapter addressed your thoughts on it.**

 **doa570047: Ah, thanks for catching the chapter update typo. I know it was correct for the "To Be Continued" segment, but never realized I didn't change the bottom date. That should be fixed now.**

 **But yeah, this ability and the others that were suggested to me are nothing short of brilliant. This is retrospective stuff, but the abilities I originally had in mind were more complex and confusing. I don't think this fight would be as nearly as interesting if I stood by my old ideas. Of course, I did put my own spin on the original idea, but I have to give credit where it's due: this is a smart Stand ability.**

 **darkmist111: Thank you, darkmist for the review! And thank you for your Stand suggestions!**

 **Guest 2: Is it? It's been a while since I've seen FMA. But hmm... oh yeah, Roy does do that. When I wrote it, I wasn't thinking of it. But you can say it's a reference to FMA.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: August 17, 2018**_


	43. Warflower - Part 1

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA! Early post, I know. But I'm moving back for college tomorrow, and with all the traveling and unpacking I have to do, I'm probably going to forget to post. So, surprise early chapter for you guys! Next chapter's is going to be back on schedule.**

 **Quick news update: we've hit so many milestones within the past two weeks. 40K views, 150 Favorites, 250 Reviews. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm happy that so many people are loving this story enough to favorite it and keep up with the discussion. It means so much, especially as we start approaching the end.**

 **But with that being said, let's get straight into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all their help!**

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 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

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They say that slow and steady wins the race. I definitely understand why people use that phrase all the time. If you put time into working hard and keep it up, you'll make more progress than the person who rushed a job and messed up as a result. And when I'm surrounded by a swarm of jellyfish, with my only protection being this sealed up vendor stall, I can't afford to mess up. Moving slowly is a good idea if I want to get through this swarm alive. But the people who'll tell you that saying never mention the fact that you also need patience to pull it off. An ocean-sized amount of patience, in fact.

My cheeks became warmer as I stared into the darkness. This is so stupid… I'm moving at a snail's pace, it's a bumpy ride, I don't know where I am, and it's sending shivers down my spine thinking about what's going on outside. … I picked up my scroll again.

"Jaune, has anything changed around me?"

"… No, not really," the boy replied. "It's still crowded as usual. Although your path is starting to curve left, so you might want to make the adjustments." I nodded, tapping my fingers against the bottom of the stall as I willed the tiny legs below us to make the turn. And now… I just have to keep waiting. Keep waiting in this box as the jellyfish swarm does whatever it does around me, sit around and hope that there aren't any clusters that broke off to attack any civilians, or that something doesn't break my only source of protection.

I bit my lip and let out a restricted sigh. "Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel… tired?"

"Huh?" I heard the sound of rustling hair from the speakers. "Well, I guess I'm exhausted right now. The adrenaline from my fight with Ciel's been gone for some time, but I'm holding up—"

"No, as in tired of doing all this. Of searching for the Arrow, and fighting Stand users." I pressed my head against the floor. "We've been doing this for maybe a month now. Longer than anyone else. And after everything we have to go through, well… can you feel it?"

"Well— I mean, I guess. This definitely isn't something anybody has to face often." Jaune let out a sigh. "But Ruby, are you listening to yourself? This isn't like you. I never thought this was something that you ever worried about."

"No, not really." I let out a sigh of my own. "It's just— It's been on my mind for a while now. My heart… it hurts every time we have to fight our fellow Remnan, every time I see the pain of others. I don't think of it much when we're doing this, but when we have time to ourselves, when there's nothing to do…" I grasped my chest. "When I'm sitting here thinking back on everything… I can feel it. It's dull, but it keeps coming back. It stays longer every time I feel it. And… and I don't know how much I can take. I don't want to find out what's my breaking point. When I snap due to all the pressure."

"…" A long pause filled my little fort. Finally, Jaune spoke. "Ruby—"

I let out a chuckle. "Jaune. I'm just talking out loud. Don't think that just because I'm saying this, that means that I'm going to quit or run away when it gets tough. Not right now, at least. If anything, it means a lot that you're just listening. I appreciate it." I bit the inside of my cheek. "It might sound like I'm tempted to quit. But I know I'm stronger than that. I know myself. And I know I'm not going to quit. Not even if I break." I took in a deep breath. "Because this is what I want to do. Do… do you feel the same way?"

Jaune paused. "… Yeah," he exhaled. "I do. And I'm sure the others do as well. You gave that to us, that's for sure." I sat quiet hearing that. I did?

He continued, "I don't think we would still be fighting this fight if it wasn't for you. I can't really put my finger on why, but I guess… I guess it's because you're the central piece. The one who connected everything together and helped us realize what we need to do." He paused for a moment. "I don't think that you'll reach your breaking point. But I also know that if you do, everyone will be there to put you back together. Because you're the kind of person we all wish we were." I picked up the signs of shifting from the speaker. "Let's put that aside for now. You're out of the main swarm."

My eyes widened. "Say that again?"

"While we were talking, you managed to pass through another wall of jellyfish. It's not nearly as cluttered as before. It might be a trap, maybe not. But it looks like there's enough room to move around on your own without worrying about being stung."

Really? I dissolved my eyeball and reformed it through the stall. Oh my gods— He's right! It's way less cluttered here than before! In fact, I can probably walk around without too much trouble! I pulled myself out from the stall, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Right. Back to the fight.

I opened my eyes and gasped. On the ground in front of me was a crowd of people lying down. Contorted looks of horror and despair were displayed front and center on their frozen faces. Some of them looked like they had struggled to crawl their way towards the exit. Others clawed their way towards family members, a few of them making it and holding each other in their last moments. Most of them didn't. The majority of them had their hands clawed over their chests to a certain degree. All of them had red, wavy scars running down their skin and face. From the looks of it, at least a third of what must be hundreds must've passed on already. The other two-thirds aren't going to make it.

Oh my gods… I started to feel my knees shake at the sight. There have to be hundreds of people right now on the floor… All of them are either dead or dying from the stings. And those who are still alive don't have any time left. I started hyperventilating. I— I need to find the Stand user right now. I took a short step before I gagged. My hand covered my mouth as I shut my eyes. My heart… the pain… this is all too much…

My mind took over and pushed the throbbing aside. No. Not now. I can't afford to waste any more time. You need to save whoever's still alive. I opened my eyes again. Come on, Ruby. Don't stop now.

My foot skidded across the ground. Take a deep breath. The living still needs a hero, no matter the cost. The lives lost… the ones that might've been saved if you were faster… you can't worry about them. Not when the Stand user's still out there and still able to kill. My strides started growing again. You might've failed in keeping everyone safe, but there's still the second best thing: making sure that no one else gets hurt. You need to keep on moving forwards. You need to believe that with all your heart right now. I glanced back to see the swarm of jellyfish starting to swim towards me. There's an entire colosseum that still needs protecting.

A whimper caught my attention. I turned to see somebody crawl out from under a vending stall. Huh? Somebody managed to hide from the swarm? I looked around. A couple of people were pulling themselves out from their hiding place, whether it was a vending stall, a blanket, or even another person. Murmurs floated through the air as they got up.

"Who are you?"

"A Huntress?"

"Oh my gods! We're saved!"

"How did this happen?"

"Is Mommy going to be okay?"

"What do we do?"

I counted everyone who popped out of various hiding spots and started towards me. Six. Out of everybody in this dying crowd, six managed to avoid getting stung. Oh my gods. My eyes watered. They can still be saved. I wished it was more… but six can become more than that.

"Everyone!" The tiny group turned to look at me. I held my hand up. "We need to get everyone out of here, but this section isn't safe. Making your way towards this section's landing pads wouldn't end well, and you guys can't come back the way I came."

"But how do we get out of here, then?"

"I'll get you guys to another section." I walked over to an air vent and kicked a grate open. "These vents are designed for escape in mind. If you have a map of where each vent goes, you can get to any landing pad on the Amity." I held my hands up. "Now, I need to head to the landing pad myself to deal with the threat, but I'll have one of my fellow Huntsmen take care of you guys. May I borrow one of your scrolls?"

One of them stepped forwards, pressing the device into my hands. "Thank you," I whispered to the man as I dialed in the number. My own scroll went up to my ear. "Jaune, are you still there?"

"Yeah," Jaune answered. "What's up?"

"I found a couple of survivors here, and I need you to lead them towards section H through the air vents, okay? I'm going to end this call and start another one on a different scroll. Please, show them the way to safety."

"Uh, alright. But what about you? I didn't check the corridor past where you are. What are you going to do if the swarm surprises you—"

"These guys need your help more than I do. Like you said, this area is less dense than the others. I can push through with my vehicle, but these guys can't. And we need to end the jellyfish threat quickly." I bit my lip. "Please, Jaune."

He sighed. "Okay. Well… good luck, then."

"You too." I ended my call and started the call from the other person's scroll. I gave the device back to the man who loaned it. "Whatever you do, listen to him, alright? He'll get you guys to safety."

"What about the others?"

"We'll do whatever we can for them as soon as we take care of the current threat. But it's important you guys get to safety first." I gave them the best smile I can give them. "We'll take care of the rest, okay?"

The small crowd stared at me for a moment before nodding and making their way over to the grate. And as for me… I continued forwards, carrying the stall on my back. I don't know who's behind the jellyfish attack… but I'll make sure they won't hurt any more people.

* * *

It was a few minutes after the Cupid faded away into nothingness when Yang spoke up. "So… what now?"

"Pardon?" I turned to look at my partner.

She pointed to the artifact in my hands. "Well, we have the Arrow now. After what must've been a month of searching and looking, we finally have it in our hands. And not only that, we finally stopped the Cupid once and for all. Which means no more Stand users can be made, no more worries of new threats appearing without us knowing. Once we confront the people behind the Arrow and the Cupid attacks, we're done. We're just… free. So what then?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. I've never really thought about it. I guess in the back of my mind, once everything is handled, I figured we'd go back to living a normal life, studying to become Huntresses."

"That's true… for me. That's the thing: I'm the only one without a Stand." Yang brushed a lock of hair back. "When this whole situation is dealt with, only I can really go back to living a normal life. At least as normal as the Huntress life can be. But for you, Weiss, Ruby, and several other students, all of you guys have to deal with having Stands for the rest of your lives. Like, knowing that your powers can fundamentally change our understanding of science has to be nothing short of shocking. And you all have to pretend they never existed."

Yang rubbed her eyes. "Gods… I still remember the days when I thought Ruby was going insane when she saw her Stand for the first time. That's going to be you all for the rest of your lives, otherwise the world will think you've lost your mind. Living that kind of life has to be tough."

A hum escaped my mouth while I twirled the Arrow. "I mean, I think Fox and the Headmaster managed just fine. Same thing for Arslan's family. They've known about Stands for a pretty long time, and they seem… okay. As normal as they can be."

"Hmm… I guess." My partner sighed. "But won't it get lonely? I don't know, but it has to be nerve-wracking carrying that burden. Especially if it's one you never asked for."

"I guess that's just the burden we have to bear, then." I shrugged my shoulder. "What is there to say? We'll grow and move on from this." A smile crawled up my face. "Sometimes I think you worry too much for our well being than you should. It's… a different side of you, that's for sure."

"You think?" Now it was the blonde's turn to smile. "I had to think about the future when nobody else in my family could. It happens when you need to grow up quickly." She turned to look into the night sky. "Honestly, I think you and the other Stand users shouldn't shoulder the burden alone. There's really no point hiding it when we have the CCT, don't you think? But hey. One step at a time, I guess." Her lilac eyes snapped to me. "So, you think we should help out with stopping the Breach now?"

A smile grew on my face. "I was wondering when you would say that. It shouldn't take long for us to clear Beacon cliffs—"

My ears picked up the sounds of several people running towards us. I dropped the smile. "Someone's coming."

"What?"

"Hide!" We both shot up and pressed our backs against some broken pillars.

I looked over the window. The interior of the cafeteria doesn't look any different from last time. Everything's still on fire, the rooftop's still broken, I can see exposed electrical wires coursing with energy. Nobody's in here yet, but the footsteps say that won't last for long. My cat ears strained under the bow, trying to pick up anything beyond us.

"Blake, what's going on? What do you think?" Yang asked.

"Shh." I closed my eyes for a moment. Five sets of footsteps. All bipedal. This has to be a group of five— No… More like a group of four running from a single person. And they're all running this way. My eyebrows furrowed. That can't be right. All the civilians should've been evacuated from Beacon Cliffs or in Beacon's safe zones, unless… unless this is a stray group who got lost and… Oh gods. They're being chased by a strong White Fang member!

I turned to look towards Yang and mouthed out, " _White Fang attacking civilians. Inside cafeteria._ "

The girl's eyes widened before she nodded. " _What do we do?_ " she mouthed back.

" _We need to get them to safety._ " I reloaded Gambol Shroud with practiced ease. " _We'll check together, then you distract while I get them. Good?_ "

Yang flashed the 'ok' sign, and together we moved up, creeping up to the walls before glancing into the building.

I gasped. The first thing I noticed was the group of four that burst through the door. Three girls and one guy. They weren't in civilian dress like I thought they would be. Instead, they wore Haven's uniform, which was all dirty and sooty. Likely from the running and chaos around them. Each of them had shallow cuts across their bodies. One girl had blood dripping down their leg from a blood-soaked bandage. That girl was being held up by one of her teammates.

I bit my lip. My gods… this was a student team pushed to their limits, and without their weapons as well. Who the hell is chasing them?

"Gods," the wounded girl gasped. She shifted her weight around another girl and looked back. Fear creeped into her voice. "This guy never stops! Nava, are you sure you stopped him in his tracks?"

The still standing girl nodded. This Nava was a dolphin Faunus, a dorsal fin sticking out of her neck. Her breaths were more like rasps at this point, and she could barely keep herself upright. She still managed to glance at her heavily wounded teammate. "I hit him with my strongest nerve shock. It's every ounce of energy I had. He caught it with his sword, but my Semblance attack should easily channel through the weapon. His nervous system should be firing off like firecrackers, there's no way he managed to absorb all of that and still follow us—"

Loud, clacking footsteps interrupted their conversation. Gasps escaped from their mouths as they backed away from the door. "Oh gods," the boy muttered. "He's a monster! There's no way he could've escaped Nava's Semblance!" The guy grabbed a loose piece of rebar and tossed it towards the wounded girl. "Guppi, take this and use it for a walking stick. We need to hide and hope to gods he passes by us. This man can't be stopped!"

"Terra, I can't hide when I have a trail of blood marking where I've been! We have to get to help now!" She turned to look at the girl carrying her. "Rhyme, you still good?"

Before the girl could answer her, a voice spoke out. "It doesn't matter. None of you are getting out of here alive." The air dropped a couple of degrees the moment I heard that voice. I felt goosebumps crawl up my skin. No way… there's no way he can possibly be here. He couldn't be… But I know my ears don't lie.

A tall man strutted into the cafeteria with an almost nonchalant attitude, his hand adjusting the detailed, Mistralian-designed mask on his face. His black trenchcoat floated behind him, loosely held to his body by two buttons. Red, flame-like rose thorns twisted and curled on various parts of his trench coat. He brushed back his dark red windswept spiky hair, his lips turning down at the sight of the team. Two small bull horns extended from the sides of his head. I can my heart racing with fear as I stared at him. He's finally caught up. He came back for me.

His fingers ran across the handle of his Wilt as Adam Taurus walked towards the frightened team, staring them down the entire time. They could only cry out in fear, backing up as my former partner got closer and closer to them. He cocked his head to the side. "Ah… Mistralian students… disgusting. For a Kingdom so revered for its culture, I've never seen a group of pathetic, disgusting cockroaches like this."

The students let out a yelp as their backs pressed up against a pile of rubble. Adam let out a sneer, tapping his weapon with his fingers as he continued forwards. "Did you think you can run away from the sins of the past? That those who let Faunus oppression continue can just… wash the blood off of your hands? Did you think that my people will forgive your ancestors' crimes?" He grabbed Blush and pulled it away from his belt. "I can hear the ghosts of my ancestors beg for blood. And I believe society is long overdue for a payment."

"Blake!" a voice hissed at me. I snapped over to Yang, the girl squeezing her fist. "Snap out of it! We need to distract that guy before he slaughters that team! We'll unload on this guy and buy the others time to escape—"

I shook my head with a fury. "We can't do that."

"Huh? Oh course we can, we have plenty of bullets—"

"You don't understand, Yang." I glanced through the window for just a moment. Still hasn't made a move yet. "This isn't an issue of ammo. If we shoot at him, he'll only get stronger." I leaned over to my partner. "He can absorb energy and redirect it in one, focused sword swipe. Think of it as your Semblance, but focused on ending a fight with one strike instead of a barrage. If we shoot at him, he'll kill everyone, including us!"

Yang's eyes widened. "Wait, but if that's the case—"

"Nava, no!" What the— I looked through the window again to see the dolphin Faunus run forwards, fists spark with lightning arcs - part of her Semblance, most likely. It was clearly an act of desperation. She couldn't have much power left, and everyone knew it. Including Adam.

With one leisurely movement, he gripped the handle of Wilt. A blink later, the whole world turned red and black. His sword arm was already up, displaying the crimson red blade in its full, horrific glory. This Nava girl staggered to the side a moment later, her left arm and a section of her torso just… falling away from her. There was nothing anyone can do but look. I remember back when I was his partner. Shock and awe, Adam would cite whenever someone asked about the move. It was to show overwhelming power. And looking from the other side of the blade, I can say that it definitely does that.

The color in the world returned to normal. A gasp escaped from Nava at the sight of her arm flying away, green Aura embers floating away from both her stump and her severed limb. A scream escaped her mouth a moment later as she stumbled and fell to the floor. Her body glowed green, yet the cracks were forming by the second. Her Aura can't possibly be enough to heal up a severed limb. There's no easy way to put this. She's done for.

Adam looked cooly at the fallen body, flicking his blade as if removing imaginary blood. He ignored the screams of despair from the rest of Nava's team. "That is for defending monsters. If there's anything I hate more than humans, it's race traitors. You could've had it all if you took up your duty of putting humanity in its place. But you decide to defend demons. Burn in hell with the rest of them, if that's what you want." He spat on the girl's body.

I heard the sounds of heavy breathing next to me. Yang's chest heaved back and forth, her eyes flashing red. "That monster… That mon— Umph!"

Before she could stand up and rush right in, I snatched her and wrapped my hand over her mouth. "Yang, stop it!" I hissed. "We're outmatched! Attacking him right now is suicide!"

"Whll wht whll we vu, ven?" Yang muffled. Her eyes still glowed red, but she quickly stopped struggling under me. I let her mouth go. "Well, what will we do, then? Leave him to kill more people?" I shook my head. She continued, "So we can't let him go, but apparently we can't distract him or attack him without being killed. What do you suggest we do, then?"

"I never said we weren't going to distract him." Yang shot me a look, as if to say 'really?' "What? I never disagreed with the distraction plan. But we need to hide the fact we're doing it." I brought out my Stand. "This is how we'll do it. I'll use **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** to get onto the ceiling while grabbing several chunks of rubble. I'll make it rain debris around him. While I do that, you go around and get the team away from Adam. As soon as we do that, we trap him here somehow. We'll need a team of actual Huntsmen to take down Adam, maybe bring in Ruby if we can. She can counter Adam's attack with her Stand. Got it?"

Yang grimaced at the thought before nodding. "I just hope we have enough time before it's too late." She let out a sigh. "Stay safe, Blake."

I nodded, my form already sinking into the wall while **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** floated towards a nearby piece of rubble. With a few deft swipes, she snatched up a decent pile of concrete chunks without even a hint of sound before pulling herself towards the ceiling. "Same goes to you."

With that, I dove into the wall proper, quickly making my way up to some exposed rebar sticking out where the ceiling would normally be. I glanced at the group of students opposite from where I am. They were petrified with fear. Guppi and Rhyme just stood there, eyes widening at their impending fate. The Terra guy, on the other hand, looked absolutely furious. I can see his body tense up, wanting to spring towards Nava but knowing what would happen if he did. He reminds me too much of Yang just a minute ago. If I don't act soon, he's going to do something reckless.

My hand snatched one of the metallic bars, and with a quick tug, I yanked myself out of the wall. Well, I won't let this guy pay for acting that way. If he's going to do something rash, I might as well help him out with that. I eyed the ceiling and its details. There are these solid bracket formations still standing… I'll use that to hide while **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** drops the rubble from the ceiling. As for Yang… I glanced out of one of the windows. She's still making her way around. She's keeping pace with me. Good.

I swung myself into the ceiling, crawled my way towards the other side before pulling myself behind a bracket. Adam hasn't done anything aside from swing his sword around, cowing the rest of the Mistralian team. What in the world is going on? Is he quietly gloating over the people he's going to kill? He's not the kind of person who enjoys watching people in terror. No, he considers himself a man of action. So unless he's changed, him standing there means— I bit my lip. There's no way… did he figure me out somehow?

My eyes narrowed. If he did… actually, he can't do a lot from here. Maybe he shifts Blush into his shotgun form and shoots at me, but unless he switched up the kind of shotgun round he normally uses, he should be using a mix between Dragon's breath and buckshot. Great for close distance, but the bearings become a lot less effective after five meters. Then they burn up completely after thirty meters. I think I'm just about thirty meters away, so he shouldn't be able to hurt me from where he is. There's no obvious way he can react knowing where I am. Even then, why do I feel so… uneasy?

 **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** appeared out of the ceiling, sliding her hands under a picture of the stored boulders. I'm just being paranoid. I shook my head. Again, there's no way Adam noticed me get over here, nevermind reacting in any meaningful way. I glanced over at the windows right as Yang got herself in place. She threw me a thumbs up. Well, it's now or never. The cat Stand yanked the boulders out from the ceiling and threw them down towards the man.

Adam let out a long, smooth sigh out of his mouth. "Blake, my darling… I knew that you would come back." My eyes widened. Huh? Adam twisted around in an instant, flicking his wrists around at the pile of concrete falling towards him. Wilt cleaved through them with ease, sending tiny bits of stone flying. The Mistralian team behind him screamed, luckily not attracting the man's attention.

I locked eyes with the masked man. Well, this plan didn't pan out. This was the worst case scenario. I sighed. There's no other choice, though. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** floated behind me. I need to fight him and keep his attention away from the other team long enough to get them out. I don't know how long I can hold up to him. Oh gods… Yang, please get them out as quickly as possible.

The man slid his crimson blade back into its sheath and smiled. "It's been too long, dear. I've missed you. I knew that no matter where you ran, you would eventually remember the truth—"

"Save it," I snapped. "I don't want to be any part of your 'truth.' Not when it causes this much pain and suffering."

"So you still insist on running, then… I'm disappointed." Adam shook his head. "Is that what this world turned you into? A coward, afraid of the commitment to bringing about the Faunus Dream, our dream? Why do you let your cowardice get the better of you?"

I frowned, balling my fist behind the bracket. "Why are you doing this? What point is there hurting civilians, hell, even other Faunus for the sake of Faunus equality?"

"Why would you try to keep certain parts of an inherently broken machine? No one tries to keep a broken toy if they can't fix what's hopelessly wrong with it. No, if it can't be fixed, you throw it out and get something that works better. Revolution can fix things, but it calls for sacrifice when we need a replacement. It asks that vengeance must be taken. We owe this world nothing, yet this world owes us everything. We are simply punishing the world for sins long since overdue. We are sating the calls for vengeance."

"No…" I shook my head. "This is foolish… Taking our revenge against humanity won't satisfy vengeance. It'll just move on to the humans, and it'll come back to bite you when you least expect it. We'll just create a cycle of hatred that won't stop until the Grimm kill us all."

"Darling, you overestimate the humans." Adam pressed the butt of the sheath against the ground. "They won't be able to do anything against us Faunus. We are empowered, we are strong, we are built to survive in the world of Remnant. Our species should've been the dominant species in the world to begin with. Humans, they cheated their way to the top, took our rightful place through wiliness and manipulation. Then they have the gall to think they can hold us down. But they can't. Especially when we unlock our hidden potential."

The bracket I merged with started… bubbling close to where my head would be. I glanced at the formation. The bubbling was the size of my handspan, which is maybe fifteen centimeters at most? My eyes narrowed. What in the world? As far as I know, Adam shouldn't be able to do this with his Semblance, which means— My eyes widened. Stand? First it was **「** **REDBONE,** **」** then it was **「** **HOCUS POCUS,** **」** now it's Adam… Oh my gods… The most radical White Fang members looking to destroy or subjugate humanity, all with Stands by their side. No wonder they decided to attack now.

At that moment I noticed a small point start to bulge out from the bubbling area. It grew without restraint, reaching a point where I think the surface is going to pop. Oh gods—

I threw my body back, barely clearing the bubbling surface right as a solid spike broke the surface of the bracket and shot right out, piercing the space where my head used to be. Oh my gods! I waved my arms out. Holy— What did Adam just do? My hand brushed against my forehead and felt something wet. He nicked me. Nothing my Aura can fix. But this structure… I flicked at the structure. It's concrete, just like the bracket it came out from. But it had a slight ringing to it, like it's hollow on the inside. I don't know if this can puncture through my flesh. Hopefully staying in 2D will keep me safe. A bead of sweat and blood dripped down my face. But whew… that was close. I don't want to think about what might happen if I reacted a second later.

One thing's for sure: I don't want to be here for another round. I pulled myself out of the bracket and into the wall. A quick look revealed the bracket to still be intact, aside from the giant spike jutting out from it, one that was already sinking back in. What in the world was that?

I pulled myself out and glanced behind Adam. The Mistralian team still hasn't moved. Yang's definitely in the cafeteria, but she's being cautious, doing everything she can to not attract attention. Okay, not bad. Just have to dive back in before— Why does the surface feel weird all of a sudden? I looked behind me and saw the bubbling. Oh gods, I need to go—

 **「SANDE MOUNTAINS」** moved, pulling me out right as several spikes flew out. I winced and let out a hiss, the thorns piercing through my left shoulder and thigh. Agh! One further jerk from my Stand sent me tumbling to the ground. There! He did it again. But what in the world is that? My mind couldn't land on any satisfactory answer.

My lips wavered as my Aura pulled my open wounds shut. "What… was that? Adam, what did you do?"

"You should know better than anyone else. After all, you have the power as well. But if you insist…"

A Stand appeared behind him, all but confirming my suspicions. Its legs were like stone pillars, with these limestone-esque spikes jutting up and away from it. No… at a second glance, the Stand's legs aren't stone, but covered in it. It seemed styled after the fabled Mayan warriors historians believed lived on Remnant at one point in time. In fact, it wore Mayan-like stone armor, without the headdress. Its actual body was plant-like in structure, almost like a tree trunk. It's easy to see the bark-like thorns where there are exposed 'skin,' for lack of a better word. A tiny stem connected its torso to an oversized poppy bud. Two rows of droplet-esque frog eyes blinked at me, sending shivers down my body.

"My love, meet the specter that granted me these powers. This is my Stand, **「** **WARFLOWER.** **」** Have you ever heard of the hairy frog?" The man adjusted the weapon in his hands. "It has an ingenious yet ruthless defense mechanism. It can break its own bones and jut them out from their skin, where it can penetrate their predator. Think of my Stand working the same way. I 'break' the supports of an object and create tower spikes out of them." He smiled. "My Stand is a beautiful thing, don't you think, my darling?"

"You're insane." I glanced behind Adam. The Mistralian team had finally moved. Terra managed to grab Nava and her arm in the chaos, carrying her body while the other two girls were limping their way towards the exit, Yang offering another shoulder for Guppi to hold on to. They're not even close to getting out. I need them to get out of here now.

I took in a deep breath. "Yang! Grab Nava and get the others out of here now! I'll hold Adam off!" I broke into a sprint, trying to close the distance between me and Adam.

At that, Adam turned around and spotted the retreating group. He let out a growl. "You… Did you really think they'll get away from me?" He snatched the hilt of his sword. "They're not going anywhere—"

 **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** shot towards Adam, extending her claws. "WAOU!" My ex-partner turned around before letting out a gasp. He swung his blade at my Stand… and it went through her without dealing any damage whatsoever. That's it! The opportunity that I needed. He might have a Stand, but he doesn't understand everything about it yet. I couldn't help but feel a bit of confidence bloom within my chest. It's over!

"RARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA—" Adam grunted, throwing his hands up at the barrage of claws flying toward his face. Not that it'll do that much. Already splotches of blood flew all over the cafeteria floor as more and more cuts accumulated on his arms. I narrowed my eyes. He's taking the blows a lot better than a lot of other users… That can't be right. Something has to be off about this. There's no way Adam should be able to tank all of those Stand hits that well.

Wait a minute, where did his Stand go? Did he possibly… there's no way he managed to master Stand control that quickly. Arslan said it herself in a text to us, it took her years to gain the level of control that she managed to get, and even then she's not the best at it. The only other way he could've possibly mastered his Stand so quickly is through the intensity of his viciousness. What was it Arslan about most Stand users? They have a moral limit that stops their powers from going amok. A person without any moral limit can use their Stand and its ability to its fullest extent. There's no way… Did Adam really reach that level of depravity?

Something moved on the ground. What the— My eyes flickered to the floor just in time to see a bubbling surface rush toward me. Before I could register the threat in front of me, the ground burst open, sending a concrete tower toward my torso. Oh gods! I threw myself to the side. Instead of piercing me through the stomach, it grazed my rib. Still, the sheer force of the impact definitely cracked it. I gritted my teeth, holding in a scream. Gods, that hurt!

I staggered to the right, a groan escaping my mouth. My hand ran over the spot where he hit me. A shallow groove sat across the left side of my torso. Already it started swelling with blood. Okay… that wasn't as bad as it could have been. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** returned to me, claws retracted and fists ready to counter whatever Adam planned on throwing at me next. Across from me, Adam looked a bit worse than before. The sleeves of his trench coat were ruined, at least. And his arms had blood dripping down them.

But instead of wincing or doing anything along those lines, the bull Faunus gave me a smile. It didn't look like he even broke a sweat aside from the blood. **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** appeared out of his body a moment later, flexing its muscles before floating in its place behind him.

"The humans really taught you well, huh," he started. "They taught you how to fight just like them. Like cowards!" The ground started to bubble up again. I looked around me. Oh gods, it's everywhere! Behind me, in front of me, even under my feet! Adam continued, "You might be the woman I loved, Blake, but you're corrupted with human sin. You let human lies fill your mind, they tricked you into turning away from the right path! But it's not too late! Give up the humans, and come back to me!"

"No!" I yelled back.

"… Fine." The ground bulged out, with hundreds of points just ready to burst through the surface. Adam sighed. "Die with the others, then." I shot a glare at him. That won't happen, not on my watch.

I threw myself into the air right as every single point jutted out from the ground, shooting towards me from every single position. While they were as thin as needles, it'll be more than enough to kill me if I fall into them. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** flew out, grabbing a boulder the size of my head before throwing it up at me. It was an insane plan. I had no idea if it would work. But by gods, I needed to try.

The boulder drifted to the right of me. That's good enough. I slapped the passing rock with my bare hand, sinking it right into its surface. My body flew along with it a moment later, pulling me out from the spike trap right as it shot up towards the ceiling, smashing another hole into it in the process. I winced at the spike column I was flying away from. Oh gods… good thing I wasn't in there when it finally came up. I don't want to know what would've happened to me if I didn't throw a boulder at myself.

With a firm tug, I pulled my hand out from the boulder and landed with a quiet roll behind some debris. I let out a sigh as the boulder crashed into the wall a moment later. Calm down… think everything through. I called back my Stand and let my Aura do its work.

Okay, I'm away from Adam and his **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** now. Now what? I closed my eyes and hummed. If everything went well, Yang must've escaped with the Mistralian team by now. Now it's just one Stand user versus another. Which thinking about it now, turned out to be an extremely bad idea.

"Blake?" My cat ears picked up the sound of Adam's voice calling from a distance. His voice was sinister in tone. "Where are you, my love? I know you managed to get away. But I also know you're just hiding. Are you going to keep on running? I'll paint this world red with blood if it meant I'll be with you forever! I'll follow you to the ends of Remnant!" So he doesn't know where I am. Okay… that should buy me some time to think.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Gods, his Stand ability… how am I going to fight against that? He can create spikes out of any substance in his disposal. I can merge into a surface. and that's really it. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** just isn't a Stand for fighting. Not in the slightest. He has all of the advantages in the world.

Oh, gods… I pressed the back of my head against the loose concrete. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** disappeared, allowing my Aura to take over my body and start repairs. Oh boy… I can feel my Aura strain. After the fight with the Cupid and Adam, it might not hold out for much longer.

Right now… I could use another Stand user to help out. Like Ruby, with her flower petals negating Adam's advantage, or Weiss with her Dust crystals. Hell, Jaune might even be able to limit the size of the spikes, giving us more room to work with. There's definitely no way I can do this on my own. I need help.

"Whew, good thing I made it in time," someone whispered. My eyes widened. I turned my head to the side to see Yang crawl toward me, the Arrow hanging from one of the belt loops in her shorts. "You're not looking too good."

"Yang?" I hissed. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to get to the airships?"

"I did." Yang tilted her head in confusion. "I dropped off team GRNT at the landing pads and got some paramedics to transport them out. Then I came back to get you."

"Why? He's not going to leave us alone, not when he knows that I'm here in Beacon. He'll just follow us back to the landing pads and cause more damage, or even worse, he'll cause havoc in Vale until I come out of hiding." I held out my hand the moment Yang opened her mouth. "Don't say you'll fight with me. You know that you're not in any position to fight Adam, or any Stand user for the matter. He'd kill you in the worst way possible and wouldn't even blink. So why come back?"

"Because I'm not someone who abandons family!" my partner hissed out. Her face froze for a moment before turning forlorn. "I'm not going to abandon anyone, no matter how hard it gets. I can't look myself in the mirror if I did that." I glanced at the ground. That's right… This is someone who kept digging into Ruby's situation until she stumbled into all of this. Someone who loathed everything her mother did, and refused to stoop down to that level. There's no way I'm going to convince her to leave us to fight the Stands.

A sigh escaped my mouth. "Well, what about other help?" I gestured to no one in particular. "What happened to Huntsmen backup or— or the other users?"

"Blake… it's only us. Port and Oobleck are probably still on the Amity trying to help get the civilians off the stadium. The rest of the Stand users are probably there as well, which includes Ruby. And I just saw the Headmaster and Professor Goodwitch leave to defend the city. His Bullhead took off the moment I reached the pads. I didn't even get the chance to _show_ the Arrow to him. And Professor Peach is doing her absolute best to keep the dolphin Faunus girl alive. There's no one else. We're the only ones who _can_ stop Adam at the moment."

A sharp exhale escaped my throat as I closed my eyes. One Stand user and one non-Stand user vs a Stand user who is willing to kill us without a hint of remorse. How in the world are we going to stop Adam? If we attack him with his Stand up, he could most likely push us back with his swordsmanship alone before using **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** on us until we run out of energy and Aura. Then he'll go in for the kill. Just like what happened to the Mistralian team.

However, if we attack him with his Aura up, there's the same risk of before with him outfighting us. We can't fall back and just shoot at him until his Aura drops to zero; we risk him absorbing enough energy to cleave through us if we do that. We both saw what happened to Nava back there; Aura isn't going to save us from one of his moonbeam strikes. We can try and trap him in the cafeteria, but will we have the time to send this place crumbling down? I gritted my teeth. It's almost like he's invincible, no matter which form he's in when we attack him! If an entire team couldn't fight against Adam, what are the odds we can?

The gears in my mind started to turn. But then again… they were a team of four with no idea of what a Stand is. We are two Stand-aware individuals fighting against one. Yang might not be able to see the Stands, but she can feel when they're being summoned and when they're being called back. So maybe we _can_ fight a war of attrition.

My eyes shot open. "I think I have an idea. Yang, you know how you can tell when a Stand is being summoned, right?" She nodded her head. I continued, "We can use that to our advantage. Here's my idea: when we run out, I call out what form he's in at that moment. If he has his Stand out, I'll distract him while you sneak in a shot from the back. Then we trade. So you distract, then I shoot. If he has his Aura up, you try to go for hit and runs. One strong punch to the torso, then back away. I'll hold him back; I can hold against him in a swordfight. Do whatever you can to break his Aura. Hopefully, with a bit of luck, we'll break through and stop him once and for all."

Yang nodded, smiling as she checked Ember Celica. "Gotcha. Ready to do this, partner?"

I nodded, hopping up to a crouch before getting into a sprinting position, similar to a runner's starting position in a race. "I'll count down by hand." I held three fingers up. "Ready?"

"More than ever."

One by one, each outstretched finger dropped into my palm. The moment I reached zero, I rushed out from behind the pile of debris— only to gasp as Adam appeared roughly seven meters away from me, Blush in his hand and pointed at me. Oh gods.

A ball of flames spewed out from his weapon. I can see every ignited bearing flying towards me, ready to scorch my skin. That's not going to happen. The moment they touched my skin, a shadow clone formed in my place, sending me rolling towards my former partner. The blazing shotgun blast roared above me, quickly dissipating into nothing. I rolled back up to my feet and continued toward him, drawing and gripping both blades of Gambol Shroud in my hands.

He didn't as much as let out a grunt of surprise when I smashed the cleaver into his gun hand, sending Blush flying away from the two of us. Wilt flew up in an instant, locking with my katana before it can bite into his skin. I looked around. No Stand in sight. "Aura!" I yelled.

"Why yes, I have my Aura up. Astute observation you made there, darling," Adam whispered to me. I can feel my muscles shaking as we struggled to push through each other's attack. "It's not going to mean anything if you're all alone, you know. I'll give you another chance. Anything for my _princess_." I winced hearing him emphasize the word. "Give up on the humans. Join back up with the White Fang."

"Oh, she's not joining anything." Adam staggered toward me a moment later, groaning in pain when a moment later, Yang threw a strong cross punch straight to the head. I leaped at the opportunity, pushing him to the side and letting him stumble past me before following up with two swings from the blades of Gambol Shroud. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** shot out as well, clawing at the exposed man's back with fury."

"RARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA—"

"MUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMU—" **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** appeared behind him, throwing several punches of its own. Blood shot out from the fists of **「** **WARFLOWER,** **」** quickly followed by blood spurts appearing on Adam's knuckles. However, to my surprise, his Stand was actually pushing me back. What the—

"Blake, out of the way!" I dropped to the floor, giving Yang a full view of Adam.

That must've been enough warning for the bull Faunus. Right as Yang fired off the gun, a pillar of concrete formed behind Adam and took most of the blast of the shotgun. A few stray bearings managed to make it through however, buckshot slamming into his back and causing him to stagger again. He let out a bloody cough as tiny spurts of blood flew in the air. I narrowed my eyes. Despite that, I can see the bearings inside his body. They made it maybe a centimeter through him? I gritted my teeth, shooting up to my feet. It might be enough damage to use up a significant amount of Aura, but not enough to turn the tide.

My eyes turned toward the pillar, leading me to gasp. The tower looked fine. Granted, there were a couple of holes and cracks within the structure, but new concrete started to fill them in before my very eyes. No way! How is it doing that? In fact, how did it hold so well? The tower's diameter was a meter at most. Yang has blasted bigger holes in thicker structures. This shouldn't be a problem for her to smash through, and yet it's like Yang almost did nothing at all. What's causing this?

"MOOOOOOOOOO!" Before I could blink, **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** managed to slip past my Stand's raised arms, landing a solid hit in the chest. I spat out blood, heaving as I felt a crater form right under my breasts.

"Oh gods, Blake!" Yang started toward me.

"Yang, don't worry about me!" **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** quickly struck back at the poppy Stand, forming a long line horizontally across its face. The bull Faunus winced, letting out a pained hiss. The crimson liquid filled up his mask. "Strike him now!"

A wall of pillars formed around his body the moment those words left my mouth, sealing him away from us. The tower didn't extend that high, though: it's maybe five meters at most. Is he getting exhausted? I called back my Stand. We need to break through before he can properly recover. Something tells me we're not going to do much shooting through the wall, but… I gestured to Yang, jabbing my fingers towards the tower wall before mouthing, " _Reload and get ready. Punch him when he appears._ "

I threw myself into the wall, diving into it as **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** reappeared. I started pulling myself up to the lip of the cylinder. We might not be able to break down this wall due to his Stand ability, but that doesn't mean we won't be able to just throw him out. If I'm careful, I can slip past him and knock him out.

My head just went over the lip. He's not looking at me. He doesn't have his Stand out. If anything, he still has his back towards us. My mind is screaming that it's a trap. There's no way this isn't one. I'm just going to have to make this quick. I swam down, sending **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** towards him as I brought the barrel of Gambol Shroud out. I narrowed my eyes. What the—

Adam glanced up at me, giving me a creepy grin. At this point, I noticed Wilt submerged into the ground, lightning shooting up through the blade. It absolutely glowed with energy. I can't believe it… he stabbed the ground and created his own energy! I jerked back as my Stand changed her grab to a punch. Oh gods, I have to do something now—

He swung up, sending the world into a monochrome red and black palette. I looked down in shock. With a single swing, he cleaved straight through the wall where my torso would be. There was an open gap where his sword made contact. While thankfully I haven't been bisected horizontally, there were only a couple inches of flesh connecting both sides of me. Blood started dripping down the surface. There's no way… He couldn't have possibly hurt me while I'm in my 2D form… right? Adam's face said it all. I felt myself grow pale. Oh gods. Get out of here, Blake.

I swam through the hole, appearing on the other side of the tower. A gasp escaped my mouth a second later when I looked down at myself. The damage to my torso's still there on my image. And the blood… wow, there's a lot of it. I felt myself start to go lightheaded. I can't believe it. Someone can still hurt me if they destroy the object I'm merged with… I wish I knew that earlier.

"Blake!" I found myself falling into someone's arms. Huh? Did I dive out? Who's talking to me? The person pulled me back towards… somewhere. The voice— It's Yang— She's pulling me away from the tower, and for some reason, she has one arm around my chest and the other between my legs. Not like in a dirty way, but like… like she was trying to hold something without it falling apart. I would object, but I can't really… focus.

She finally placed me on the ground, behind something. "Blake, stay awake, stay awake!" Yang started tapping my cheek. I blinked. She continued, "Oh gods, your Aura… There's no way it can heal that cut." She yanked her scarf off and started wrapping it around my torso. "Blake, listen to me. You have to hold on. If you see light at the end of a tunnel, don't go there! I'll get you out of here, towards Peach. She'll help us somehow. You'll be okay, just don't let go. No matter what, you need to keep your eyes open!"

The sounds of erupting registered in my ears, followed by a tower appearing a couple of meters from us. Yang yelped, pulling my body away from the tower. "You're not going to get away from me!" Adam roared. "I'll kill you before you take my love away!"

"Oh gods, I can't tell when the towers come up," my partner muttered. "I can't run away, but I can't fight him either." She started shaking. "Come on… Think, Yang. Think!"

"Yang…" I grabbed her by the belt. "Run…"

"No! You'll be killed!"

I shook my head. "Won't… kill me… Will… kill you. Don't… want that."

"No… I can't, I just can't do it. I can't leave you here." Her eyes went to my hand before they widened. "That's it… " She grabbed my hand and pulled away, revealing the Arrow. My eyes grew into saucers. No…

Before I could protest, she took the Arrow and took it out. "Blake… I need to see the Stand. You're in no condition to fight. We have no other options, and I can't get us out of here when I can't even see what he's doing. This is the only choice I have." She turned the Arrow around, aiming for her heart. "I won't let you down, Blake. Just hold on for a little bit longer." I tried reaching out for her. Yang… you won't wake up in time. Don't—

Yang thrust the Arrow into her heart, allowing it to pierce through her skin. A scream escaped from her mouth a moment later as her chest erupted into flames.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 8/31/2018**

* * *

 **Russel's Bizarre Adventure - Act 1**

"Hey, give me your hand!"

I stuck my hand out towards a man in his fifties, who finally made their way to the edge. I have to admit, I'm impressed. This guy managed to climb up ten or so meters, from the bottom of the chasm to the top with superficial wounds at worst. Granted, it was with the help of some rescue rope. But still, not everybody can do something like that at his age. Although considering the position he's in, I'm pretty sure anyone would push themselves if it meant escaping from a Grimm horde.

With a shaky nod, he snatched my wrist. I pulled him up with little issue, setting him on the ground and brushing him off as best as possible. "Whew, that was close. Are you okay? Can you walk?" Again, the man nodded. "Alright. Stay calm, you're going to be okay, sir. There's a transport truck over there." I jabbed a finger in the general direction of the truck. "Get on there and get to a Grimm bunker as quickly as you can, okay?" The man nodded and quickly merged with the crowd of people waiting for transport out.

"Hey, Russel!" Cardin yelled. I looked left. The muscular boy waved towards me. "Is that the last of them?"

I let out a loud grunt as I let out a long sigh and dusted my hands off. "Let me check in with the others." I glanced at the Atlesian soldiers around the hole and furrowed my brow. Agh, it's _these guys._ Can't believe they finally decided to come down when everyone's dying. "Hey," I said with gritted teeth. "You see anyone else down there?"

"Don't see any other heat signatures down there," one of them reported. A frown appeared on his face. "We got everyone who could be alive down there, that's for sure. Us Atlesians will move in to get the hole patched in before the inkies— I mean the Grimm come flooding in."

"Thanks."

"No prob. Say, you know when we'll get real Huntsmen—"

I ignored him, turning towards my team leader and walking away. Real Huntsmen, pfft. As if we're not real enough for you. I shook the thought away. "Yeah! That should be everyone!"

"Alright, wait here! I'll get Dove and Sky!"

I nodded, brushing sweat off of my forehead and feeling my chest rise and fall as I stood at the edge of the hole. My anger towards the soldiers started to melt away, replaced by fear. Staring into what looks like a bottomless chasm: turns out, not a great idea.

Oh gods… I don't think anyone was expecting this. One moment my team and I walked down streets filled with people and cheerful celebration in Church Plaza… the next, the street erupted in a cloud of concrete, and an eleven-meter wide hole swallows up a chunk of people. My eyes flickered to the dried blood around the hole; my ears listen to the agonized cries of the injured to the side.

I— I need to take a walk. My feet started shuffling away from the dark pit. I don't really care where I go, just not here. My mind went off on a tangent. These explosions… they can't be due to an accident. I can smell the Dust after scent, and it's potent. Somebody, somehow, meant for this to happen. But who would that be? My forehead furrowed. I'm betting it's the White Fang. Disgusting animals. I wouldn't expect anything less from feral savages—

My more sane self mentally slapped me in the face. Don't judge, Russel! You're better than that. All of CRDL is better than that. It's like what Professor Peach said during Faunus sensitivity training: you can't let frustration and anger towards the actions of a few affect everyone you meet. My eyes flickered down to the ground. But at the same time… I don't know where to turn those feelings. I can't just let a crime like this go. But no matter where I look, there's always someone I can't be angry at. And after what happened during the break day… I can't afford to be angry at myself, lest I hurt more people. So what do I do?

"Delta reporting in." Huh? I turned towards a nearby soldier in green, who had approached a nearby military officer. Wait a minute, when did I get here? I blinked a couple of times. Sleek, metallic barricades sat at the mouth connecting Tex Street with the plaza. There were three sets: one that went up to a person's waist, another just three meters tall, and the last one six meters high. Actually, the last barricade feels a lot more like they built a wall and just plopped it right at the intersection.

In fact, there are soldiers sticking out above the big barricade, standing atop what I assume have to be platforms. There was a passageway for vehicles to go through, but a solid steel door made sure no Grimm could get in. I let out a whistle. Wow… these guys look like they're ready for war. But why? Did they really expect a situation like this to happen, and bring this much firepower? I narrowed my eyes. Could it be a false flag— no, stop with the conspiracies, me! Don't assume, watch and think it through. Don't let yourself fly off the handle when you don't know everything yet.

I glanced back at the Delta soldier guy and his officer, I suppose. Despite the formal appearances, this meeting felt… anxious. The officer nodded. "At ease. What do you have for me, Delta?"

"I've received the initial pictures of the explosion zones, each taken courtesy of the airmen above." Delta held up a scroll tablet, which I couldn't see from where I am. "Each explosion took place at constant intervals, starting with the explosion that took down the southeast wall right next to the residential areas."

The soldier cleared his throat. "From there, there are four additional explosions. There are two within the residential district: one in Periwinkle Park and one relatively close to Signal. We have two more within the commercial district: one near an entrance of the intercity highway and one here in Church Plaza."

He continued, "Valean government officials are especially concerned about this breach. Church Plaza is situated close to the edge of the Historical-Governmental District. The Council and their designated survivors are still in the process of evacuating the city. As such, we're effectively their last line of defense. If Fenix Hall and the government fall to the Grimm, that would deal a terrible blow to the morale of the Valean people."

"So, we're in an absolute mess. Well, at least we have the 'bots to secure the perimeter." The officer took in a deep breath, sighing as he lit a cigarette. "How many Atlesian Knights did the General assign to this location?"

"Sir… none." I blinked, my jaw dropping hearing that. Say what?

The cigarette fell from his mouth. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard that correctly. Are you saying that we don't have any support from the android army?"

"That's precisely what I'm saying. The Knights are still in quarantine. There are some good news regarding the manner, though. I've been getting reports that our engineers are attempting to set up a completely isolated control center with electronics… 'liberated' from Vale. If they pull it off, they can get the Knights up and running again, albeit in a less efficient manner."

The officer stroked his chin. "Well, why then aren't we getting any reinforcements then—"

"The General made the order to send the bulk of the mechanical army to take back the southeast wall as well as prevent the Residential District and the highway system from falling once they come back online. The rest of the soldiers are to simply surround and hold off the Grimm until that happens." Delta pressed against the side of his helmet. "With that being said, I'm hearing radio chatter that the highway team has just made first contact. At this rate, we'll expect a large horde to arrive at this location within fifteen to thirty minutes from now."

"… What types of Grimm are we expecting to see?" the officer growled.

"We've received reports of Beowolves, Ursai, and Creep appearing from other breach holes. Additional seismic activity indicates that there must be a King Taijitu lurking underground somewhere. Then of course, there's the Griffins and Nevermores flying above. Forces at the breached wall reported Goliaths and Deathstalkers, but they're holding them back. We shouldn't expect them to be here."

"Horde types… a match in heaven with a limited amount of men," the officer groaned. He looked around the plaza and the mass of civilians still waiting for extraction. "How long do we have until first contact?"

"Like I said sir, fifteen minutes. At most thirty."

The officer cursed under his breath. "That's not nearly enough time to evacuate everyone. What can we do to protect the populace…? Gah, this situation is FUBAR. Gods…" He started tapping his foot. "What to do, what to do…"

He glanced back up at the soldier addressing him and sighed. "Delta, head over to the crowd of civilians. Take as many able-bodied individuals as you can and get them to create a wall around the breach. Use whatever you can to get that wall built. Cars, furniture, scrap metal around the area: I don't care where it comes from. If it can delay the Grimm, throw it into the wall."

"Sir… without due offense, it is our responsibility to guard the Valean civilians. We cannot in good faith order them to fight the Grimm—"

"We got no other choice, Delta. We can't fend off the Grimm, build up defenses, and evacuate the civilians all at the same time. Hell, we don't have any building material left to start up the barricade. If we get someone else to build the defenses, the soldiers can focus on fighting. That's the only solution that keeps the most people alive." My eyes widened hearing that. I can't believe what this guy's saying. He wants the civilians to fight? The officer rubbed his eyes, the orbs seemingly sinking deeper into their sockets. "Leave a skeleton crew on the outside barricades, make sure no aerial Grimm divebomb us. As for the rest of the soldiers, make sure they guard the civilians with their lives."

"… Understood, sir." The soldier nodded, turning around, only to meet my eyes. I twitched. Oh boy, did he realize that I was listening to their conversation the whole entire time? Maybe I should walk away before he does something—

"Just what I needed." The man ran up to me. "You must be a Huntsmen, right?" My eyebrows flew up. Wha?

I nodded my head. "What's it to ya?"

He gave me a nod of his good. "Good. I have something to ask of you, if you don't mind. I need you to do something. I need you to talk to the civilians of Vale and get them to help build a wall around the breach."

Displeasure quickly grew on my face. "Really? Ask me to ask them to do your work? I don't know about you, but if you didn't notice already, people aren't exactly willing to help out—"

"Please understand. The people aren't going to listen to an Atlesian. I've been paying attention to the conversations Valean people had this past month, and don't think I can't read your tone. No one has any trust in us, unwarranted as I think that may be. But they should trust you, a Huntsmen."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "And how can I believe that you're doing what's best for my people?"

The man took in a deep breath. "You don't. You are free to believe that we have ulterior intentions or that our rationale is flawed or that we don't like you. It honestly isn't the first time I've heard that, nor will it be the last. I only ask that you believe that it's our job to defend the people of Vale, just as it is your job. And regardless of feelings, we will uphold the job and not do anything that would indicate otherwise." Delta looked up. "We don't have much time. Think about it. I have to keep radio contact with the other groups. Make the right decision"

As he left, my mind whirled in thought. Should I do it? Okay, that sounded a lot worse in my head than I thought. Still, do I believe his word? Does he, and consequently his officer really believe that staying here will keep more of my people alive than if we evacuate? I gritted my teeth. Gods, it logically makes the most sense. But at the same time, the plan basically is asking for trouble from the populace. Is the risk worth it? Do I trust these guys with my people's lives?

"Russel!" The rest of my teammates approached me, their weapons already in tow. "Hey, what's going on?" Sky asked. "The Grimm are coming any moment now, we need to get out there and fight back! I already got yours! Come on, let's go!"

I balled my fist up. "No," I responded. "We need to defend this place."

"Huh?" Cardin stepped forward. "Dude, we can just leave that to the metalheads. We're better off in the field, taking down those monsters—"

"Look," I said, cutting my team leader off. "I've listened to the Atlesians, they can't evacuate the civilians on time and fight off the Grimm at the same time. If we leave, everyone here is going to die."

"Seriously?" Cardin furrowed his eyebrows. "Gods… well then. That… really complicates things. Geez, didn't expect the Atlesian army to be this weak." He rested his mace on his shoulder. "Well, I wouldn't mind showing these guys how things work in Vale, then." He gestured to us. "Come on. Let's do this—"

"And one more thing. We need to convince the civilians to help build an internal barricade between the breach and the civilians."

Everyone stopped in place hearing that. "… Say what?" Cardin asked.

"They need every hand they can get, and the only place to get them is—"

"Our civilians? What, are these guys nuts? Why did they think that using civilians is a good idea?"

"I thought that, too! They shouldn't! But it's do or die. Backs to the wall, nowhere to turn! People will die before we can evacuate everybody. But if we can secure the safety of the civilians now… it's our best chance."

Cardin tsked. "Oh boy, this is going to be a mess. Fine, I'll try to do something. Come on, guys. Let's go." He muttered under his breath, "I swear, if this goes wrong…"

Me too, Cardin. A bead of sweat slipped down my face. This is one hell of a bet we're making. I hope to gods this doesn't go south.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **SomeRandomReview: It's okay, I cried too while writing this scene. For me, I couldn't help but see the humanity in the Cupid. After all, a baby Grimm is still a baby. And it's not easy having to put a child down, regardless of what you've been through. After all, Jo2uke is one of the most brutal JoJo in canon, and even he couldn't bring himself to kill an infected child during the Blue Hawaii arc.**

 **Morbid thinking aside, thank you for the compliment! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**

 **Guest 1: Ah geez, man. That's pretty morbid. But thank you for the compliment nevertheless.**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you for the compliment, tuskenpaw! As for your second review, I'm glad you mentioned that. I actually kinda expected that to slip through the cracks. Yes, Grimm normally don't have souls. This one does. That was not an accident. I'll leave it there for you guys to think about.**

 **The Wizardrous Magicman: Oh man, Petal Gear... apparently this is the second time I referenced MGS. It's almost like it's... Ruby's destiny to be in the box.**

 **But what a coincidence with the Free Bird point. Fun morbid fact: the lyric part of Free Bird is popular for funeral processions, with is coincidentally where I first heard Free Bird. The full story will have to be saved for the retrospective, but I will say it was on my mind when I first drafted that chapter.**

 **metacllica: Yeah... it's a nice thought knowing that the Cupid is at peace now. And as for your other point... Well, the surprise is in this chapter.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! And of course, you've seen what happens this chapter.**

 **Guest 2: I can definitely see why you would say such a thing. And honestly, it's not for me to comment on. If you feel that way, well then that's that.**

 **mastergamer14: As cool as it would be to have Cupid be the Stray Cat of the part, it just isn't to be.**

 **But theoretical Requiem abilities... honestly, that's pretty hard to say, since from what I understand about Requiem, it's that the ability conforms to fulfilling the desire of the person using it. And since those tend to change and they tend to be situational based on the villain, it's hard to come up with one. I'll try my best, though.**

 **Roses Requiem would most likely try to fulfill the desire to save somebody's life and to be a hero, since that is Ruby's most consistent wish. And I feel that Ruby's self-sacrificing nature would play a big part in the ability. I'd imagine it to be along the veins of Bites the Dust where she either reverses time or slows down time to save a life, but in exchange, she has a part of her body "wilt" away each time she uses it. The ability is great as a last minute crutch, but it can very much kill her if her body can't keep up.**

 **Time Requiem would most likely try to fulfill the desire to be free. I would probably point to a gravity-based ability like Jumpin' Jack Flash or an ability to remove a physics-based "force" being applied to an individual like gravity, momentum, pressure, limiting factors, etc. It "frees" someone from the "forces" that keep people from reaching their true potential. The obvious consequence of this is that the idea of "no limits" is harder to process, understand, and use effectively.**

 **Sande Requiem would probably try to fulfill the desire for peaceful equality. An ability that effectively disarms Stand users or dissuades people from fighting would achieve that goal. I imagine it along the lines of Civil War. When you first attack Sande Requiem, it creates a connection with your Stand and gets it to start rotting. Every attack after that causes your Stand (and consequently your body) to increase the speed it rots away as Sande Requiem drains away your will to fight. Once attached, you can't call back your Stand, and Sande Requiem only lets go once you completely lose the will to fight and give up.**

 **Those are some abilities I would think of using in theory. However, since I view Requiems as solutions to an undefeatable Stand, it will probably change depending on the villain Requiem is used on.**

 **doa570047: Yeah, definitely. A lot of the opponents RWBY would typically go up against in canon are easy to dehumanize. And even in this story, the team has to fight understanding that the people they're fighting usually don't deserve their fate. But like you said, it's a whole other ballpark rationalizing killing a child. And even when RWBY have crossed a ton of lines to protect the world, well... It is a difficult choice to make.**

 **But yeah. It's Cinder's turn to go on the defensive for once. Can't wait to show how that pans out.**

 **airnaruto45: That is true. Evanescence made a song called "My Last Breath." I don't deny that, and I, in fact, mentioned that in the song reference for Chapter 39. However, there is another song called "My Last Breath," this one made by Eyeshine, which is the main inspiration for the Stand name. I'm aware Evanescence's "My Last Breath" is more well known. But it's not where I got the name.**

 **And don't worry about that, airnaruto. That has happened.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 **Next Chapter Update: August 31, 2018**


	44. Warflower - Part 2

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Don't really have much to say aside from the fact that next chapter's going to have a retrospective, so let's get straight into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all their help!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake told me about the pain that came after being hit by the Arrow. Ruby said the pain was like her body was breaking down, muscles spasming and moving as her body broke away into nothingness. Weiss described it like a chill seeping into her very bones. As for Blake, she compared her experience to being buried by the weight of the entire world. I never thought for a moment that I would ever have to go through what they've gone through. Well, until now.

"AGH!" I screamed, my chest erupting into flames. Wha— I'm burning! I'm on fire! Agh— I flailed around. It feels like my soul, my very being is on fire! I tried swatting the flame away, but no matter what I did, it wouldn't extinguish itself.

I grabbed the arrow shaft sticking out of my chest. No matter how much I pulled, the Arrow stayed stuck in my chest. If anything, my struggle pushed it through even further, its arrowhead breaking through my sternum and piercing through my heart. I took a sharp breath. Oh gods, having my heart beat with something through it feels _weird._ It doesn't feel right, it's so unnatural. If I didn't already know that Blake survived an Arrow through the throat, I'd be convinced that I'm a dead woman walking.

Stupid me… why didn't I just run the arrowhead across my wrist or something like that? Why did I stab myself in the heart?

A gasp escaped from my mouth before I dropped to a knee. My chest was starting to throb, each pulse sending shutters throughout my body. This isn't good. Every breath I took grew shallower. Darkness crept into my peripheral vision. It feels like… like I'm dying. Did I overestimate myself? My hand slapped against the cement. Maybe I'm not supposed to be a Stand user after all…

… No. That doesn't matter. I don't know how long I have left until my body fails me. But there's no way I'm going to lose consciousness. I'm going to stay up! I'm going to stop that… that monster! My eyes shifted red with rage and determination. I'm going to get Blake out!

I staggered back to my feet, the pain of my chest throbs dulling as my Semblance started working its magic. Wait, my Semblance? That's not right… my Semblance absorbs kinetic energy from hits and uses that to boost my body strength. It doesn't dull pain. Maybe it's adrenaline, or maybe my Aura? But at the end of the day, does the explanation matter? I'm not in constant pain anymore. I'm not going to complain about how it's happening.

Crimson eyes flickered back up. I'm still in the cafeteria. Oh, thank gods for that. I don't know what I was going to do if I was having a fever dream like everyone else did. Blake and I would've been screwed if that was the case. That creep would've won for sure.

But it's strange… why isn't it happening to me? The fever dream everyone else had. I waved a finger through the large, flickering flame burning from my heart. The pain… Everyone fainted from the pain the Stand Arrow inflicted upon them. But something is taking the edge off, keeping me from collapsing. That might be the only reason why I'm still standing. I wiped the sweat off of my brow. Luck. I completely lucked out. I don't want to think about how close this was to going all wrong.

I turned back around, looking at a surprised Blake. To say that she's not in great shape would be a massive understatement. I already dressed her wound with my scarf, hiding the true damage underneath. I winced. Underneath that orange fabric, her body's nearly sliced in two, with only a strip of flesh keeping her together. I held back a gag remembering her guts nearly falling out when I dragged her to safety.

And the blood— Oh gods. She managed to paint a solid red line of blood the size of her waist from the concrete tower to here. If her Aura hadn't taken over right then and there, she would've been as good as dead. Thank gods that she's safe here, even if she's not in great condition.

I gingerly lifted Blake up. Her blood's not dripping through my scarf… yet. I need to move my partner somewhere safe. I stared at the blood trail leading to our location. There's no doubt the bull Faunus knows where we are. Hell, he sent an attack in our general direction! There's no doubt that he's going to act soon. I started moving towards a nearby window and set Blake outside the cafeteria, behind some shrubbery. It should do as a hiding spot. Hopefully, no one will find her here.

Which leaves one thing to worry about: Adam. I bit my lip. Even without the Arrow's help, I at least know that he can create these tower spike things from any kind of material. If everything works like it should, then I should be able to see _how_ that works and how I can avoid it. I should have a fighting chance to survive now. I moved back to the pile of debris, Ember Celica cocked and raring for a brawl. Here goes nothing.

"Hey!" I yelled, shooting out from behind the debris. The man eyed me, giving me a listless stare. "You said how you wanted to kill me and every other human?" I threw my hands out, trying to ignore the flames fluttering right above my chest. "Well, here I am! Come at me if you can!"

He let out a chuckle. "Now, there's the arrogance I expected from you humans." He tapped the pommel of his sheathed katana. "I don't see what Blake sees in your race. But if you really want to die—" His hand wrapped around its hilt. "— Then come forwards. Be my guest."

A figure flashed behind him for an instant before disappearing. I shivered, eyes widening by the second. I can't make out any features. If anything, it's completely transparent. But the shiver doesn't lie. He brought out his Stand. I bit my lip. So… That's a Stand? Why can't I see it? Do I need more time for the Arrow to take effect?

I narrowed my eyes. Wait a minute. Just that flash is more information than before. Even if I can't tell what **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** looks like exactly, I _do_ know what form this guy's in without Blake's help. I don't know how far that can get me with only Ember Celica by my side, but the odds are starting to even out. I'm not quite as vulnerable as before. But I can't stand here thinking forever. I have to act now.

The ground in front of me started to bubble the moment I stepped forward. What the— I stepped back. That shouldn't be happening. The ground doesn't bubble like that. Right as I finished that thought, the ground started to bulge up. My eyes widened. The spikes!

Ember Celica roared, launching me back just as a wave of thorns shot out from the ground. Bubbling surfaces… that's where the spikes will be. That… actually makes his Stand ability more predictable than I thought it would be. He has to telegraph his attacks, and he can't do a thing about it.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I leaped to the side, breaking into a sprint as the bubbling started following me. The sounds of grinding concrete pillars erupting from the ground registered in my ears. Knowing where and when he'll attack is nice, sure. But I need more if I want to win against Adam. It's the spikes themselves, I think. There's something keeping it together regardless of damage. They eventually reform themselves when they get hit, and only breaks up with direct impact… What could possibly be happening that could cause all this to happen?

"Is that really the best thing you can do against my **「** **WARFLOWER?** **」** " Adam yelled out from afar. "Don't make me laugh. What an absolutely pathetic showing." I ignored him, focusing on solving the mystery of his Stand.

A hum escaped my mouth between tired breaths. Something tells me it's not nearly as hard as I think it is. I glanced behind me, watching as the bumbling 'pool' formation spilled over all forms of surfaces. Fire, concrete, metal, electricity, pools of water… no matter what the bubbles cross over, they never fail to create a spike out of everything.

Hmm… Maybe… maybe the Stand just forces a surface to stay in the shape of the spike. The spike shouldn't fall apart unless Adam wants it to. That's why it's holding up.

However, if the tower was made out of some other material instead of steel or concrete… will it break on impact? I fired a wild shot at a water spike. The bearings flew through them and created a splash, yet the tower stayed standing. Huh… The towers have the same properties as the material it's using. The only difference is that it takes the shape of a tower. So if a spike is made out of water, then I can walk through it no problem… I think.

My brain kept churning. If I remember correctly, Adam said that he 'breaks the supports of an object and creates spikes out of them.' Breaking the supports… concrete is effectively synthetic stone. It doesn't need supports. But maybe he was being figurative. I just have to think smaller.

Bonds connecting molecules are also supports. Maybe Adam breaks down the intermolecular bonds within a material and then forms a spike out of it. The more material he has, the more bonds he can break and reform, the bigger the spike can be. A smile crawled up my face as an idea finally hit me. Why don't I deny him the opportunity to create any big spikes, then?

I turned around, facing the rapidly approaching frothing concrete. Oh boy. I really hope I have the Aura to make it through this attack if I mess up. The fire on my chest burned brighter every second I stared down those bubbles. It's now or never. I broke into a sprint, leaping right before the bubbles touched my feet. Several concrete spikes shot up at that moment, going for my vital spots. A massive smirk grew across my face. That's it.

My hand grabbed a growing pillar, and with a swing, I threw myself up towards the ceiling. Several spikes scratched my exposed thigh. I let out a tiny hiss. Ow! That hurt a bit more than usual. I can feel my Aura start to strain. Come on, Aura. Hold on for just a bit longer…

I reached the apex of my trajectory and stared at the ground below me. The spikes were continuing to soar upwards towards me. I can make out bits of blood on the tips of a couple of them. My feet touched the top of the ceiling. I could feel my heart burning with passion. It's time to bring down the house.

With a twist of my feet, I sprang back down, aiming for the center of the cafeteria, towards where Adam was standing. The man let out a growl, gripping his sword tighter and lowering his weight. I readied both arms of Ember Celica. Not there yet… I need just a bit more room.

The man's growl morphed into a sound of confusion when I flew past him, drifting behind him another meter or so. A gentle flick of my ring fingers primed a hair trigger within my gauntlets. I smiled, giving him a wink. Surprise.

Before the mass of spikes could move to where I was, I smashed into the ground like a meteorite and squeezed the triggers as fast as possible. Adam let out a grunt, stepping away from the massive cloud of debris that flew into the air. I let out a ferocious yell, firing Ember Celica with wild abandon. Down toward the ground, off to the side, up into the air: it didn't matter where the buckshot was flying. A flurry of blows pounded into the cement floor, sending bits of the synthetic stone flying.

It didn't take too long for both gauntlets to click dry. I threw myself to my feet and looked at my handiwork. The ground I stood on is now nothing but rubble. It's like standing on gravel in one of those Mistralian rock gardens. I wafted the smoke away from my face, letting out a cough. I can't really see too much, with all of the smashed debris floating around me, but I reckon I made a good sized rubble patch around me. It's quite smashing, if I say so myself. I reloaded my weapons. Let's see how Adam's going to deal with this.

My ears caught the sound of gravel shifting roughly to my right. I glanced in that direction. Hmm… maybe… I shifted my weight to face the direction of the sound. Like Blake said, there's no point firing a bullet at the man. Just wait for him to charge you before striking. Hmm… is that racist? Because bulls and matadors and all that—

A sheen of red metal whizzed in front of my face, causing me to jump back. Whoa! Okay, I didn't expect him to be that close to be in the first place. Man, I gotta be more careful with that— A ghostly fist flew towards me right then and there. My eyes widened. Oh gods—

I threw my hands up and grunted the moment the fist slammed into me. My feet sunk into the ground. My legs shook trying to keep me upright. Holy moly, is it just me or does Adam hit hard? I glanced up at the fist. In front of my eyes, an arm encased in stone started to materialize. No… that's not Adam. This fist must be his Stand's!

I let out a silent hiss. My gods, a Stand can hit that hard? That punch felt stronger than the Paladin's! Ooh boy. I'm not going to be a happy camper. I made out another fist reeling back in the cloud of dust. My arms went into a cross guard. Oh gods—

"MUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMUMU—" A torrent of punches flew in my direction, forcing me to wince and take the blows. My body kept sinking into the gravel as **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** threw hundreds— no, thousands of punches in what felt like the blink of an eye. I let out a cry of pain and frustration. Geez, how do people survive something like this? It's so hard to keep myself up! I gritted my teeth and started adjusting the barrel of one of my gauntlets. There's no choice, I have to take a shot in the dark. Something to catch him by surprise…

The gun erupted, flying through the Stand and into the dust cloud. A gravelly hiss sounded a second later, followed by the sounds of something wet spraying into the air. I got him? I mean— I got him! **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** disappeared from my sights. Okay, I need to clear the air. I manually loaded a wind Dust bullet before firing it straight up, dispersing the cloud around me.

My jaw flew open at the sight around me just a moment later. From where I stood, there was a roughly ten-meter circle where the concrete floor had turned to gravel. The stacks of rubble outside the area weren't exempted from this treatment, either. The shockwave did a number on them too. Instead of forming big piles, the pieces were scattered around the cafeteria, far away from the pebble circle. I let out a whistle. Oh wow… I really did a number on the cafeteria. Way more than us and JNPR at the food fight combined. Professor Goodwitch is going to be pissed.

My eyes flew towards the bull Faunus. The man stood right at the edge of the gravel circle, held upright with his sword. He did not look good, to say the least. Adam had an ugly hole through the left side of his chest. Tattered flesh hung from his body, exposing the damaged lung underneath. However, the hole had a dark crimson glow, slowly pulling itself together as his Aura worked itself overtime. Every breath he made was ragged. A few streaks of blood ran out of his mouth and down his chin. I can't see his eyes due to the mask, but I can still feel the absolute hatred spewing from him.

"Ptoo!" He spat out a globule of blood on the ground. "No one's been able to hit me like that… I'll make sure you'll suffer the most for what you've done." He pointed his finger in my direction, only to let out a dissatisfied hum a couple of seconds later. "What in the world?" I looked down at my feet. The pebbles… the ones around my feet had spikes not even millimeters tall. It worked! His Stand needed either mass or volume of an object to create a spike. I think it's more volume. However, if I reduce the amount of volume he has access to, the spikes can't possibly penetrate my clothing, let alone me!

The flame on my chest roared as I puffed out my chest. "Me? What about you?" I widened my stance, pointing a finger at him. "All I've seen you do is hurt and maim your fellow Faunus! You'd think somebody so focused on improving the lives of Faunus-kind wouldn't do that sort of thing, but no! You can't even respect your own! And don't even get me started about the things the White Fang did under your control."

I cocked my head to the side. "Blake told me about how you wanted to blow up a train filled with civilians, both humans and Faunus. Then how about the Dust robberies or— or the situation with the Achieve Men or even the Amity? For somebody who's determined to end the injustice against the Faunus, you deal a lot of it back to them."

"And what does a human like you know about the Faunus?" Adam sneered. "Who says you can speak out for our people, say you understand our problems? You out of anybody wouldn't be able to understand the steps needed to fix the mess your race brought upon us! You're just as ignorant as the rest of the sheep down that cliff." His transparent Stand started to float off to the side, reaching for a fallen chunk of rubble.

I hissed. Darn it— No, wait. I narrowed my eyes. Actually… The bull Faunus stood up taller, his wound nearly healed up at this point, even if it stopped repairing itself. "Let me make this clear. Society is corrupt to the core. It allowed itself to get complacent when it comes to atoning for past sins against the Faunus. It forgot the injustices of the past and allowed the injustices of the present to persist. And I say no more."

He threw his hands out, basking in the destruction around him. "All this, this is fixing the injustice the Faunus faced and more. This legacy of Faunus oppression… it will be torn down. I will make sure everyone pays for their sins, whether they are the perpetrators or the bystanders. And when everything's done—" **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** whistled like a steam train, heaving the boulder and tossing it towards me. Adam yanked his sword out. "The Faunus will be back where they belong. On top of the pyramid."

Fire spewed out of Ember Celica, launching me towards the man. I can feel the heat radiating out of my red eyes. I've had enough of this! The chunk of rock flew over Adam's head in that instant, soaring towards me. My eyes widened. That thing has to be roughly the size of me! Bubbles dotted the surface of the rock.

Every brain cell is telling me to not punch the rock. It's obviously a trap, and I don't know what **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** can do to me, even if I still have some Aura left. But every fiber of my being… it's like a roaring fire. The flame over my chest ignited even brighter than before. I refuse to back down. Let's see how he likes a taste of his own Stand power!

"Take this!" I slammed my fist into the stone. Several spikes jutted out in turn, forming around my hand before jabbing their points into my wrist. I took a sharp breath. For the love of gods, please… I threw my other fist into the boulder full throttle, only for it to suffer the same fate. Oh, come on!

The boulder and I collapsed to the ground. He bound me to the stone. That's not good. Not good at all. If these things are holding me down, it wouldn't take long for Adam to rush in and slice me into pieces. I glanced up to see the man draw his sword. Yeah, not going to let that happen. I grunted, dragging the stone with me as I got up to my feet. Okay… let's just yank myself out. I wiggled my arms, trying to free them from their bindings. It only resulted in even more pinpricks stabbing me in the wrists. Ow, what in the world?

I looked at my arms and gasped. The spikes have spikes on them! They hooked into my skin and gauntlet, refusing to let me go. Oh my gods… he made barbs out of these things! I can't pull myself out from the boulder without ripping my Aura to shreds! I glanced up before flinching. **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** glared at me, Adam's sword in one of its hands. Wait a minute… Stands can use items themselves? Then the person who swiped at me before wasn't Adam… it was his Stand wielding his sword!

The bull Faunus sneered at me, flashing his teeth. I let out a growl. If he was trying to piss me off, he's going a great job at it. He pointed a finger at me. "I have just one word for you: die."

 **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** zipped towards me and threw a horizontal red blur of death in my direction. It caught the stone I was bound to, slicing the stone in the same area as my chest and unintentionally slicing enough to free me. Whoa! I leapt back, letting out a yip as the rubble in front of me flew into the air. My hands were still bound, but at least I can move now. But oh gods! I need to get out of his range! I stepped back.

If I remember correctly, he needed his Stand's range plus his sword to put me just barely into his range. I should be safe standing right here— aaand he decided to follow the perimeter of the circle. I felt a drop of sweat slip down my face. When is he going to try something drastic to turn the tables? He never pulled out his shotgun. I don't think he's going to start now, to be honest. But still… I can't keep circling around and lead him on forever. I need to do something now.

But first, I should free myself. I tugged against the stone, only to feel sharp points jab into me yet again. Okay, it's not going to happen that way no matter what. Think, think… if I kick the extra material off, I might reduce the size of the spikes to the point where I can just slip out of it… except the surface is still bubbling. He might have enough material to entrap another limb. I'll be screwed if that happens.

Hmm… What else… If I had a solid object, I might be able to just bash off the boulder. But that would mean leaving the field of gravel. That's another place where a spike can pop out and penetrate me. I might get lucky and have **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** slice another chunk off of me, but Adam must've caught on to that plan. Oh gods… I frowned. What am I going to do—

Wait. Adam sliced the stone. That's what broke, not the spikes. Gears started turning in my head. The spikes are the things that hold me in place… not the stone itself. Which means… I turned the stone over. Sure enough, there were two neat holes from where I punched them. That's it! I immediately ran over to the edge of my circle and dropped to the ground, pressing the boulder restraint against the flat floor. The flat ground around me started bubbling.

"Have you given up yet? Are you ready to die?" Adam let out a snort. "I'll grant it to you, then—"

Ember Celica roared as it fired straight into the ground. Tears welled in my eyes as hot gas started burning my fingers. Come on, this has to be enough. Please be enough— Cracks started to form around my hands. Yes! I fired my gauntlets again. Several more cracks zig-zagged across the stone. I can feel just the slightest amount of slack. One more—

With the third shot, the stone finally shattered, blowing away the spikes around my hands and wrist. I let out a gasp, yanking them away from their prison. Yes! Freedom! I threw myself back, eyes wary of the bubbling formation in front of me. Okay, that's not going to spring out at me anytime soon… Wait a minute, what about Adam? Shuffling gravel caught my ear. Oh gods—

I twisted around and threw a sharp left hook, catching the crimson blade and the swordsman wielding it. We grunted, the both of us straining as we remained locked. "Persistent bimbo," the man growled. "Not willing to die like the vermin you really are."

"Funny," I shrugged, giving him a grin. "When you put it like that, that feels like a compliment. I mean, just look. A 'vermin' like me? I think I'm doing a pretty good job at holding up against the 'superior race.' If you ask me, I think that says a lot about you. What, are you so weak that you can't even defeat a person without a Stand?" I grinned, watching as the man's face started turning red in anger. "If I'm vermin, what does that make you?"

"Shut up!" He sidestepped me before jabbing the point of his sword toward me. Not a second later, **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** shot from his body and swung its fist into my stomach. I caught the sword without a second thought, but the Stand made contact before I could react to its blow. I let out a wheeze. My body flew into the air with a single hit. In fact, the only reason why I didn't fly off was the fact that I kept my grip on the blade. Really dangerous, I know. But thankfully the white gloves I still had on didn't cut. I have no idea why I'm still wearing them, but I'm glad I didn't take them off. The stone-like Stand reeled another fist back.

I narrowed my eyes. Is that Adam's going to do? Try to pummel me down while making sure my hands can't do anything to protect themselves? Well, that's not going to happen! If anything, I'll do it to him first! My right hand let go of the blade, pulling back as I stared down Adam. "Well, this feels like the Wild West. Both of us waiting for the signal to fire." I stared into the slits of his mask as I felt my body burn with energy. I think my hair rose up as well. "You're not going to win, Adam. I'm going to make sure of that."

"I'm not going to let a human stop me from returning the Faunus to their rightful status," he growled. "All of your talk is just that: talk. You have no chance in punching faster than a Stand, especially not with a single hand! I've never seen a person so arrogant to believe that such a thing is possible!"

"Nothing's impossible!" I shot a glare at him. "I've faced a lot of things people would consider impossible. My friends do things I would've considered impossible. Even when they have the option to give up, everyone is putting their lives on the line to do the impossible. So I will as well!" My eyes absolutely glowed. "So come at me and feel my fire!"

 **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** twisted its torso, reeling back before swinging a sharp right hook at me. "MOOOOO—"

The fire in my chest grew into a raging bonfire as I ducked under the Stand's fist. Funny thing about going up against someone with boxing training: they understand all the many ways a human can punch another person. And oh boy, was that the worst hook I've ever seen. My eyes radiated heat. "ORA!" I swung my fist into his gut with the power of one-thousand Stand punches.

I wished I could see the complete look on Adam's face as he flew back, letting out a scream of pain along with the crunching of bones snapping and the squish of organs bleeding. A crater the size of my head sank two inches into his chest, and out of his mouth come out a fountain of blood. And this is just my Semblance. If I added a shotgun blast to that, well… I'm not going to visit that thought right now.

He let go of his sword and left it in my hands. There was nothing the man could do now. Even if he manages to survive the blow, which has the power of what felt like hundreds of Stand punches, there's no way he'll be in any shape to fight back. He's done. I smirked, blowing over my knuckles like a gunman in a Western. One punch, one kill—

A pillar appeared out from the ground, catching the man right outside the gravel circle. The man let out another bloody cough, but it looks like he's not out of the fight yet. I let out a hiss of frustration. Oh, come on! Can't you just give me this one at the very least? From the looks of it, **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** didn't agree, as it snatched the crimson sword in my hands and swung it downwards. Oh boy—

The blade caught nothing but air. One quick sidestep helped me evade the strike. A bead of sweat slipped down my face. This isn't good. At all. I'm not really liking my odds of going toe-to-toe with a genuine Stand. What was it that Ruby and the others said about harming them? Stands can only hurt other Stands? Well, last time I checked, I'm not a Stand, nor do I have a Stand to fight with. I'm not going to make any progress fighting against this thing with only my bare fists. I need to get to Adam if I want to stop him.

And from the looks of it, he might've realized that as well. I glanced behind the nearly translucent Stand to see the man eyeing me warily before pulling out his shotgun sheath and reloading it. Yeah, let's change that 'might've' to 'has.' I brought my fists up as **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** spun its blade around. If I don't do something quickly, I'm going to die, and who knows what will happen to Blake. I curled my fists into a ball. Should I shoot at Adam and risk giving him the energy to one-shot me? Run towards him and hope that I can hold on long enough to make it past the Stand? Try—

 **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** swung at that moment, forcing me back. Oh gods… I know I just dodged a punch from that thing, but the stone-armored Stand is still blazing fast. Whelp. There goes my plan of just booking it to Adam. Only one thought ran through my mind. One last idea that can amount to something: break the sword.

I ran towards the floating humanoid, ducking and covering my head with my gauntlets as I got into its sword range. It's his main weapon, so I might be able to cripple his Semblance if I destroy that. At least, that's the hope. I don't know, I'm really feeling the pressure of failure weighing down on me. My ears caught a metallic ringing right as I felt my arms tremble with the blow of metal on metal. I have to make this count. I caught the blade of the weapon yet again before the Stand could pull away. Everyone's counting on me! My free hand swung around towards the blade. I won't let Adam win! I threw the hardest punch I could muster.

My heart dropped in horror a second later when instead of the ringing sound of shattering metal, I heard the ever sickening crunch of bone. Horror morphed into anguish as a wave of pain flew up my arm. Oh gods… what? I pulled my fist away. Little spikes dotted the flat of the blade, each an inch big. Each spike reminded me more of the studs on a brass knuckle more than anything else. Luckily, it's not really enough to pierce through my Aura. But still, ow! I waved my hand in pain. Gods, that's not going to go away anytime soon. From the corner of my eye, something moved.

There was nothing I could do when a fist buried itself into my chest a moment later, shoving the Arrow in further and sending another wave of pain through my body. Agh! I glanced up. My eyes widened at the sight of **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** and its fist burrowed in my chest. I can definitely read the look in its reptilian eyes, unlike Adam. And all I can see is the anger and bloodthirst of someone who wants to wipe me from existence. My feet left the ground. Huh—

With a roar, **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** lifted and launched me across the cafeteria. Oh gods… please— I slammed into a bed of something sharp, piercing through my back. I cried out, tears rolling out of my eyes. A long crack rang through the cafeteria, followed by my Aura fading into nothingness.

I need to get out. Now. I tried yanking myself out, only to feel spikes of pain. Ow! What the— I glanced to my right to see barbed hook spikes jut out all over the wall. I'm currently stuck to the wall, arms outstretched in a t-pose. I think I'm five meters up from the ground. The spikes weren't long, but they did more than enough to pincushion and trap me. So that means if I try to tear myself away, I'll rip my flesh off?

My eyes widened. No. This can't be happening. Please, gods no!

I glanced back at Adam, only to feel my heart sink even more. Adam had his sword back, and he's already making his way towards me. I tried yanking myself out yet again. Nothing but another wave of pain responded. I can feel something wet drip down my back now. Gods, let me out!

Adam smirked, running his blade over his coat to wipe… something off. "You've been a pain, human. You think you're always one step ahead of me, do you? You think just because you're so wily, you can defeat me, huh? But look at you now. The rat trap has fallen, and now it's time for me to finally remove the vermin." He offered the sword to a fully-formed **「** **WARFLOWER,** **」** who took it and floated up to me. So that's what it looked like…

"You're not going to get away with this," I spat out.

"Twenty-three. Twenty-three times I've heard somebody say some variant of that line. You humans really like those words, do you?" It brought up the sword and aimed it to the left of my belly. "Don't worry. You'll eventually die, but I need to make an example out of you."

The point punctured through me, causing me to scream in pain and swing around in pain. No! Make it stop! Adam let out a shushing sound. "Stay still. I just punctured your stomach, and I don't want you to be eaten by the stomach acid just yet. You've just paid for the sin of making my people go hungry. And there are several more to come. His Stand pulled the sword away, forcing me to take a breath in. "What next… maybe your leg." The sword sliced down into my thigh, forcing out another cry out of me. "For forcing my people to bear the burden of society."

He gave me a chuckle that sent shivers down my spine. "I might not like torture, but I have no problems with dishing out punishment. And I have so many sins to punish you humans for. I'll take your arm for chaining us up. Rip out your lung for cancer gained from the Dust mines! A spike through the throat for the verbal abuse and lies! A sword through the heart for tainting the true heart and spirit of the Faunus!" He slammed his fist against a wall, cracking it. " I'll inflict all those and more on you. And when you finally give up your life, when you die for your sins, I'll hang you up and show all of humanity what they have to pay for."

I let out a tiny whimper in response. Gods, I'm really stuck at an impasse here, huh? The fire over my chest extinguished as the Arrow fell from my chest and onto the floor. This is it, huh? I've failed, and I'm going to die. A soft smile grew across my face. It was a nice life I managed to live. But I guess this is the end.

A tiny 'caw' caught my attention. What? I looked up and spotted a raven perched upon a nearby baluster. Oh, hey there. I see you're here to watch me die as well. I let out a sigh. For some reason, this one raven keeps appearing wherever I go, almost like a concerned parent. It's so weird, watching me from above like a guardian angel. Almost like… family.

Family… what would the others think if they saw me like this? My eyes widened. Adam… he'll make a message out of me. They won't need to imagine it. They'll see what he'll do to me… and what he'll do to them. The anguish, the pain. My blood started boiling. Dad falling apart, again. Uncle Qrow losing himself to alcohol, again. Ruby losing that sparkle in her eyes for the first and only time. They've suffered enough from loss! My chest started heaving, the hole from the Arrow completely gone. And they'll go through it again and again, as long as Adam's out there hunting down everyone I love. That sickens me to the bone!

I slammed my hand against the wall, ignoring the pain of the spikes jamming into my fingers. I can feel a fire building within me, a wildfire of a hearth casting away the pain I feel. This cycle of hurt ends now! I started pushing against the wall, letting the hooks slice through my muscles.

"Not complying with me, huh," Adam noted. "I haven't even gotten to your arm yet." The blade was raised over my left shoulder. "You have dead Faunus to atone for, you know. So stay still and take your punishment!" **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** swung the sword down.

Only for my arm to rip away from the wall and snatch the blade before it could cut me. The glove kept the blade from slicing my arm in two. Adam stepped back in shock. "What the—"

"Adam!" I stared him down. "As long as I'm still alive, I'm not giving in! You think you need to burn and hurt others to return the pain the Faunus feel. But you're wrong. Fire is meant to warm and help others live! And I won't let you hurt any more people!" My arm started pushing the blade back. It feels like everything is just going to combust anytime now. "I won't let my fire burn out! I'll keep the people I love safe and warm! Love… that is my passion! That is the eternal flame keeping Remnant alive!"

"You naive girl!" Adam roared. "Love never got anyone anywhere, only action! So do the world a favor and just die!"

Right then and there several crackles appeared around me before my world erupted into flames in a very literal sense. For some reason, my body lit on fire, engulfing me up in a wave of flames. Despite the flames eating at my very being, it doesn't feel… painful. It's warm yet comfortable, fiery but not out of control. I don't know why my body just spontaneously combusted, but it sent my spirits soaring. With a roar, I swung a punch at **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** —

And gasped when an orange-yellow hand exploded out of my fist, smashing the stone-armored Stand in the face. Adam, in turn, staggered back, holding his nose as blood spewed out of it. Huh? What's going on—

I felt myself falling. I'm free? I slammed into the floor, forming a crater on the ground. Oh my gods, I'm free! I stood up and glanced at my hands. How did I do that— Wait, I stood up? But my leg— I glanced down and gasped. There's an ugly burn mark where a cut used to be. But I feel fine now. There's a bit of stiffness, but it's not affecting me at all! But if that happened, then the torso wound— I looked to the left and gasped. Fire danced upon the open stab wound, burning over it until there was nothing but a burn scar. I twisted my torso around. Stiff, but functional. Same thing for my back. Just like that, I'm healed up, although not in perfect condition like before. But how?

My head turned back towards the wall. I gasped at the sight behind me. The first thing I noticed was the spiked section of the wall was on fire. Tiny flames burned where the spikes used to be. Is that how I got out? But how did that happen? Concrete doesn't burst into flames normally. Unless… Did I do that? I blinked. But I shouldn't be able to. My Semblance shouldn't be able to do that, and I'm sure Dust can't do that either, so the only option is a Stand…

A humanoid female drifted into my sightline, causing me to flinch. What the— Huh? I stared at the floating figure. The first thing I noticed was how it's dressed in flames. Literally. The muscular woman wore a North Valean-style dress, like what the stereotypical Viking woman would wear back in the past. But the dress itself… it's fire. Wiggling orange flames swam up her dress and into her collarbones, and none of it phased her one bit. She also wore a corset/apron combo made of dark, thick smoke. I guess it looks most like an apron dress.

Over her face is a face mask styled like a phoenix, similar to the metal faceplate the Vikings had attached to their helmets. It was complete with two columns of bright red feathers sticking up into the air like a roaring flame, almost like showy plumage. There were even some embers stuck to some of the feathers. I let out a tiny 'whoa' at the sight of the woman floating in front of me. This is it, huh? This is my Stand. I can feel one phrase come to mind when I look at the Stand. This is **「** **ETERNAL FLAME.** **」**

The two of us locked eyes with each other. I mouthed to her: " _Are you here to help me?_ " The Stand nodded, giving me a smile as it floated towards me. " _How?_ " She pressed her finger against her lips for a moment before slamming her fist into her palm. I grinned. That's more like it. I'm liking her style. And before I forget. I snatched the Arrow and stashed it away. Not going to let this disappear again.

"Hmph!" I turned around. Adam staggered up, wiping a streak of blood on the side of his mouth. **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** flew back to him, sheathing his sword with one smooth stroke. "So you managed to gain a Stand to fight back against me. So what? Having a Stand means nothing, especially considering you have no Aura left. You might've bought yourself more time, but clearly not enough. I can easily end you with a snap of my fingers." He followed that with a snap.

Spikes flew out of the ground, causing my eyes to widen. Oh— I forgot! I'm not on gravel anymore! I have to jump away! But gods, they're moving fast. The points were already reaching my clothes even as I pushed off the ground. I'm not going to make it—

"FLOOM!" **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** flew into me, twirling the flame dress around in a circle. My eyes widened in surprise a moment later when the concrete caught on fire. No… not just that. I watched as each spike grew thinner and thinner, quickly consumed by the flames. Before any single spike could spear me, the flame overtook it completely. I dropped through the flaming spikes a moment later, landing on the floor. Huh? Did I just… survive that?

"What the— How did you survive that?" I glanced up. The bull Faunus had his mouth open in shock. "The spikes… how did you get through them?" I didn't answer him, jumping through the bars of the fiery cage. My Stand ability… I know what it is. It causes objects to spontaneously combust. I make an object highly reactive to oxygen, and then it just burns into flames. I snapped my fingers.

The flames disappeared in an instant, bringing back the concrete spikes. And I can revert them back to their original form. But that means I'm technically not burning the object, so is it really spontaneous combustion? … Eh, screw it. I can turn things into flames and back. That's good enough for me.

I glanced towards Adam, who let out a growl as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. His feet shifted on the gravel he stood on. "Go on. Run towards me. But don't think that you've won. This is only a setback." He started breathing heavily. "Do you really think you can beat me in a one-on-one fight with a new Stand? Huh?" His voice grew into a roar. "I will kill you, you hear me? You're dead!"

"Like hell you will!" I pushed off, dashing straight towards him. The ground in front of me started bubbling. This is it. I'm going to put everything I have into this! Come on… **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** swiped the floor in front of me. Let's do this! I let out a roar as flaming spikes flew out from the ground, collapsing through me yet never breaking my skin. Closing the distance… twenty meters… fifteen meters… ten meters…

At five meters, the stone-armored Stand rushed forwards, fist raised towards my face. **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** shot out in front of me, fists raised in turn. Looking at her from behind, I noticed how her flame and smoke dress couldn't keep up, revealing a bright yellow and orange colored Stand who definitely had muscles! I took a deep breath. Come on, show your true power, **「** **ETERNAL FLAME!** **」**

"MUMUMUMUMUMUMU—"

"ORAORAORAORAORAORA—" The two Stands slammed into each other, both sending a barrage of fists at each other. Wind whipped around them as fist met fist, causing my hair to flutter in the air. The heart of stone versus the heart of fire: who will win? They seem evenly matched, neither having a significant advantage over the other. That didn't really matter to me, though. The ground below me stopped bubbling. As long as **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** holds on long enough for me to act.

I ran past the two without blinking, focusing on the bull Faunus in front of me. The man lowered his stance, gripping his sword tightly. There's no doubt about it: he's going to try and cut me the moment I make contact. And I've watched this guy in action: he's probably faster than me on the draw. If I punch, I'll get sliced. If I shoot him, I might get lucky and hit him without Aura, I might not. I locked a shell in both of my gauntlets. However, I think I can bring that 'maybe' up to a 'definitely.'

A fireball flew out of my left gauntlet, bursting on the floor maybe a meter in front of Adam and launching debris up into the air. It's not going to stop him from swinging the sword, but all I need is a flinch. I brought my other hand back as I charged through the dust cloud. I just need to strike before he does! I let out a roar and threw a roundhouse punch through the cloud—

Only for my hand to catch on a sharp edge. I winced. Ow! He swung early! Agh, that stings! I threw my other fist, only for it to be caught by someone's palm. "You underestimated me," Adam rasped, showing his mask within the dust cloud. "I'm not going to fall just because of a simple trick like that. And if you ask me, I'm getting tired of this fight." I felt my feet start to slide back on the gravel. And if my hearing is correct, there are bubbling sounds from behind me. Where the solid concrete is… The man grimaced. "So, let's have a contest of strength. Once and for all, let me show you the strength of the Faunus! I will win!"

"No need for that," I smirked as I saw the steel blade start to flicker into flames. "I think I've already won." With a final push, my fist broke through the flaming blade, slamming right into Adam's face and knocking him to the ground. **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** disappeared, leaving the three of us left. There's only one thing left to do. I started towards the man.

"You think this is over?" the man gasped, lifting his head and shooting me a glare. "That when I go down, the White Fang will simply cease to exist? My brothers understand just as much as I do that nothing short of a revolution will help the Faunus. Your race's reign will be ripped to shreds one day!"

"I don't think so." **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** floated behind Adam as I continued to stare him down. "True, I'm sure humanity won't be dominant forever. However, that won't be because the Faunus overthrew us. No, it'll be because we choose to work together, and the distinction will no longer matter. No more divides, no more distrust. Just honesty, love, and a willingness to protect everyone from harm."

"Speaking of which—" I gave him a sharp stare. "Did you know I'm very protective of the people I care about? It's bad to the point that I get violently angry when they get hurt. People can get hurt real bad if they piss me off." I lit my knuckles on fire. "And you nearly killed my partner." **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** snatched the man up and threw him in the air.

"Hngh!" He tried to curl up, but… let's just say it was useless.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA—"

"ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA—"

The two of us threw everything we had at the man as he bounced between the two of us. Jabs, hooks, roundhouses: we mixed up the punches in our flurry of fists impacting Adam. Craters on craters formed on this man's body, most likely grinding his bones to dust and then some more.

"FLOOM!" I finished with a flaming uppercut, knocking Adam up into air. His limp body crashed into the gravel, twitching twice before slumping over. Whew. It's over. My Stand disappeared, followed by me nearly collapsing to the floor. Oh, whoa. I can't believe how intense that was. But I did it. Adam's down for the count.

Whew… And with that done… I should get Blake to a doctor. With a tired gaze, I turned around and started for her body.

* * *

Almost… there… Sweat ran down my face. At this point, I was holding the stall more like a wagon rather than carrying it on my shoulders.

I let out a long sigh, brushing my cape back. All of this walking, and still no Stand user in sight. Well, there's still some ways left until we reach the landing pads. But the fact that nothing's happening… I don't know… what if I'm wrong? What if the Stand user isn't here after all? What in the world are we going to do, then? I'm basically trapped here if it turns out that I'm wrong—

A crash caused me to jerk up. What the— I looked in its direction. Huh? The girl's bathroom? Why would there be sounds coming from there? Unless… there's someone in there. I let go of the stall and brought Crescent Rose to my eyes. Who can it be? I started forwards, pushing through the door. There's still a small corridor that leads to the toilets. Is it the Stand user?

Whispers caught my attention. Someone's in here, for sure. More than one. Could it be civilians trapped inside? White Fang trying to recover from the jellyfish? I don't know, but there's only one way to find out.

"Hands up!" I stepped past the corner, Crescent Rose pointed forwards. "Who's there—"

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! If you want to take a hostage, take Emi!"

"Huh?" I lowered my gun the moment I saw who was there. Team C.M.E.N. stood in front of me, their arms raised.

Amber eyes stared at me, a look of shock growing on her face. "Ruby?"

I let out a gasp. "Cinder?"

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 9/14/2018**

* * *

 **Russel's Bizarre Adventure - Act 2**

My heart thumped in my chest as we approached the group of civilians still waiting in line, our weapons in tow. I wished that we could be using our own weapons to fight the Grimm instead of this. And from the faces Cardin and the others were making, they probably feel the same way. But this is for the people. This is for their survival. We just need to believe that.

Even when I repeated that thought over and over in my mind, I couldn't help but look at the situation in front of us. The crowd easily outnumber us several times over. Most of them were trying their best to hold in their emotions, but I can feel the miasma of terror rise in the air. They probably want to hear some good news right now, ideally along the lines of 'we'll get you out of here, don't worry.' But once they learn what we have to say… who knows what will happen?

'Remnan survival is completely dependent on how well the civilians can handle the situation around them.' That's what Beacon taught every Huntsmen-in-Training. Doing anything to tip the balance of emotions in the wrong direction can get everyone killed. Which is why what we're doing is absolutely insane. This isn't just tipping the balance. This is slamming down on it and somehow hoping it doesn't go wrong.

And _I_ roped my teammates into this situation. It was the best decision we have, but none of us really believed in it. And it's us who have the convince the others to go along with it. I swallowed, glancing at my team leader. Even he was starting to sweat. I hope Cardin can pull through. He doesn't have the greatest speaking skills, but hopefully, his size and confidence can pull through.

I sighed. This isn't going to be easy stuff. We're basically asking for everyone to put their lives on the line, after all. I just really, really hope that he can somehow convince the rest of the civilians.

Cardin cleared his throat forcefully, getting the attention of the few people closest to us. "Everyone, listen up!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the plaza. That got everybody else's attention. He let out a sigh. "We need to ask a favor of all of you."

Everybody started to murmur to each other the moment they heard that. I can already make out the uncertainty on their faces. My team leader bit his lip. "Atlas… and Vale need your help. I'll be straightforward with this: we need every able-bodied person to come forward and help build a wall around the breach."

At that, the crowd burst into chatter. "What?" somebody called out from the crowd. "That's suicide! Why don't you Huntsmen get us out of here instead of getting us to risk our lives for some wall?"

I decided to step in. "We're taking every safety measure we can," I lied. Come on, come on… what else can I say to convince them? "We can't guarantee that the Grimm will take their time down there. They will spring out eventually, and we don't want it to happen when everyone's still waiting to be evacuated. If we have everyone erect the wall, the Grimm will be stalled, even if it's only for a few precious minutes. That's time that can be used to finish evacuating everyone."

"Well, why don't you build the wall yourself?" the same voice cried back. "Isn't it your job to protect us? You're asking us to put ourselves in danger!"

The giant of a boy raised his voice. Cardin puffed his chest out. "Us Huntsmen are here to protect you all for this task! We're not going to put everyone in danger. We will be fending off any Grimm alongside the Atlesian soldiers! If you build quickly, the wall will be finished before any of the Grimm break past us. You'll never be in any sort of danger! This is absolutely necessary to keep everyone safe! Trust us, once the wall is up, the Atlesians will hold them off so you all can escape!"

A silence grew amongst the crowd. Huh? Did it work?

"That's a bunch of bull!" somebody finally called out. "Those Atlesian soldiers were supposed to protect Vale from any attack, and guess what happened? The Grimm broke through anyway! These terrorists managed to get past Atlas's so-called finest. Who's to say that they'll fail us here? Who's to say that they won't just all abandon us all before we can build our wall?"

That got the rest of the crowd riled up. I can see agitation visibly manifest within the crowd. The voice continued, "We can't trust the Atlesians! If we leave our lives in their hands, they'll get us all killed! We're not safe here! Screw them, we need to save ourselves first!"

I cursed underneath my breath. Oh gods, this isn't good. The mood of the crowd got a lot more… tense. I don't think this is going to work out. My eyes squeezed shut. If only I could do something about the situation… There's… I do have **「** **FEEL GOOD INC,** **」** but the last time that appeared, I got everybody in Beacon to go on a rampage. What if I that happens again here? Can I control the emotions? If everybody's fighting and drawing the Grimm… The last thing we need is for me to make it worse! But it's already getting worse… so what do I do? How can I stop this from going out of control?

"Hey, can somebody explain what's going on here?" a gruff voice asked from behind me. Everybody stopped and turned around. Sitting on the exterior barricade were three Huntsmen. And not students like us, no, the real deal. The entire crowd stared at them in awe.

There was a woman in white that reminded me of Weiss. A saber and parrying dagger dripped with Grimm ichor. Her stern face reminds me of Goodwitch, and from the looks of her, she's probably just as good. Then there was a brown-haired woman with a Dust staff. She gave the crowd a small smile, a tiny assurance that everything is going to be okay. My eyebrows raised up. I don't know… I somehow _feel_ like we have something in common. And to round it all off, a messy, unkempt man leaned on a giant greatsword, his eyes boring down on all of us like a bird studying its surroundings. He spoke up: "Shouldn't you all be evacuating?"

"Thank you!" The voice let out a long groan. "We shouldn't be listening to these snot-nosed punks claiming to be Huntsmen! Screw building the wall, we need to get out as soon as possible—"

"A wall?" The brown-haired woman perked up hearing that. "What's this about a wall?"

"The Grimm," I spoke up. Everybody turned to look at me. "We don't have much time to evacuate everyone. We need to build a barricade around the breach. The Atlesians don't have the manpower to build the wall and protect everyone at the same time. They need hands to help form the barrier as soon as possible so that they can focus on fighting off the Grimm—"

"Aha! I knew it!" I'm starting to feel annoyance as the same voice gloated. "The Atlesians _can't_ protect us! They need fodder to protect themselves! Why bother staying here if that's the case? We're going to leave and fend for ourselves! Screw Atlas, screw the General! Some army—"

"Excuse me," the white-haired woman hissed. "You're being disruptive and disrespectful towards Atlas—"

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it? Kill me in front of everyone? You've probably done it all the time, considering everything that's happened with the people of Mantle. What's one more dead person?" The person raised their arms up. "I dare you. Do it. You're weak, your Kingdom is weak, and your Kingdom is a disgrace to all of Remnant." The person stared down at the white-haired woman. "We shouldn't have ever entrusted our security to Atlas."

The air grew heavy as the two of them stared each other down. I have to do something. We can't let this collapse due to some rabble rouser. I balled up my hands as I felt a familiar figure grip around my neck. But I can't. **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** is too dangerous. I can't possibly control it. I let out a sharp breath. This is how we die. Two sides arguing and fighting each other as the Grimm come to kill us all—

"Whoa! Now's not the time for that." The amber-haired woman stepped in front of the white-haired one, holding her hands up. "Let's calm down so we can talk about this rationally."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Hi. I'm Amber." She gave everyone a cheery wave. The mood in the air shifted to confusion. I don't blame them. I'm feeling the same way. She continued, "I'm a traveling Huntress from Vacuo. I love traveling, and I happened to be here for the Vytal Festival when all this happened." She stepped off the barricade and dropped down to our level. "And if you ask me, I think it'll help everyone if the wall is built."

The voice let out a scoff. "You agree with the Atlesians?"

"I think that by working with them, you can both protect yourselves and help Atlas in their job of protecting everyone else." Amber started walking towards the crowd with a confidence that I couldn't help but admire. "I am not a native of Vale, and I can't speak for you all when it comes to your feelings on Atlas. However, I can see you all share the same goal right now: to save as many lives as possible."

"And— Atlas is looking out for your future as well!" My eyes widened as I realized what slipped out of my mouth. Where did this energy come from? Why did I decide to stand up for Atlas at that moment? I continued, "They don't want Vale to fall. So they set their foot down here. They do everything in their power to keep just a little bit of Vale in our hands, so that when the Grimm stop surging forwards, we can fight back, take back our homes, reclaim what has been stolen from us. And I know that _we_ don't want to see our city to fall to the Grimm either. We share the same goals, whether or not we like each other."

For the first time since I obtained my Stand, I felt… certain of myself. It felt as if my words wrapped around me and gave me comfort, a genuine belief that this is true. And the crowd… my words are catching their attention as well. "We must help our fellow Remnan protect our home in the hopes of taking it back." I turned to look at Amber. "Isn't that right?"

She gave me a curious gaze before a smile formed on her face. Amber nodded, raising a hand towards the crowd. "Let's work together, for everyone's sake."

The effect was almost miraculous. A crowd that was hostile just a moment before grew more accepting, even if it was more begrudgingly. Even the negative voice was silent on the matter. Oh my gods… that worked? I honestly did not expect that to happen. Why? How? And how is it that I'm starting to believe my own words as well?

I shook my head. That doesn't matter right now. I threw my hands out. "Come on! We don't have much time! Collect anything strong enough to be used for the barricade and start building!"

Amber walked towards me as the crowd started to disperse. She smiled, leaning towards me with a covered mouth. "So, you have one as well."

"Huh?" I twitched. "One what?"

"One of those spirits, I think they're called Stands?" My breath hitched.

"Wait… you have one as well?"

The brown-haired woman gave me a smile. "You want to see?"

I nodded. She stuck her hands out, summoning a ring made out chalk around her middle finger. With a firm clap, chalk powder flew up her hands and arms, coating her tan skin with a layer of white. Occasionally, a few tiny blocky golem-like creatures would appear out from her chalky skin, jerking around as they glided over the surface of her arm.

"This is **「** **SWEET DREAMS.** **」** What's yours?"

"Oh, uh… **「** **FEEL GOOD INC.** **」** " I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, to be honest, I didn't think you would figure me out that quickly. I've been trying to avoid using my powers. I don't really have a strong grasp on it, so—"

"But you did." My eyes widened. Huh? Amber continued, "When you interrupted me with your own speech, I saw a child appear behind you. And when you were talking to the crowd, I could feel your Stand change the mood of the crowd." She gave me an encouraging smile. "I think you have a stronger grasp on your Stand than you realize."

My face went red. "I mean, when you say that, maybe? It's just—" I sighed. "I don't know. I'm afraid of losing power over it, letting it go out of control. The first time it appeared, I got a lot of people hurt. And well… a part of me isn't sure if I'm able to keep my emotions in check while using these powers."

She let out a hum. "I see… You know how I figured out how to control these powers?"

I shook my head. She snapped her fingers. "Conviction. You're scared of using your powers because you don't know where to direct it. That's okay. I think I can figure out why you would feel that way with your ability. It's nothing like mine, where it can't really hurt people. You're afraid of how it can backfire. So you stay on the sidelines, hoping it'll never come up again. What I think you need is focus, and the right kind as well."

Amber glanced at a group of civilians pushing a nearby car into place. "It's hard to find the right kind of motivation, I have to admit. Finding a way to channel your emotions, your feelings, in a way that doesn't harm other people is hard. But restricting yourself or hiding from what you have isn't going to get you anywhere. I'd say if you find a good, honest cause to pour your heart into, a cause that allows your talents to shine, you'll find the determination to use your Stand to its fullest."

"Hmm…" I guess she does have a point… "I'll think about it. Thanks."

"Hey, no problem. This was a nice talk. I like talking about this kind of stuff." The woman get out a long sigh. "And plus, it's nice to know that I'm not the only Stand user in the world. I might not have had my abilities that long, considering I only got them this week. But it's still nice giving you tips."

"Heheh… that's actually kinda funny." A smirk grew on my face. "I think I had a Stand longer than you did, but you're the one giving me advice. Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

She shrugged, letting out a chuckle. "Yeah, that is pretty funny. I guess the world works in unexpected ways."

"Yeah." I turned toward her. "So, I guess we should help set up for the Grimm attack."

"Mmhmm. We should. I'll be with the other Huntsmen." She gave me a wave. "Happy Hunting, then, uh…"

"Russel. I'm Russel. And happy Hunting to you too, Amber."

She beamed at me, pleased at me remembering the name. "Alright then, Russel. And to you, too." And with that, she took off.

"Dude," Sky called out from behind me. "Didn't know you were into older women, Russ."

What the— I jerked around, coming to face with the rest of my team. "Huh? How much did you guys hear?"

"Pretty much all of it," Dove deadpanned. "You know, Sky's dumb romantic speculation aside—"

"Hey!"

"—Again, ignoring the stupid shipping, I don't think she's alright up there in her head, showing off imaginary friends to you and insisting that you have one as well. Were you playing along with her?"

"Sure." I checked my weapons. "Can we put a pin on this for a moment? I think keeping everyone here alive is more important than talking about what you overheard from our conversation."

"Well, considering you're the one who got us into this mess with the Atlesians and this crowd," Cardin started, crossing his arms. "I think we can have some free reign to poke fun at you."

"Aw, come on—"

We can feel the sounds of rumbling below us. Closer to the breach, Atlesian soldiers yelled and started firing into it. I sighed. "Nevermind that. Looks like we're up," I said.

The rest of CRDL nodded. "Yeah," Cardin said. "So, you ready for this?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "It's not like we have any other choice."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 _ **Stand Descriptions:**_

 **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** **\- Can force any surface to create towers/spikes, shifting internal mass outwards. Each tower/spike will still keep the properties of the material it is made of, but will always maintain its spiked shape no matter what.**

 **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** **\- Can cause things to spontaneously combust by making the object reactive to oxygen. This flame can quickly extend through the object if the user chooses, turning it into a ball of flames. Object being combusted can be anything, as long as either the user or the Stand can touch it. This spontaneous combustion can be reversed by the user.**

* * *

 **Stand Reference: Adam's** **「** **WARFLOWER** **」** **is a reference to the band The Mayan Factor's Warflower, a psychedelic rock song released back in 2003. I personally went with this one because one: Adam's rose motif and his violent tendencies just work with a name like Warflower and two: Warflower is an extremely dark song that fits Adam like a glove.**

 **The generally accepted interpretation is that the song's about a bipolar/schizophrenic boy who takes revenge upon his classmates after constant bullying by commiting arson. While the "good" personality tries to take the bullying and move forwards, it's the "angry" personality that eventually succumbs and commits the atrocity. I find it reflects Adam and his relationship to the Faunus race well. Adam is the "angry" personality, the realized monster of the Faunus. And while Adam does not even come close to being a good representative of the Faunus people, his actions have become associated with the Faunus.**

 **Yang's** **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** **is a reference to the band The Bangles's Eternal Flame, a soft rock song released in 1989. This single was supposedly the Bangles's swan song... before they got back together in the late '90s/early 00's. Ah, funny thing, that. I chose this song because I think it highlights Yang's compassionate side the best. Eternal Flame is a love song where two new lovers wonder whether or not their love is fleeting or truly eternal. The singer truly feels that their love is genuine, but they aren't sure about their partner's love.**

 **Yang definitely reminds me of that. As someone who did not have a lot of people to really help her, she was often the one providing the emotional support, the love and care to her family and teammates. As weird of a comparison as it sounds, I see her as the emotional hearthkeeper of RWBY. And while in canon she has serious abandonment issues (the doubting part of the song,) it doesn't stop her from providing the warmth of her fire.**

* * *

 **Well, retrospective coming next chapter. I'll be covering Six Days, the Cupid fight, and Warflower. Oo boy. I got a lot to talk about. But that's for next time. And once again I need to thank darkmist111 for the Stand suggestion! There's one more Stand that they suggested, and I'll point it out when it comes up. Let's get to the reviews!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! Yeah, early releases are the best. Less so for me, but they are great.**

 **Guest: Dragonforce would be a great Stand name, but it's not the one I decided to go with. Sorry about that!**

 **superprime: Okay, so I'm going on a limb here and assume that you don't like first-person perspective. That's fair. Taste is subjective, and first-person POV stories are harder to get into as a reader. But it is a deliberate design choice, one I went with for a reason. If that choice makes the story unenjoyable for you, well I'm probably not going to change your mind.**

 **zerpjustice: Oh yeah it is. Fun fact that I should really save for the retrospective next time around: Yang's Stand awakening was a scene I came up with early on, way before I had any cohesive story in mind. While the context of how it played out changed, the actual mental image hasn't. This is a scene that stayed intact all the way until now, and I love the fact that it paid off.**

 **metacllica: Thank you, metacllica! Yeah, Warflower is one hell of a scary Stand. However, IMHO, this Stand wouldn't be nearly as scary in the hands of anyone else. The perfect synergy between Adam's Semblance and Stand makes it nothing short of horrifying. I hope you enjoyed Yang's fight with Adam!**

 **That Username: Oh man, more fun facts time. This is one of the two reasons why I avoided using the ORA Stand cry for so long. I said before that there are very few individuals that truly deserve the ORA cry in this story. Eternal Flame is one of them. There is nothing more satisfactory than seeing the double ORA sandwich come to fruition right here.**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Thank you, Ultimate Kuuga! If I had to describe Eternal Flame's look in as few words as possible, I would say: flaming Viking warrior.**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! Yeah, the Stand user exhaustion is something I like thinking about, especially when I think of Jojokes about Jotaro getting PTSD during various moments in DiU and SO. It adds a layer to being a Stand user forced to fight.**

 **doa570047: I easily agree with your analysis on Adam. Yeah, Warflower by itself is a basic Stand. But its synergy with Adam's fighting style makes it way more dangerous.**

 **And yeah, the Russel/civilian militia arc in universe is a scary prospect. No proper training, no need to fight, no need to face the Grimm on a regular basis. Even if the civilians are only tasked to build a wall, asking people to stand on the edge of destruction for the sake of their survival is... a lot more than any person should realistically go through. And again, the fact that CRDL of all people are the ones who have to convince the populace makes this a difficult process... if it wasn't for the fact that Russel is a Stand user with the power to influence and amplify emotions. Then again, it becomes a question of whether he can actually use his Stand. I can't wait to show more of his story.**

 **Ratharider64: In terms of two Stand rushes hitting at the same time and letting out a Stand cry, yes. But considering all the matchups beforehand, this definitely felt like the right time to do it.**

 **And yes, moo. You'd think it's stupid and funny, but don't underestimate angry cows. They are female bulls, after all.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: September 14, 2018**_


	45. Don't Speak

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Not really much to say for this chapter aside from the fact that there's a retrospective down below, so let's get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all their help!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

What the… My mouth flopped open at the sight of Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald inside the girl's restroom. How did they get here? Weren't they supposed to be with the rest of the crowd? The four of us stared at each other, awestruck at the sight in front of us.

I swallowed, glancing at the three before giving them a wobbly smile. "Uh… hey guys." I rubbed the back of my head, letting out a nervous chuckle. Crescent Rose greeted them as well, letting out a clunk as I put her away. "What are you doing here? And Mercury…" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you in the girl's bathroom?"

The boy raised a brow, looking to his teammates before pointing to himself. "Who, me?" I nodded. He threw out his hands and shrugged. "Well, first of all, it's not what it looks like. You see… we were walking back to the airships to catch the first ride back when Cinder and Emi here had to use the restroom. So, like a true gentleman, I waited outside for them to finish when I heard the screams from down the hallway. So, I did what any reasonable man would do."

Emerald snorted. "Run into the women's bathroom while we were still using it. Because that's the first thing a guy thinks of at the first sign of danger." She rolled her eyes. " _Killer_ instincts there, Mercury."

He chuckled, shaking his head with his signature cocky grin. "Of course, Emi here doesn't seem to get the fact that in a survival situation, sticking together is the best option. So yeah. They _are_ pretty killer instincts, thank you very much—"

"Mercury, please. I think you've made your point." Cinder let out a sigh as she shook her head. "What he said is true. He did run in here and tell us about the commotion, but not much else. And honestly, we weren't planning on leaving until we got an answer." Amber eyes met mine. "Ruby, what's going on?"

"Okay, well long story short, the White Fang bombed Vale and attacked the stadium at the same time. All of the Huntsmen-in-Training are currently evacuating all of the civilians, but nobody can go through this section because of an enemy attack."

That got Cinder to hum. "An enemy attack? So the screams down the hallway—"

"—Were the sounds of people getting hurt," I finished, letting out a sigh. Hmm… I guess they really don't know about everything going on. That's good. We can use all the help we can get. I quickly straightened up, sticking a finger in the air. "I do have some good news, though! I know the person behind the attack is in this area! So I'm going over there to stop them. Once I take care of them, everyone should be able to go through this section and take the airships parked here!"

"Airships?" Emerald snapped her fingers. "That's right, the airbuses. But what about pilots? They're probably gone by now." She gave me a shrug. "I mean I don't know about you, but I know if I had a ship and something was going on in my area, I would bail."

"Maybe," I sighed. "I didn't think about that, to be honest. The pilots might've left the port, or maybe they got captured by the attacker. That doesn't take any focus away from the real threat. Stopping the enemy here comes first. And if we manage to get a couple of airbuses to speed up the evacuation, that'll be even better."

"Right…" Cinder rested her chin on her hand. "Hmm… you said an enemy, right? They attacked everyone here, right?" I gave her a nod. "How? I didn't hear gunshots, and not a lot of people can massacre an entire crowd by hand that quickly."

"It was an enemy St— Semblance! Semblance is what I meant to say." I caught my breath. "But it's like some kind of weird invisibility thing, almost like a cloud. But this cloud has these jellyfish things in it, so it's more like a swarm. It's really hard to see, almost impossible if you didn't know what to look for. And even then you might miss it."

Mercury frowned hearing that. "Well, then. That doesn't complicate things at all. But you said that it's almost impossible to see it, right? Well, how did you see it?" I froze the moment I heard that. Oh, right. I'm going to need to explain myself somehow. Gods, how am I going to do that?

"Uh… well, I kinda… don't, to be honest." I let out a nervous chuckle as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I just… uh, rush towards them and blow the 'cloud' away with my Semblance before they can affect me. And it's working pretty well so far, so… yeah!" I threw my hands out. "That's what I've been doing. But you guys should get out of here. There's an air duct some people escaped through on my way here. Head over there and protect the civilians. I'll go on ahead and—"

"Oh-whoa-whoa-whoa, just wait a minute." Mercury held his hand up, stopping me entirely. "So you're saying that we should run away, while you go in and get to have all the fun?" I nodded. The boy bobbed his head back and forth, making a face all the while. "I don't know about that… I'm not going to leave a chance like that alone."

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "Mercury—"

"Mercury's lust for battle aside, we can be of use here," Cinder said. "For example, I know how to fly an aircraft. I might not have as much experience as a pilot, but I can get by just fine. And while Mercury and Emerald don't have flight experience, they can help with the fight." She gestured to everyone in the bathroom. "We should go together to stop the attack. After that, I'll get to a Bullhead and collect as many people with flight experience as I can. It won't be long until we can use the aircraft to get to our target."

"The other sections, right?"

"Sure," the girl nodded, sticking her hand towards me. "Come on Ruby. Let us help."

Hmm… should I bring them in? It doesn't really feel right, having non-Stand users come with me to a Stand fight. These guys may die if I bring them with me, and I honestly don't know if I can handle that burden if it happens… I glanced down at the tiled floor. But they _can_ improve our odds. They are Huntsmen, after all. And well… Yang's in the exact same position as them. One of my hands balled up into a fist. What I have to do to protect Remnant.

I looked up at them, staring into each of their eyes before nodding. "Okay.." I turned around and gestured. "These things can surprise you if you're not ready. Follow me, and stay as close as possible. I'll clear out the jellyfish when we meet them."

Emerald nodded. "Sure thing."

Mercury shrugged. "Lead the way."

Cinder smiled. "Thank you."

We crept out of the bathroom. The hallway itself didn't change too much. It was still full of empty booths, the jellyfish were still floating around without a care in the world. Emerald let out a sound of disgust. "Ugh, that's a lot of dead people. Were those people there before, Mercury?"

"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p' in the word. "Weren't there when I first ran in." The boy prodded a nearby body with his foot. "Ooh, yeah." He cleared his throat. "'I've examined this patient and I'm ready to make a declaration. Doctor's diagnosis: he's dead.'" He looked up. "Oh… the cloud's above us."

The mint-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Oh, no way! Stellar observation, Captain Obvious. What's next, the city's on fire? The jellyfish are coming? We're not going to buy cotton candy popcorn balls anytime soon? I _really_ want to hear what else you have to say."

"Uh, could we not talk about this and focus on something else?" I kept my eyes away from the floor and the bodies, instead focusing at the rapidly forming wall of jellyfish twenty or so meters away from us.

"Don't worry about that, Riding Hood." Mercury clicked his tongue. "But Emi, I'm so honored to know that you want me to speak more. Most of the time you're trying to get me to shut up. But hey, I'm up for talking all day and night if that's what you want." He gave the girl a wink, causing her to shake her head.

"… Gods, I already regret what I said earlier. Let me make this clear then: Mercury, if you don't shut the hell up—"

"How do you work with these guys, Cinder?" I turned over to the leader of team C.M.E.N, giving her a confused look. "Maybe it's just me, but they always seem to argue with each other whenever they have a chance. Doesn't that affect the group?"

"You'd be surprised. It might seem like bickering from the outside, but this is normal for them. They argue more than they should, sure. But I wouldn't say that's a problem." Cinder brushed something off of her skin. "They're good at what they do, and these… discussions get put on hold when they're on the job. So I let them have their arguments. No need to step in if it isn't a problem in the first place."

"Hmm… okay, then." I let out a sigh, turning to look at the wall again. Crescent Rose shifted in my hands, taking on its sniper rifle form. I pulled the bolt back a bit. "Okay, I still have plenty of these…" I muttered, looking at the green-tipped bullet inside. My hand locked the bolt in place.

"Alright, to start out… there's a jellyfish wall a couple meters away from us. None of us are going to pass through that alone. So, I'm going to fire an air bullet, which should knock some of the jellyfish away. I'll run through the hole with my Semblance and blow them away. That should make a big enough gap in the wall for you guys. If you follow the exact path I take, no one should get stung—"

We all froze in place as a 'creak' rumbled off to the side. I bit my lip. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure," Cinder replied, glancing around. "I don't think it's anything worth worrying about. It seems like the occasional structural strain a stadium like this would be bound to have. After all, there have to be tens of thousands of people moving around at once. That's a normal thing—"

This time metallic banging noises vibrated through the arena. Like somebody moving around nearby, and not just through the arena. I took a sharp breath. "I don't know… that doesn't sound like something that's happening throughout the entire building. If anything, that sounds like it's coming from the air vents."

Mercury nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Ruby here, boss. Maybe it's a rodent or something?"

"Those thumps are way too loud for a mouse or a rat. They sound bigger, like… people sized." I turned my head towards a nearby ground floor grate. There's no way one of the civilians happened to wander in our direction. Jaune would have helped them reach the other section, not come here. I felt a bead of sweat slip down my face. Could this be it? Did the Stand user stumble on us? I made sure the bolt of Crescent Rose was seated. If they did, and they happened to be traveling through the vents…

I started tiptoeing towards the vent. "Everyone, get ready. I think they're here." The clacking of weapons unfolding sounded behind me. This could be it. I hope a single wind Dust bullet to the head stuns the user long enough for us to restrain them. After all, wind Dust bullets are non-lethal projectiles… right? I lifted the sniper rifle up to my face. Another rumble of metal in front of me. There's definitely someone in there. My index finger twitched. Who's in there…

A hand flew out, pushing the grate out from its place. I dropped down and pointed the weapon into the duct. "Stop! Who's there?"

"Oh gods— Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" My eyes widened as a set of tiny moose antlers poked into my field of view. The petite girl's eyes widened before she shrank into a ball. "Please don't shoot!"

My jaw dropped. "What the— Bori? Is that you?" She nodded her head, crawling out of the vent and standing up. She was covered head to toe in dust, and no amount of brushing could get all of it off. I swallowed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with the rest of the civilians in section G. How did you get over here?"

"Uh, well— My group ran into some people crawling through the vents right as we reached the landing pads. A lot of people were hurt, I heard." She started running her fingers through her hair. "I didn't want to come back, but… well… I, uh—"

"No need to beat around the bush," Emerald groaned, rolling her eyes. "Just spit it out already—"

"My sister's here somewhere!" All of our eyes widened at that.

"What?" I asked.

Bori nodded. "I was going to message my sister and tell her I'm safe. But you know how the messaging app has a location tracker for your friends? I noticed that she's in the arena." The girl started shaking. "I… I… she told me that she couldn't come to the festival with me today due to work. She must've gotten out from work early, and she wanted to surprise me. But now she's in here somewhere with the jellyfish you were talking about!"

I covered my mouth. Oh my gods… The rest of team C.M.E.N. looked just as uncomfortable as me. For once, Mercury frowned when he heard that. Emerald winced, diverting her eyes away from the woman. Cinder muttered something about location trackers under her breath. I finally broke the silence, saying, "If you knew that, why did you come here? Why not tell a Huntsmen to call me?"

She looked like she was ready to faint right there and then, almost hyperventilating. Finally, Bori took a deep, sharp breath. "I want to— I want to do something for once. To be the older sister she deserves."

Her bottom lip quivered. "It's just— I've been a bundle of nerves all my life, yet she stuck by me. She gave me company when people bullied us as kids. She kept me intact when I had nervous breakdown after nervous breakdown. She kept me from shutting myself away from society and embracing horrible, horrible thoughts." Bori shivered, looking at her shaking hands. "She's such an amazing person, and I owe so much to her. And— and I owe it to her to be there for her, just this once."

Cinder took a sharp breath, pressing her lips into a thin line. "That's so… noble of you, Bori. But you should go back to the other civilians and get off the stadium before anything else happens."

"Right!" I stepped forwards. "We can take it from here. That's our job, after all. Your sister would rather want you alive than die for her, I'm sure—"

"But I can help you with the jellyfish!" The girl stepped forwards. "Remember how I said I used to work as a lifeguard? Well, they have ways of mitigating the effect of the sting. Like… uh… Well, there's this product called 'Sting No More' you normally use to deactivate the venoms in the stingers, but I don't have that on me… Uh…"

She glanced around before her eyes landed on a nearby food vendor. "There should be some around here somewhere… Oh!" She yanked out a jug of vinegar. "If you get stung, you can deactivate the 'poison needles' using this! After that, get some warm water and pour it over the affected area to deactivate the venom inside the body. If you find zinc gluconate, that stops the venom from causing heart failure." She shook her head. "Look, I know how to perform these techniques and what to find! I can be useful! Please, just let me look for my sister! She's at the landing pads, and I need to get her out now!"

The amber-eyed girl let out a hum. "Thank you for telling us that. Again, you'll be better off getting back to Vale as soon as possible, but we'll use the information you've given us and search for your sister ourselves—"

"Actually, she might be helpful," I interrupted. Cinder gave me a surprised look. I held my hand out. "Look, Bori has helpful information on how to handle the jellyfish. She can be our medic. Plus, think about it. There's probably going to be tons of people ahead of us who were attacked by the jellyfish. The more people we have to help deactivate the venom, the more people who live!"

"And what about her? Won't you think she'll be a target for the attacker, or maybe her sister? She can potentially trap us somehow—"

"And how is that different from having you guys with me? Mercury and Emerald can help me stop the attacker, you can fly an airship, she can help prevent more people from dying. I'm putting you guys through as much risk as her. And if you say that your being here can help this go easier, than I'm going to take all of the help we can get." I pointed at the girl. "And Bori is helpful."

"But she doesn't have her Aura unlocked—"

"There are some people who look like Huntsmen lying on the floor. Aura isn't going to matter against the jellyfish. You're just as likely going to get stung and die as she is. I have a stall I traveled this hall with, so if the situation gets worse, we can just have her stay there. And besides, just look at her eyes." I turned towards her. "She might be frightened, but those eyes have courage. Someone who wants to keep the people she loves safe… she's not going to fail us. Trust me."

Cinder closed her eyes, her forehead wrinkling before she let out a sigh. "Fine. She can come with us. Bori, is it?" The woman nodded. "You know exactly what you're getting into, right?"

She nodded. "I do. And I won't let you guys down."

"Alright, then!" I clapped my hands together. "If that's taken care of, let's continue on!" Crescent Rose appeared in my hands again. "So, like I said before. I'll shoot a hole in the cloud wall with an air bullet before using my Semblance to—"

"Uh, Ruby?" I glanced over at the mint-haired girl. "You know how you said that the weird hazy mist is supposed to be a crowd of jellyfish, right?" I nodded. "Well, you might want to see this." She pointed towards the wall.

I turned to look and gasped. Bori was walking towards the wall. But instead of converging towards her, the jellyfish just… opened up for her. My eyes widened. What in the world? They shouldn't be doing that. What makes her different? Bori looked just as confused. I don't know what's going on, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Come on, then." I gestured to the others. "Let's go, everyone."

* * *

I rubbed the back of my blonde hair as I stared at the security camera screen. One of the civilians was looking up at it, a balding older man. "And you're sure that's everyone?" I asked.

"I've counted my family. They're all safe. It's the same for everyone else. I don't think anyone else is missing anyone aside for the ones we… left behind—" He held back a choking sound. "Sorry. I'm dwelling too much in the past."

"No-no, it's okay." I waved my hands, even though no one was around to see it. "I've just— There are so many people we had to leave back there, and it's— I wish we could've done more to get them out as well."

The man sighed. "You won't believe how many times I thought that as a fireman. How many people we could've saved if we arrived a little sooner, if we were a bit quicker with the uptake, if we could lend a hand instead of sitting at a desk coordinating with the others. Trust me, I know exactly how you're feeling right now. But you've done all you can to get us over here, boy. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I sighed, glancing away from the screen. "If it means anything, my friend down there will do her best to save whoever she comes across. But you should get everyone off of the stadium right now."

He nodded. "I understand. Keep doing what you're doing."

"Right." I ended the call, letting out another sigh as I leaned back in my seat. That should be the last of the guys from section H. Everything else is in Ruby's hands. Same thing for the rest of the Stand users still down there. They're the ones holding the line, making sure that no one gets hurt.

And I'm still trapped in the surveillance room. I rubbed my eyes and let out a groan, glancing at Ciel's scroll to my right. Its screen taunted me with a thumb scanner and the dreaded keypad. Of course, they locked the door mechanism like that. What self-respecting security system wouldn't have multiple lock systems in place?

The rest of the room isn't any better. The air vents here are too small for even a tiny dog to squeeze through. And even if someone could fit through it, the actual grates are welded shut. This is a concrete room, so nobody can just bust through here. Well, at least not me. The door is solid metal with hydraulic locks bolting it in place. The only way of opening it: the electronic key, which is currently stumping me with that dumb passcode. This room is perfectly built for an expected invasion. Not many would be able to break into this room. But when I need to break out of it…

Another groan escaped my mouth. Gods, why do you do this to me? Couldn't you give me a break just this once? I mean, helping the civilians find their way out is nice, but there's bound to be more Stand users on the stadium. And someone's bound to run into someone they can't fight against. If only I can help instead of being here… I started flipping through the camera footage. Ruby's already trying to track down one of them, there's bound to be more somewhere.

Every channel I landed on each had something grim to show. One channel had White Fang members currently going hand to hand with some Huntsmen-in-Training. Another showed the bloody aftermath of another struggle, with several civilians and White Fang bleeding on the floor while the rest of the crowd tried to bandage everyone up. Yet another showed Weiss limping with several other individuals to the exit. One of the civilians had a buff White Fang member with a giant chainsaw slung over his back. But many of the civilians looked malformed, torn apart in a literal sense. I'm glad they're still alive, but at what cost?

And that's not even considering what's going on in Beacon or Vale. The bombs probably let Grimm into the city, but how much of it's currently contained? How many people down there managed to get to fortified buildings? How much negative energy is in the air right now because of this attack? I let out a sharp breath. I hope to gods Blake and Yang took care of the Cupid. If this attack doesn't kill us, I don't think anyone can survive the next one—

"Hahhh… hahhhh…" What the— My hand wrapped around Crocea Mors before swinging it around. Behind me, two meters away from the point of my sword stood a wobbly Ciel. Her chest trembled, making loud, wheezing noises every time the girl breathed in. Her legs in particular looked like they were going to collapse. Ciel shouldn't be up right now. If she's not careful, she's going to hurt herself even more than what I've already done to her.

Determined bloodshot eyes met mine. "Jaune Arc—"

"Ciel, don't take a step further," I ordered, jabbing my sword forwards to make a point. "Just sit down and rest. This is for your own good. Attacking me isn't going to help anyone."

She shook her head. "No… I'm not here to fight." Ciel pointed at the screen. "The footage. This… this isn't right. What's going on? Why are people dying?"

"You don't know— Right. You don't know." I took her scroll. Of course she wouldn't know. A sigh flew out of my mouth. "The White Fang made their move. They've bombed Vale and they're having Bullheads drop off people to attack Beacon and the Amity. The Stand users, my friends are out there fighting to protect everyone from the White Fang attack."

"No… this can't be possible." Ciel shook her head, staring at the screens. "This shouldn't be possible. The attack was supposed to be just the Amity Colosseum, so how in the world did they get the resources to bomb Vale yet cause so much damage to the Amity?" Her eyes widened. "…The Dust thefts and the Stand users. That's how they brought on so much destruction."

Her head bowed down, just barely stopping before meeting the ground. "I have to apologize. I let the selfishness of myself and my Kingdom get the better of me, and your Kingdom has suffered as a result. We never wished for this to happen, you have to take my word for it."

"Ciel… I'm sorry as well." I swallowed. "We let mistrust get between the two of us, between our Kingdoms. Maybe if we had worked together instead of worrying so much about the fate of the Arrow, this might've never happened." I started shaking. "A part of me wants to point fingers, blame others for everything that's happened. But we're not going to go anywhere looking for scapegoats or excuses. We need to save people right now."

I threw my sword to the side before extending my hand. "So I want to start over, from the beginning. From a truthful place, so we can reach a goal together." I smiled. "The name's Jaune Arc."

The girl stared at my hand for a moment, before taking it with a relieved look on her face. "Ciel. Ciel Soleil, specialist of the Atlesian Army. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, and I hope that our working relationship is a lot more fruitful than previously."

We backed away from each other, sizing the other person up. I finally let out a sigh. "Well, now that's out of the way, let's get you caught up." I pushed a nearby swivel chair towards Ciel before sitting on my own. I started typing on the screen. "From what I can tell, the White Fang are being pushed back. That's good, since we're trying to evacuate the civilians using the parked airbuses. Most of the sections have a ton of injured people, and there's no easy way to tell just how bad it is down there."

"Luckily, so far we've only seen two enemy Stand users. Weiss has taken care of one of them, and Ruby's currently going after the other one. The rest of the White Fang are regular people, and everyone is holding up against them."

I started flipping through the channels again. "We can get a decent amount of civilians out of the Amity and into a fortified shelter in Vale if this keeps up. But we need professional emergency care for the wounded right now. I tried calling Vale's emergency system, but they haven't given me a response. I think they're too focused on keeping Vale afloat to come for us."

The specialist nodded. "Understood. Give me a moment." She took her scroll from me and dialed something in. "Titan-Actual, this is Feathered Sun. Requesting medevac to extract civilians, target: Amity Colosseum. We need medical personnel and armed Knights, there's still a significant enemy presence here." She nodded her head. "Limited transport? Not an issue. The situation calls for medics to bandage and transport wounded civilians to docked airbuses and armed forces to guard against a counter-attack… That's right… Preferably a group of four medics and a squad of Knights per section…"

"Tell them to avoid section H," I whispered to her.

"Avoid section H. Currently too dangerous… We have people on that. Yes. Yes sir. Thank you, sir." She ended the call. "They're coming for extraction, ETA five to ten minutes. We're fortunate that a small section of the medical division wasn't currently overloaded with requests from Vale. In summary, you will have the medical team needed for the wounded civilians." Ciel put her scroll away. "Is there anything else we need to concern ourselves with right now?"

"Not unless I get a call." I nodded my head, flipping through the channels yet again. "Aside from that, we're better off looking through the live footage and switch between looking for stranded civilians and keeping an eye on Ruby. She has a lot of ground to cover if she wants to find the Stand user attacking that section, so any useful information we can get is vital— Huh?"

I stopped, staring at the footage. Ruby wasn't rushing forwards like she was previously, instead going to each person on the floor and pouring… something on each of the victims. Four other people were with her, each going to a different person and pouring some kind of substance on the wounded. I narrowed my eyes. Wait a minute… That's team C.M.E.N with Ruby. What in the world are they doing there? Were they just in the wrong place at the wrong time? I shrugged my shoulders. I mean, they're good help.

No, what I'm more focused on is the last person with them. Who is that? I narrowed my eyes. I don't recognize her. Maybe a civilian who survived the jellyfish? That's fine, but why didn't Ruby send that girl away to a safer section? Why bring a civilian into a dangerous environment? Man, Ruby has a lot to explain…

I narrowed my eyes. Something's not right. Aren't they supposed to chase after the Stand user? Why are they focusing their efforts on the civilians instead of the user? Did they already find them?

I flipped through the channels yet again, searching for the signs of a battle. The user has to be here somewhere… Even if it's just a beat up body—

Right as I landed on the docks camera view, my eye flew towards a shadowy figure sitting under the hood of an airship. Wait a minute… Who is that? I watched the figure reach over to a jellyfish and pat it on the top of its head before gently pushing it away from the landing pads. What the— That's the Stand user! I leaned towards the screen, narrowing my eyes as I tried to make out the figure.

They stood up, stepping out of the shadows and into some light. It's a small woman, maybe mid-twenties. Small antlers stuck out above the White Fang mask she had on her face. She had a head of vibrant red hair.

My eyes widened. Wait a minute… I flipped over to the footage of Ruby and the others. The moose woman… red hair, antlers, similar look… Oh gods… that's not good. I need to call Ruby! I snatched my scroll and dialed the girl. "Ruby!" No response. What? I looked at the screen. Everything's… normal. The call is connected, and it should be going through to her. But she's not picking up. It all but confirmed my realization.

I shot up from my seat. "Ciel, get the door open and take my spot on the seat. I need to get to section H as soon as possible." The girl let out a sound of affirmation, pressing a couple of buttons on her scroll. A click came out of the steel door before popping right open. "Thanks. Just help out anyone who calls, and contact me if anything pops up, alright?" She nodded. With that, I rushed out of the door.

A flurry of sweatdrops rushed down my face as my feet pounded against the cement floor. Oh gods. This isn't good. Not good at all. I increased the density of my legs, making every step go farther and faster. I need to get to Ruby now. She's in danger right now. She's already under attack, and not just by the jellyfish Stand user. There's somebody else working with the White Fang with her. Ruby's going to be betrayed.

* * *

"Hey, are you still alive?" I whispered to one of the downed people, crouching down. I brushed my cape back as I glanced over the man. Long, thin, angry red gashes slid across this man's face, the result of a jellyfish attack. The person didn't speak, but he did let out a small gasp. "Whew." I unstarted uncapping the bottle of vinegar I had in my hand. "Sit tight, sir. Everything is going to be okay, just close your eyes and let me pour this on you." With that, I let a small stream of the unpleasant smelling liquid drip onto the wounds. He started squirming the moment it made contact with his body. "Try to keep still. This is going to help with the stings."

He eventually let out a sigh, his muscles relaxing. I straightened up, turning to look at the moose Faunus standing up and brushing herself up. "Bori!" The redheaded girl turned to look at me. "I've gotten this person!"

"Thank you. I'll take care of him." She walked towards me and crouched over the person, pulling out a supplement bottle. "Here, take this."

I wiped my brow, adjusting my cape after I lifted the bottle of vinegar away from the person lying in front of me. "Whew… I think that's the last person in this section." I looked at the three Huntsmen-in-Training behind me. From the looks of it, Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder finished some time ago. They stood around, waiting for Bori to help this last person. I walked over to them. "Whew, I think we got all of them! Or at least the ones that are alive." I smiled, turning back towards the Faunus girl. "You know, I'm glad we have you around, Bori."

"Eh?" The woman jerked back. "Really? I mean, it doesn't really feel that way." She dipped her head down. "I know I showed you the guys the vinegar method for cleaning out jellyfish stings, but I'm not going to be of much help once we reach this mystery person. I just came here to find my sister. But when the actual fighting starts, I'm just going to be a hindrance to everyone else."

"Don't think of it like that, Bori!" I said. "You managed to save these people! They wouldn't have had much of a chance if you never suggested pouring vinegar! Then there's your suggestion for supplying the body with zinc! I know I wouldn't have ever thought of that! And even if this mystery attacker tries to go after you, the jellyfish won't come near you!" I rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're doing a fine job, Bori. There's no need to doubt yourself."

Bori nodded, giving me a small smile. "Thank you."

The gray-haired boy let out a long yawn. "Well, if we're done playing emergency rescue team with all of these guys, shouldn't we finally make our way to the landing pads? There's still that guy on the loose. You said yourself that we needed to get this done as fast as possible, right Ruby?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course! I'm just going to call Jaune first, tell him to relay the message to everyone in the other sections." I pulled out my scroll… only for my eyebrows to rise up in confusion. What the— the screen's all glitchy. I can't make out any of the text without it becoming all garbled up with the flickering screen. I turned to look at the team leader of C.M.E.N. "Uh… Cinder? Is your scroll fine?"

"It should be." She reached for her pocket and opened up the device. "Mine should be working fine— Wait a minute." Her eyebrows furrowed a moment later, making a quick glance at Emerald. "It _is_ glitching." She closed it immediately. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, my scroll's all glitchy," I said, tapping at the screen with a huff of frustration. That's weird, I'm sure that I didn't bump against anything recently. I just called Jaune with that. What's going on? I narrowed my eyes. Wait a minute… I remember this from somewhere… The simulation! My eyes widened. Oh gods, somebody's using a jammer!

"Guys, the White Fang's using an ECM jammer!" I turned to look at everyone. Most of them had looks of surprise and shock on their faces. As for Emerald… she looked like she was getting a bit pale. "I can't communicate with Jaune or the others. And I guess that's going to be the same thing for you guys' scrolls too." I started fretting. "That's not good. We need to go after the attacker now—"

Emerald suddenly broke into a sweat, grasping her head as she kept an eye on both me and Bori. "Agh! Something's ringing!" She stumbled towards me. "Make it stop, make it stop!"

Before I can react, Cinder smacked the scroll out of my hands, smashing it on the floor. Emerald released her head, letting out a gasp. I let out a gasp of my own. "Oh gods! Emerald, are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"Yeah, no. It's fine." Emerald winced, bringing herself upright again. "I'm kinda embarrassed to say this, but… well… I'm uh… sensitive to certain frequencies. It gets especially bad through a scroll if there's any kind of signal interference. It gives me bad migraines. Yeah, that's right. It's, uh, a weird health problem."

I gave her a nod. "That's okay. Again, I'm real sorry about that. I didn't know that you suffered from something like that!"

"Mmhm." Cinder stepped forwards, brushing a lock of hair back. "It's an unusual thing to be sensitive towards, but it's just like somebody who's sensitive to microwave beams or radio waves. They can't really help it." Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "I think it's best if we don't have our scrolls on for the time being. Until we find the jammer, we should keep them off."

"Got it." I groaned. "That's kinda inconvenient, but then again, what can we do?" I smiled. "At least we're maybe a turn or so away from the airships. Once we pass through the last wall of jellyfish—" I turned to look at the thick, pale, flowy wall in front of us. "—We're going to meet the person doing all of this."

The black-haired woman nodded. "We will." She sighed. "Some part of me feels sad for the White Fang of today. They suffered for so long. Most Faunus just want better lives for their families. They do everything in their power to live a quiet life, but they keep being followed and attacked by uncaring people, just because of their Faunus traits. The fact that it had to come to violence is sad, but almost inevitable. And honestly… it's sad what they might face if they lose."

She stared into the air, letting the world fade around her. As for me… I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Okay? Uh… that came out of nowhere. I leaned over to Mercury. "Don't you guys worry a bit about Cinder? Like, don't you worry about the things she says sometimes?"

He shrugged. "Sorta, but not really. Honestly, I don't care that much for what Cinder has to say about the world. As long as she keeps me focused on something, who cares about her rambling? At least I can still do something."

I turned towards the girl with the mint-colored hair. "What about you, Emerald? Don't you think this is weird, even for Cinder?"

"No. I trust that Cinder knows what she's doing." Emerald glanced to the side. "Her views on the world— Whew." Emerald swiped a lock of hair in front of her. "I don't know how to describe it, but you can just feel how much it means to her. It doesn't really bother me at all." I rubbed the back of my head. Huh.

"Alright, he should be good now," Bori sighed, finally standing up before dusting her hands off. Those words cut through the awkwardness lingering in the air, pulling us back together. "I guess that means there's only one place left to go: the landing pads."

Cinder snapped out of her thoughts at that moment, nodding along with the moose Faunus. "Right. The landing pads. The only place left…"

A distant, inhuman shriek ran through the stadium, causing the place to rumble. My eyes widened. What was that? Where did that come from?

Cinder bit her lip. "We don't have much time left. We need to hurry, now."

I nodded my head. "Yup…" I turned towards the civilian. "Bori, I just want to ask you one last time. Are you okay with going with us?"

"As sure as I'll ever be." She nodded her head. "I'm so close to where my sister should be. I'm not going to back away now. Not when she's so close to danger." The girl shivered. "I'm so scared… but I'll do it."

"Okay." I stepped in front of her. "I think now's a good time for the stall." I pulled it towards me. "Get in. I'll tell you when to come out, okay?" Bori nodded, climbing right in without a complaint. I turned towards the others. "And you guys ready?"

They nodded. "More than anything," Cinder whispered. We moved forwards, parting through the jellyfish with the help of Bori. One more wall of jellyfish separated, revealing the docks. None of the ships have departed.

"Hmm?" a feminine voice called out from the airbuses as we walked in. "You finally came. You think you can take the airbuses, or maybe you're here to stop me." A shadowy figure stood up from within an airship, putting on a menacing pose. "But I assure you, none of you are going to make it out alive. Not on my watch."

"Huh?" Bori called out, her voice muffled by the stall. The shadowy figure flinched. Bori started, "Wait a minute… I'd recognize this voice anywhere…" Bori climbed out from her cover, revealing herself. "Can it be?"

The shadowy figure let out a sound of confusion, stepping away from her cover. "No… there's no way… you were supposed to be away from the colosseum." She stepped into the light a moment later. I gasped. Her outfit was typical of the White Fang's, the usual gray and black garment with the Grimm mask. But her hair… she had the same shade of hair like Bori. Her stance was similar to Bori's. They even had antlers in the same area, although this woman had deer antlers instead of moose antlers. My eyes widened. No way.

The White Fang member lifted the mask away from her face, revealing a set of light green eyes staring at the moose Faunus in horror. "My gods… Bori?"

The woman let out a loud gulp, staring right back at the White Fang member. "Deery?"

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = _9/28/2018_**

* * *

R **ussel's Bizarre Adventure - Act 3**

An Ursa pulled itself to the surface, wiping its face before letting out a ferocious roar. One of the nearby civilians, a man in his thirties, shrieked at the sight, sending a tire crashing down from the barrier. It turned towards the frightened man, eyes glowing at the scent of fear in the air.

"No! Stay away!" The man hollered once more, falling flat on his bum and backing away as the creature of Grimm treaded towards him. "Stay away!" The monster didn't heed his warning. He threw a nearby rock at the thing. It bounced off without a fuss. The Ursa's right above him now. "Oh gods, please no, help me gods!" It raised a paw, and he recoiled. "Help—!"

A pillar of ice pierced through the Ursa's chest, killing it instantly. I reached the man a moment later, pulling him up to his feet. "It's okay!" I yelled. "I'm here! Don't worry about the Grimm! Keep going and finish the barricade!" The shocked man didn't say a word, giving me a single nod before rushing to pick up his material.

I muttered a curse. That was close. Way too close, in fact. We can't let the Grimm get that close to the civilians. We can't afford the wave of panic that can send through the volunteer group. But we need more firepower. Enough that the Grimm can't even make it to the surface.

My eyes flickered back. Current progress on the barricade is… decent. There's roughly a tenth of it fully erected. Enough so that we can put gunners in place to kill the Grimm before they surface. And the foundation is getting close to completion.

On top of the incomplete barrier were Sky and Dove, firing into the abyss alongside a group of four Atlesian soldiers with machine guns. And that's not counting the Atlesians lined against the wall, gunning down any creatures that managed to gain purchase on the edge. Dazzling streaks of light flew into the hole, piercing through the darkness within. Silence no longer exists, replaced by the constant dying cries from the creatures of Grimm, followed by the wet sounds of ichor splattering within. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, and they did were doing a good job at culling the horde.

Despite all that… I bit my lip looking at the monstrous claws raking against the lip of the hole, some managing to gain purchase. A significant amount of Grimm yanked themselves up to the surface, roaring at the rounds bouncing off their armor. The Atlesians fight well and fight bravely. But gods… the fact that there are still Grimm breaking through is not a good sign. I gritted my teeth. I didn't think I would say this… but now I really, really wished we had more Atlesian Knights to support us.

One of them, a three-meter tall Creep, turned to stare at me. I guess I'm up again. I twirled my blades in my hand, widening my stance as it approached. Gods, another one. I sighed. Let's just get this over with—

A solid 'clunk' sound rang through the plaza. The Creep fell to the ground, revealing a panting Cardin. Oh… never mind, then. We exchanged nods before Cardin rushed towards a Beowolf.

Around the arena, each Huntsman was going all out. The man in gray straight up cleaved through a different Beowolf's body with a single swing. He took just enough time to comb through his hair before jumping back into the fray. The Schnee-looking woman absolutely flew around the breach, scoring through the horde of Boarbatusks and sending a splattering of the black liquid flying. I puckered my lips. Good thing we didn't have to fight her. I don't want to think about fighting somebody with her skills.

But Amber… holy cow, Amber somehow is on a different level. This Huntress would be the picture next to the definition of grace. She is an absolute master at using Dust to her advantage. Fire Dust, Wind Dust, Ice Dust, Lightning Dust: it didn't matter what element she was using. With a swing of her staff, she easily combined each element and used them to rip through the Grimm with a frightening amount of efficiency. And best of all, it seemed like the Dust crystal on the top of her staff never ran out. I'd love to learn some tricks from her.

… I'm not falling for her, I swear.

I spotted a Beowolf that managed to slip through the cracks. My knife flashed with a practiced twirl. Let's take care of this one. Before it could even react, I was already on it, ramming both of my daggers into its back and yanking right, pulling it away from the civilians. One yank up sent my blade through its spinal cord, killing it instantly.

Whew. Another close call. I should probably pay more attention to this stuff. I let out a sharp gasp and looked at the in-progress barricade. With a unified grunt, the citizens pushed the final car up right then and there, finishing the foundation. Already they moved to fill in the gaps with removed tires and scrap metal. Maybe twenty percent of the second layer has been built now. The one Sky, Dove, and the Atlesian soldiers were standing on. Already we had some soldiers move from the ground floor to their perch, erecting turrets and bringing more firepower to the table.

Thinking about it now, this isn't too bad. I cleared my parched throat, climbing on an overturned car to catch my breath. I can feel my body start to creep towards its limit, and it looks like Cardin's in the same situation. But the other Huntsmen and Amber were still going strong. And thankfully, it's just the weak swarm-type Grimm we're fighting against and the occasional Ursa. If we can get the rest of the barricade up, that should be enough to entrap the Grimm. I nodded my head. Okay… We can do this. This is hard, but manageable. We just need to hold on long enough to—

A giant shadow enveloped us all of a sudden. Huh? It just went dark, like the gods turned off the moonlight… Did the Atlesians finally bring in their warships to help us? I glanced up… and my jaw dropped at the sight. Flying above us was… I don't even know how to describe it. It reminded me of a bat and a horned lizard combined together, then made a hundred thousand times bigger. That thing must rival the size of Atlas's airships! Its eyes glowed alongside what looked like a gem piece on top of its forehead. Pale red wings swung through the air, the monster strolling through the night sky.

I swallowed my saliva. Beads of sweat rained down my neck. Oh my gods… that thing's huge! Describing it as a dragon would be overstating the scariness of fictional dragons. This thing was nothing short of a demon. At this point, everybody else started to look up at the sudden object in the sky. Even the Grimm paused their attack to observe the flying monstrocity above us. Cries of terror rang out from behind the barrier. I resisted the urge to join them.

"Holy—" The scruffy Huntsmen muttered out loud. "Either I had way too much whiskey before this, or I didn't have enough to deal with this."

The white-haired woman could only nod in response as she let out a sharp breath. "Not enough. There isn't enough hard liquor in the world that can wipe the sight out of my mind, let alone yours."

Run. Cower. Get to safety. My mind screamed those commands, but my body refused to move. I started trembling. A creature of Grimm even Huntsmen fear. One that has to be thousands of years old, considering the size of its carapace. Several ion beams flew through the air, slamming against the soaring monster. Despite that, the creature kept flying forwards, shrugging off the blasts. Holy— I don't think there's any weapon that'll work against that thing, let alone any Huntsmen. How are we supposed to fight against that?

It opened its mouth and let out an ear-piercing screech, sending all of the citizens cowering. A long, large strand of inky black fluid started dripping from the bottom of its jaw, landing right outside the barricade. With that done, the flying monster flew away.

… What? What just happened? I turned around and looked at the glob that landed in the plaza. It bubbled and frothed, forming into a pool. I narrowed my eyes. Huh? Is it some kind of acid or something? It sorta seems as much. I don't think it'll be too dangerous, but we can just tell the rest of the civilians to stay away from it—

A muscular arm broke through the surface of the pool, causing me to flinch back with shock. Holy— what in the world is that? I watched as another arm emerged and grabbed the concrete. It's eerie watching the pool shrink as bit by bit, a gorilla Grimm emerged from the pool. A really, really big Beringel. It easily towers over the barricade we had set up. If that thing even touches the wall, that's it. We're done for. The whimpers of the civilians pressed against the barricade reached my ears. This time, I went along with them. It let out a ferocious roar.

"Hey!" Amber called out. "What's going on back there?"

"Beringel…" I muttered under my breath. The creature turned to look at the barricade in front of us.

"What?" It charged.

"Beringel!" My finger squeezed the trigger, forming a solid wall of ice in front of me. The Beringel slammed into it a second later. The wall cracked on impact, but barely managed to hold up to tons of force. It probably wouldn't survive another hit. "That dragon— It made a Beringel outside!" The volunteer group broke rank there, letting out screams of terror as they went off in different directions, abandoning the wall we had set up. And they weren't even in danger. My eyes widened. "Hey! Get back here! The barricade— You can't leave it unfinished!" That only served to heighten their fears. I cursed. Gods, why let my Stand backfire right now?

Amber pulled herself up next to me, letting out a gasp immediately after seeing the massive creature. For some reason, she wasn't affected by my Stand. "It's no use… I think we've lost them. We need to take care of that Beringel now. Oh gods… How are we going to keep this up…" She groaned, tapping her foot. "Russel, protect the civilians if that thing comes near." She brought her staff up. "I'm going to get rid of this thing before it causes too much trouble."

"You're going to kill that thing? It's a freaking Beringel! They can shrug off Dust blasts like nothing!"

"Who said I was going to use Dust?" With that, she started towards the beast, rummaging through a pouch at her side.

"Amber!" the Huntsman barked at her. I glanced over. The caped man had a massive scythe out, cleaving through a row of Creeps like a hot knife through butter in the blink of an eye. He reminds me a lot of Ruby, now that I think about it. His face grimaced as he finished off his attack by decapitating an Ursa. Sheer terror was painted on his face. "Don't do anything stupid! We still need you alive!"

"Don't worry, I have a plan!" Her hand produced some kind of dusty stone. "You just need to buy me some time! Trust me on this one, Qrow!"

The bearded man gritted his teeth. "No! Your Dust is better utilized defending the barricades. I'll take care of it, you two make sure that the barricade gets made!" Under his breath, he muttered, "I've never felt so scared in my life." Before Amber could argue with him any further, Qrow jumped over the foundation and bolted towards the Beringel, scythe in hand.

"… Tsk!" Amber let out a sharp sigh. "Gods… But this Beringel isn't a one man job… we _need_ it gone if we hope to get the volunteers to build again." She turned to me. "Russel, we're going to need to work quickly, then. Give me your hand." When I did, she pressed the stone into my palm. "This is raw chalk. We're going to use it to create a circle roughly the size of the Beringel. I'll show you why once we're done." With that, she dusted her hands, using the ring to cover them with chalk before running her finger across the ground. A chalk line formed where her finger moved. "Come on, we don't have much time."

"Uh… okay." We worked fast, and before we knew it, we formed the circle. Amber dusted her hands one more time before pressing them against the circle. The tiny golems moved into the circle, filling it up with a lot of browns and blacks. "Thanks. Now move out of the circle. You probably don't want to fall in." I narrowed my eyes, stepping out. Wait, what?

Everything inside the frame changed, revealing an image of… the edge leading to a giant rocky chasm. My eyes widened. What the— Holy, that looks so real… And all that out of a chalk drawing?

"I found this place in the mountain ranges of Mistral," Amber groaned, her voice straining. "The Samaria Canyon… a deep chasm. It's supposedly one-point-six kilometers deep, more than enough to kill anything thrown in." Before I knew it, the drawing became real. My gods… it looks like I'm actually staring at the real thing.

Her knees buckled; veins swelled up on her forehead. "Russel… get Qrow's attention. Push it in."

"Right." I looked up, now seeing the not-so-clean-shaven man locking his arm around the Beringel's neck. "Qrow!" He looked up at me. "Over here! Throw the Beringel in!"

"Agh, can't believe you guys didn't listen," Qrow called out, still swinging forwards and dragging the Beringel towards the image. "But if it means not dealing with this, I won't complain!"

"Just hurry!" Amber grunted. "I don't know… how long I can hold a portal this big!" Her eyes started rolling up into their sockets. "I'm… about to…"

With one final grunt, he pushed the Beringel forwards, throwing himself off at the same time. The good news is that Qrow actually managed to be right on the mark, shoving the monster straight into the hole. However, right then and there, the 'portal' snapped shut before the Beringel completely fell though. Its right arm was severed at the shoulder, causing it to roar in pain. However, it managed to prop itself back upright with one hand, eyes glowing with absolute hatred.

"Oh gods, that's not good," Qrow muttered. "I guess we just have to try this again. Come on, let go." I nodded, but we got no response from Amber. "Amber?" Qrow and I glanced down, only to gasp when we saw Amber lying on the floor. "Amber!"

The man rushed over to her and checked her heartbeat. "She's still breathing, and her heart's still beating," he confirmed. "I guess she fainted. But gods… that's one Huntress down." Qrow pulled Amber over his shoulders, stood up, and glanced at the enraged Beringel. "And we still got one big gorilla to fight."

I gritted my teeth. He's right. What in the world are we going to do with Amber down?

"Are you guys done with the Beringel, yet?" Cardin called out from inside the barricade. Several thunking noises followed his voice. "There's a ton of these guys around! I don't know how long I can hold up against these Grimm alone!" Above him, the Atlesians were also slowing down. I can feel the miasma of fear coming from them. It's as if they're ready to bolt. And the civilians are scattered… Oh gods, why did it have to come to this? If it wasn't for my Stand, this wouldn't have happened—

My eyes widened. But my Stand can fix it as well. I shook my head. I can't believe I'm thinking this right now… but it's the only option I have. I felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around my neck. If everyone's all scattered up, I have to rally them. If the people are scared, I need to replace that fear with something else. I stood up. It's time for **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** to truly shine.

A pulse flew through the area from my Stand. Everyone straightened up the moment the pulse hit them. " _We will not surrender,_ " I thought. The civilians running away stopped in their tracks. " _We will not stop. We will fight back._ " The Atlesian soldiers shot back to their usual disciplined stance. Cardin let out an energetic roar, renewing his assault in earnest. Qrow took in a sharp breath, muscles relaxing as he seemingly stood reinvigorated by words he can only feel.

The civilians started marching back to the barricade, although they passed over their dropped materials. If they did pick something up, they were held like baseball bats and the like. With a roar, they all collectively charged the wounded creature of Grimm. Oh no. The not-so-good part about this Stand. I can't control what everyone does, just how they feel. And while the feelings were supposed to target my team and the Atlesians, well… it applies to everyone. They're going to attack the Beringel, no doubt. And they're going to get its attention. I started forwards. Well, I just have to keep the Beringel's attention on me.

I fired an ice shard at the creature, beaning it in the back of the head. "Hey!" I yelled. The creature turned to focus on me. "You want something to fight? That's going to be me!"

That was a bad idea. The Beringel roared at my defiance, picking up an abandoned car and throwing it at me. Jumping to the side didn't stop the car from exploding and riddling me with shrapnel. I let out a gasp as they pierced through me. I coughed out a mouthful of blood and dropped to my knees. Oh gods. Still, I stood my ground. I can't break. I'm the only thing holding the crowd together. I stared down the gorilla, watching it roar in fury as it grabbed another car to throw at me.

But before it could do anything, the crowd was upon it. It was an unfair fight, to be honest. The Beringel was fighting on two fronts: Qrow dealing a ton of damage on one end, the civilians harassing it and taking cheap shots wherever they could. The creature was absolutely confused, instantly overwhelmed by attackers at all angles. It dropped the car. But before it can swing at a person, I fired off an ice shard, pinning its remaining arm to a building. I let out a bloody grin, pushing myself to stand even with the shrapnel in my body. " _Keep going._ "

With one last strike by Qrow, the Beringel slumped to the ground, dissolving into the air. Everyone roared at their victory, including me. We did it. We stopped the threat. I collapsed to the floor. Ow… I don't think I'm going to be fighting anymore. As I was being taken off the battlefield, I focused on one last thought, and smiled as the crowd moved with even more fervor. I think we'll be okay. We're going to survive.

My last thought? " _Finish the barricade._ "

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 ** _Retrospective:_ Six Days was one of those Stands that admittedly, I created for the sake of the story. The attack on Vale needed Stand user villains to fight against, and well, Six Days was what I came up with to sell the scope of the attack. As you guys know, this is one of the few Stands I decided to adopt darkmist111's Stand idea over the one I had. But what did I originally have in mind for this Stand?**

 **Six Days was originally inspired by the concept of trypophobia, or the fear of closely packed holes. It would've worked a bit like Sticky Fingers, where surfaces the Stand touched would decay and form those packed holes, which Banesaw can easily rip through to create more combat options. At the time, I felt that it fit with Banesaw, a figure I imagined disfiguring people and destroying their lives with prejudice. Now... I personally feel like an ability like that would fit someone more sadistic. Banesaw I felt is a brutal character, but hardly sadistic. And honestly, weight transference worked better against Weiss.**

 **Moving on, the Cupid fight is one I felt very uncomfortable writing. Like many people said before, it's not an easy thing to kill a child, to kill innocence even if you dehumanize them. Even though I knew I'm not actually killing a child, every fiber of my being felt it was wrong. Why did I write it? For one, the story's always been about stopping the Stand threat against Vale. To end the Stand threat, the source needed to be eliminated. The Cupid dying marked the beginning of the end.**

 **Then a big aspect of the Cupid fight was the idea of motherhood. When you boil the fight down to its essentials, it's basically a challenge of taking a baby's toy away. Only that the toy is a catalyst of mass destruction and the baby can rip your face off. This scenario was actually inspired by my time volunteering for a parenting class. How should you raise your kid? What do you do to get your child to agree with you? How should you treat your child as they grow older? Those questions were in my mind when I wrote that chapter. I only hope I did some kind of justice to what I've picked up there.**

 **Finally, Warflower. This is one of the first battles I thought of making when I first thought of RWBY BA, and I loved how well it came out. That battle felt like a "lightning-in-a-bottle" moment, something truly special. It's the definitive 2 v. 1 Stand fight in this story, and I never felt more creative writing this section. But it might not always been that way.**

 **My original idea for Warflower was to have an ethereal "tree" of blood rooted to Adam. Bloody vines would snatch people from maybe four meters away and steal their blood all vampiric-like, a vicious call for more violence and more payment for the mistakes of the past. And as more blood is collected, the "tree" got more engorged and would grow. If left unchecked, Adam can very much collapse to the sheer size of the Stand. But the tree can regurgitate the blood like an acid, melting anything it touches.**

 **I ultimately abandoned this ability simply because spike formation is one: a lot simpler to write and think battles through, two: will not instantly fail when Yang finally unlocks her Stand, and three: is a lot more subtle about its themes than the tree. Don't get me wrong, I put in a lot of thought into the blood tree idea. So much inspiration came from reading about carnivorous plants. But sometimes, good ideas need to be scrapped for a more engaging story, and darkmist111's ability gave me a better story than the blood tree.**

* * *

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **mastergamer14: Alright, then. I'll go through these Stand abilities one by one.**

 **Pyrrha and One Ok Rock... I like the Stand name. I personally don't think it fits Pyrrha, but it's a good name nevertheless. Both geokinesis and mineral/metal composition are solid foundations to a Stand ability. I personally lean towards mineral/metal composition, since it has strong synergy with Pyrrha's Semblance and I feel that the ability is specific enough to create interesting scenarios. Of course, these scenarios are highly dependent on setting, but I like the implied challenge of making it work.**

 **Ren and Odd Future... Odd Future is another good Stand name. You're definitely on a roll regarding that. And probably manifestation as you describe it sounds like one hell of a Stand ability. Making the improbable possible fits with Odd Future. I personally don't think it fits Ren, though. He's never been a character I would associate with luck or probability. However, I think that with proper setup, this Stand and ability can work with him.**

 **And now for Nora and Live Wire/Thunderstruck. Three for three with the Stand names. You're pretty good with that. As for the ability, Live Wire/Thunderstruck definitely feels like an improved Red Hot Chili Peppers. Being able to manipulate electrical impulses on top of electrical "absorption" makes Live Wire an incredibly strong Stand when facing electricity. I would argue that combined with Nora's Semblance, this makes her easily the most broken Huntsmen/Stand user out there. I feel like she needs to be nerfed somehow. If Nora had a tazer or Lightning Dust on her, that can be an easy win button.**

 **Guest: I know, right? I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

 **metacllica: Oh man, I don't even know where to start. It's like you've taken the words out of my mouth. I honestly don't think I can comment on your review and provide better insight than what you already have, but thank you. All I can say is that this is one of my favorite Stand fights I've written to date, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it as well.**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter's battle, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Thank you, Ultimate Kuuga! And yeah, Adam got wrecked in that fight! Loved the final end result!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: I hope this chapter answers your questions well. Thank you for reading!**

 **Mathew Cipriano: Thank you! And as for Everyday Boy, this has always been a weird one. The idea is that Everyday Boy manifests under Jaune's skin and over his muscles, which means he doesn't outwardly reveal whether he has his Stand out. If I was to create a drawing or something to show it off, I'd probably stylize it like Midoriya with the glowing "veins." But in-universe, it is not supposed to be spottable by even Stand users.**

 **doa570047: Yup. Combustion vs burning up. It seems like the same thing, but that mistake can easily be fatal. And yeah, honestly there isn't much you can do to develop an ability past "spontaneous combustion."**

 **As for your questions on Warflower, the conditions are that the materials need to be in a certain range for the bubbling effect to occur. And for organic materials, it just has to be non-living.**

 **Funny thing: I considered having Warflower apply to living organic material as well. But then I realized it's easy to shoot spikes out of his victims before using a ground spike for the kill. That's the dominant strategy for the ability with that addition, and I don't enjoy writing that, so I scrapped it. Basically, Adam can't use his Stand on living people. However, if there's a corpse, Adam can theoretically use his Stand on it.**

 **Going back to Yang, her Japanese VA does yell out ORA when punching. But from what I've seen, it was referenced only once: during the Initiation arc. Every other time was normal cries.**

 **And to end this, we go to Russel. Yeah, his ability is game-changing, depending on who has it. But like Okuyasu, his ability is restrained by his mental blocks. But if Russel got cocky... I wouldn't want to go against him.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: September 28, 2018**_


	46. Heathens (Hurting Each Other)

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **A few milestones mentions this time around. We've reached 175 Followers as well as 45K views! I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying this fic enough to follow and view it that many times! As we approach the end of the fourth arc, I want to thank you all for being there for this bizarre adventure. And as we approach the beginning of the end, I hope that you all enjoy the last leg of the fic.**

 **I got nothing else to say aside from that, so let's get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all their help!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

My jaw dropped the moment I heard Bori say the user's name. I can't believe it. I clutched my cape, trying to absorb this new information. Bori… knows the attacker? No, Bori doesn't just know this Deery person. They're related to each other. They're sisters.

All this time, when team C.M.E.N and I were searching for the person killing so many people… that person was Bori's sister? I shivered. Oh my gods… this is— I don't believe it.

And from the looks of it, Bori can't, either. She shook her head, shrinking away from the airships. "No… no way. Deery… this— this can't be happening, there's no way you're one of them. This can't be you! You can't be the one doing all this! You can't be a terrorist!"

The deer Faunus sighed, shaking her head. "You're wrong. There's a lot about me that you don't know, Bori. But you're right in saying I'm not a terrorist."

"But, but— you're fighting for the White Fang!" The moose Faunus started backing away. "Wha— I— But VNN—" Deery hugged herself. "You know what the White Fang does to people. The Dust raids in Vale, the bodies after a White Fang riot..." She shuddered, her body a quivering mess. She stared off into the distance. "Both Faunus and humans hurt or… or worse. How? How could you be part of that? Why?"

The deer Faunus broke eye contact from Deery. "You wouldn't understand, Bori."

"No. No, I don't." The moose Faunus took a deep yet shaky breath in. "None— none of this makes any sense. You're in Kings Uni, the best of the best, studying to get your Ph.D. in biology. Your research on jellyfish has and will save lives. All those summer days as a lifeguard, you've saved so many people. They owe so much to you."

"And what about the time you helped me when I was a mess? You were there when nobody else would." Tears started rolling down her eyes. She looked like she was just about ready to faint and collapse, yet she still stood. "I don't understand… you have everything that anyone can ever want in life. Why throw it all away? Why join the White Fang?"

"Bori… Nothing's like you think it is. I _don't_ have everything." The woman let out a sigh. "The research? Higher ups are cutting funding. I have no idea if it'll ever see the light of day. My lifeguard days? People doubt me, mistrust me, just because of these." She pointed at her horns. "Every little mistake I made, there was always someone ready to yell at me. And watching my colleagues escape that treatment, it's so discouraging…" She gritted her teeth. "And yeah, I was there during your breakdown, but do you remember the cause of that?"

The moose Faunus glanced away, touching the base where her antlers met her forehead.

"I remember the moment you broke down," Deery hissed, gritting her teeth. "Your head hovering over the kitchen sink and a hacksaw in hand, tears running down your face. Hours and hours of you talking about wanting to become normal, to be like everyone else. To be _human_." Bori shrunk back hearing those words.

Deery closed her eyes, letting a sharp breath out. "Those bullies, those ignorant _humans_ made you ashamed of your own heritage. They made you feel like less than a person, and they do that to everyone like us. Do you know how helpless I felt with you in my arms, keeping you company while you cried and hated yourself for something you can never change? How much pain, sorrow, and regret that filled my heart hearing your tears?"

The woman rubbed her eyes. "It always goes back to humanity. Since when has it not?" She let out a half-hearted laugh. "They hurt me, they hurt you, they hurt all of Faunus-kind. And they're not going to let us live our lives like everyone else." Her muscles tensed up. "They won't ever give us a fair playing field and allow us to simply just… be. If we don't stand up for ourselves and make our point clear to society, it's going to be like that forever. Is that the world you want to live in, Bori? Because I don't want that world for any of us."

I stepped forwards. "Deery… killing people isn't going to help. You want to live your life like everyone else. You're not going to make that happen by taking other people's lives. That way, everyone gets hurt and it's worse for everyone."

"And what better solution do you have, human? 'Keep your head down and work your way to the top'?" Deery let out a scoff. "It never goes away, no matter how high up you climb. There were so many doors slammed in my face, both literally and figuratively. So many things I wanted to do with my life, what I hoped Bori could do with hers… so many paths closed off, just because we're Faunus. And the pain we feel… it never stops hurting. The Faunus will always feel it if we don't do something now."

Her skin rippled for a moment before several bulb-like objects popped out from pale skin. One by one, box jellyfish floated out of her, forming a loose cloud around her body. "Maybe what I'm doing is wrong. Maybe I'm destroying other people's lives for the sake of the Faunus. But I won't let the sting of rejection hurt us anymore. If lives are what it takes to find happiness, I'll take it. My **「** **HEATHENS** **」** will break down this corrupt society before making it new again, fair for us all."

Bori shook her head, tears starting to slip out of her eyes. "Deery… Oh gods, this… this isn't the Deery I know and love. Please, snap out of it—"

"No, you need to snap out of it!" The moose Faunus flinched back in horror. Deery let out a growl. "This is the kind of person I am! This is the kind of person I needed to be! For you! For your safety and your well-being!"

That was the breaking point. Bori fell to the ground, letting out a cry that rang to the bone. All the shock, denial, despair, pain, and hopelessness Bori held inside spilled right out. I felt it, and I felt it hard. The rest of team C.M.E.N. must've felt the same way, them taking on postures that screamed how uncomfortable they are right now.

Anger morphed into regret on Deery's face, then to sorrow. She reached a hand out to her sister before touching her own face. "Bori… please, don't do this to me. Not right now. I… I—" She looked away. "I don't expect you to understand, but it's— it's all so complicated. I'm not a monster. Not like my colleagues, those who enjoy hurting other people. Those who use Faunus liberation as an excuse to kill."

"But— but you're not someone who hurts people at all," the older sister sobbed. "You're kind, smart, and— and confident. You just… _want_ the world to be better, and you'd do something about it. Y-you would smile and grin and bring smiles to everyone you walk past. You wouldn't hurt a fly even if it landed on your strawberry shortcake." Bori clutched her chest and plopped her head in a puddle of tears and snot. "You aren't anything like the White Fang, you're lying. Please, Deery… please stop this."

Deery turned her head away, closing her eyes while she shook, biting her lip and keeping her silence. The jellyfish were coming out of her body a lot faster now. I turned towards Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald. "Guys, we need to do something now," I whispered. "While we still have the chance. Deery might be having doubts. Maybe we can convince her to stop her attack."

"That's what I'm seeing as well," Cinder murmured, frowning for a split second before becoming neutral again. "There's… a chance. Then again, I'm not really sure about how well that'll go. You might convince her of the opposite and affirm her willingness to fight."

I let air run out of my nose. "Yeah, that's true. But we're _not_ fighting against Deery. Not with Bori still here. She might not handle that well."

"It might be the only option we have, though," Emerald butted in. "This Deery's making more and more of this fog by the second. Eventually, we'll have no more room to work with. Bori's natural jellyfish repellent won't help us if we're trapped." Emerald shook her head. "I think we have to fight."

My eyebrows furrowed up. This isn't good. We might fail to convince Deery to stop the attack, but I don't want to hurt Deery in any way, and we don't have a lot of time to choose. Come on, brain. Think! What can we possibly do in this situation…

Cinder stepped forwards, catching my attention. "The ships."

"Huh?" I raised his eyebrow. "Say that again?"

"The airships, that's what we were originally here for. That was the plan, right? Stop the attack, get an airship then help more people." I nodded my head.

Cinder gestured towards a Bullhead. "I say we should switch up the order of the plan. You and Bori stay here and try to persuade Deery to stop. My team and I will sneak around and take the Bullhead over there. We'll take off and get some help. If you're successful, we'll continue with the original plan. If you're not… Well, I'll bring backup to arrest her."

The black-haired girl shrugged. "Personally, I don't think this is the best course of action, but it's one that's agreeable for everyone. So, what do you think?"

I nodded. "That's… actually perfect. Alright, then. Get ready to start moving." I turned to face the deer Faunus. "Deery!" The woman opened her eyes, glaring right at me. "Maybe we can work something out!"

"What is there to work out, human?" She scoffed at me, her face growing stone cold yet again. "You don't understand a thing. You don't get what I had to go through just to put food on the table and make my sister happy. What can you argue? No matter what, I'm going to keep this attack going."

"Even if it breaks your sister's heart?" Deery said nothing, continuing to stare down at me. I continued: "You're right, I don't understand what the Faunus go through here in Vale, in all of Remnant." From the corner of my eye, I noticed Cinder and the others making their move. It's all on me now. My eyes locked into Deery's. "I don't understand the pain and misery the Faunus feel. But what I do understand is your dedication to protecting your sister."

That got Deery to raise her eyebrow. "What? Is this a joke?"

"I'm not joking, Deery. I have the same kind of relationship with my own sister." I nodded my head and sighed. "There was a time when we had to rely on ourselves, back when my Mom died and my Dad shut down in grief. I was just a toddler, my sister only two years older than me. We had each other's back, needed to. And even if life for us got better, that feeling never went away." I took a deep breath. "The feeling of wanting to protect others from harm, that transcends species. The love only family can feel and understand… I understand how you feel as well."

Deery flinched when at that moment, I took a step towards her. "There is nothing more any sibling wants more than to keep their brothers or sisters safe. That's why I decided to step up whenever people like us appear." **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** appeared behind me, causing the White Fang woman to gasp in surprise. "We both don't want the world to hurt the people we love, so we fight to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Shut up, shut up!" The jellyfish started to float toward me. Deery clenched her fists, her face tense. "We are nothing alike!"

"We might be fighting on opposite sides, but we have a lot more in common than you'd expect." I continued walking toward her, folding Crescent Rose and putting her away. "We both fight to protect the people we love. You fight with the White Fang in order to protect your sister and all of Faunus-kind from injustice; I fight to protect my family and the people of Vale from ourselves. Both good causes on opposite sides."

I shook my head. "We're victims of circumstance, forced to take arms against each other. That sucks, don't you think?" I gave Deery a cheery smile. "Maybe we don't need to fight each other, if that's the case. Maybe we should just talk and actually try to understand each other."

Tears started welling up in the deer Faunus' eyes. "No, we can't! You don't understand! We have to fight each other! There's no other way! If the Faunus want to ever have a true voice in Remnant, we can't accept things the way it is!"

The jellyfish swarm kept floating towards me, coming within four meters of me. Deery took a sharp breath. "The moment we back off, the moment we say 'we're okay with this,' everybody looks away and ignores the rest of our problems." She shook her head. "I can't… I won't allow our problems to be forgotten from the public eye. If… if the world needs to be shocked into action to realize there's more to be fixed, I'll do it."

At this point, the jellyfish were maybe a meter away from me. I can feel sweat dripping down my face as I can make out every individual tentacle connected to the hundreds of skull heads. Okay, where's team C.M.E.N right now? From the corner of my eye, I could make out their clothing waving through the air as they continued along their path. I don't think they've been seen yet. Alright. As long as all of the attention's on me than them. It's more important they get on a Bullhead and get backup for the rest of the injured.

That doesn't mean I can't defend myself. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** raised her fists. I don't know… I'm not sure if my words broke through to her. Who's going to back away first: me, or Deery? I tensed up. The swarm's getting real close to me… Did I fail? Did my words fail to reach the woman? I think at this point, I'll just have to break myself down in order to get past—

The cloud of marine animals reacted in an instant, floating away from me without hesitation. My eyebrows flew up. She's backing off… Hey, maybe my words meant more to Deery than I originally thought—

"Deery!" Before I realized it, Bori stepped in front of me, throwing her hands out. When did she get up? **「** **HEATHENS** **」** continued drifting away, the skulls turning so that it no longer faced us.

My jaw dropped a bit as I stared at the back of the moose Faunus. Tears still ran down her face. She still looked like an absolute mess. The woman didn't look even close to recovering from the news. The news torn her apart, broke her down and sent her falling to the ground, but despite all that, she's on her feet now. "Bori…" I breathed out.

The woman twisted her head back. Within eyes sunken from crying, I saw the slightest glimmer of determination glowing from within. "Please, let me take care of this." Her voice sounded so small, so insignificant. Yet every word is filled with strength and bravery no one would ever expect from her. I nodded, stepping back.

She turned her head back to her sister. "Deery, I— I think I'm starting to understand. You're only doing what you think is best for you and me. And— it means a lot that you care." Bori took a long breath in. "But our voice won't die just— just because we aren't yelling loud enough. People can hear just fine." She looked up at her sister. "Deery, we can still work for what we want. We can still fight and not hurt a single person. You don't need to attack to move forwards."

"But— but we have to. We need to." Deery tried jabbing a finger at us as if attempting to rally the jellyfish to action, but nothing happened. She let out a frustrated grunt. "We've put so much into making this attack work. The shops we've destroyed, the deals we've made with criminals, the Grimm we've let in, the people I've hurt along the way... We've done so many terrible things, dug ourselves too deep of a hole. We're too far along to quit. No one's going to forgive me for what I've done. I have to keep going!"

"You don't have to, Deery," Bori said, her voice cracking as she choked back a tear. Every word out of the woman's mouth filled her with a little more strength, just enough to stay standing. "You don't need to keep fighting and hurting and killing. I don't want you to. You might have hurt hundreds of people right here, but you don't need to hurt anyone else. You can stop and try to fix the mistakes you've made."

"Will it matter at this point? I'll be branded as a traitor to the Kingdoms." Deery grabbed a handful of hair. "Maybe I had a place in Vale. But that's all over now. That bridge burned down the moment I joined the White Fang." Deery glanced up at us, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't want us to get hurt anymore. I just want you to be able to walk through the streets, happy that you're a Faunus instead of hating yourself. A world where you never needed to doubt your own self-worth, but be proud of who you are." She swallowed. "I just want you to be happy."

Bori gave her a smile. "I am happy, though. I have the best sister in the world, one who takes care of me when I'm weak, one who has the drive and determination to live your life even when the cards were stacked against her. One who would do anything for the sake of family. You might be my little sister, but you're my hero, too. And I want to return the favor." The moose Faunus offered a hand out to her sister. "It's not too late. We can walk away from all this and create something we can be proud of. Let's go home."

"Bori… I— I—" Deery's face contorted. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. "What have I done?" She dropped to her knees, her head down as she stared at her hands. "What have I done?" she whispered, the conviction in her words gone. It's all over. Not a single punch thrown.

The sounds of rumbling verbated through the air, causing everyone to stumble. What in the world? I ran towards the ledge, stepping out of Bori's field of protection. Almost immediately, the jellyfish started floating towards me. I didn't give them a chance, breaking down my body and floating through the crowd towards the landing pads. What's going on?

I let out a gasp when I reformed myself past Deery. In the distance was some winged beast flying in our direction. I squinted. Huh? It's clear that it's some kind of Grimm, but it's nothing like anything I've ever seen before. But from the looks of it, it kinda looks like—

My eyes widened. Oh my gods, that's— that's a dragon! I pulled Crescent Rose out and peered through the scope. Holy— Is that… Grimm forming out from that dragon? I narrowed my eyes. Sure enough, Beowolves and Ursai sprouted out from the wings of the monster, ripping themselves away from the dragon before falling towards the city. Oh my gods… just what is that thing?

"Ruby!" I turned my head to see Cinder standing next to the doorway of the Bullhead. Emerald and Mercury were in the cockpit, flying the Bullhead. What the— How did they get the engine up and running so quickly? Did they somehow manage to get lucky and got the Bullhead with the keys still inside? And isn't Cinder the only one who knows how to fly? I shrugged. Details aren't exactly important right now.

"Cinder!" I yelled back. "We need to change plans! You see that dragon in the distance?" I pointed towards the approaching creature. "It's creating Grimm and dropping them into the city! Vale might not survive if someone doesn't stop it! We need to warn Atlas right now!"

"You mean the Bistern dragon flying towards us?" Was that its name? I nodded my head.

Cinder let out a long hum, pressing her hand against her chin. "What a magnificent creature. It's said that back when the first settlers of Vale found this creature, it had made its den on the Beacon Cliffs. Grimm would make their way down the cliffs to strike the Kingdom walls. It was only stopped after an army of Remnan Knights drove towards Mountain Glenn, where it was buried. Hundreds of people died trying to get it over there."

I bit my lip. "Cinder, you need to focus! Now's not the time to let your mind wander about stories of some ancient Grimm! We need to shoot it out of the sky before it destroys all of Vale!"

"Trust me, Ruby. My mind is as clear as day." My jaw dropped. Huh? Did she go completely insane? The black-haired girl combed a lock of hair back. "You know, when you think about it, the Bistern is just returning home after centuries of exile. It was kicked out of its home by settlers who stole it. Justice is on the side of the Bistern, and the pendulum has swung away from us Remnans. It's come to shatter the pot we made from its home."

Huh? What is Cinder babbling on about? This is getting kinda scary. The girl then turned towards the kneeled down Deery. "The White Fang… it's a shame their attack has been pushed back. We gave them power, and they gave everything they had for this one chance. Yet they failed. They did accomplish our goals, though. They brought the Grimm in, and the Bistern awakening is a nice bonus. For the role they've played in fixing this world, they've done their best. I won't forget their sacrifice."

It all clicked in my head. The Cupid, the Arrow, the mastermind behind it all… I shook my head. No way… this can't be real. Not them. I stared at Cinder in disbelief.

"You've realized it now, didn't you?" That all but confirmed the sharp, bitter feeling in my heart. Cinder continued, "I'd explain more to you, but you probably won't listen. Not after everything that's happened."

"… Why?" I asked. "You've put people through so much pain, made them suffer so much. The Cupid, the Arrow. You had it cause chaos. All of this to destroy Vale. Why bother?"

"I've already explained it so many times." Cinder shook her head. "I don't see how it can't get easier than 'justice.' The cracked pot that's ruining everyone's lives. The people need to become stronger and united. To care for each other. It's a fix that was bound to happen. It just happens to be me that will take that step towards that goal."

"Stronger? Cinder… you're killing innocent people. How can you justify death to make us stronger?" I stepped towards the drifting airship. "Weren't we friends? What was team RWBY to you? What was I to you all?" The temperature in the air turned cold. Both Emerald and Mercury looked away, trying their hardest to not look at me. "Weeks of discussion, hanging out, enjoying time together— Does that mean nothing to you guys? Did it matter so little that you'd betray me without a second thought?"

The sounds of rumbling in the sky caught my attention. Oh my gods… The Bistern dragon just landed on one of the Atlesian airships! It looked like the biggest of the Atlesian fleet… Can the ship make it through? The dragon swung the aircraft around, biting through the side of the hull and part of an engine like it was cottage cheese. My eyes widened. Oh gods… The ship grew dim, starting its descent towards the ground as the draconic creature dropped it and continued on its way.

"You're overestimating how much our friendship matters in the face of progress," the black-haired girl hissed. Huh? I turned my attention back to Cinder. A look of pure frustration crossed over her face. "We might've been kind to you and your friends, spent time together, shared the same hobbies. Maybe that joy we shared together was genuine."

Cinder balled one of her fists up. "I will admit, you're a kind person, and I respect that more than anything else. But kindness and compassion mean nothing in the bigger picture. There's no place for emotions in a world that crushes anyone who acts on them. No matter how you'd like to categorize our relationship, whether it's as acquaintances, friends, or 'buddies'…" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter in the long run. I enjoyed the time we had together, but now, it's time I give that up to change the world. You are in the way of change. We aren't going to fight on the same side."

I balled my fists up myself. "Despite what you say… despite your belief that we'll never work together, you aren't saying Beacon didn't mean anything to you!" Cinder scowled at that. I continued, "Somewhere deep in your heart, you know that there's something about the Kingdoms that is worth saving. I know it, too. No, I can see what's worth saving." I took a deep breath. "You don't have to do this! We can work together. We can fix the world without having to destroy it!" I stuck my hand out. "Please, Cinder. Don't go down this path."

Wind whipped my face at that moment. What in the— Oh my gods. My eyes widened at the sight of the Bistern dragon as it approached us. Behind it, several airships turned in response to the new presence, only to stop before they could aim their cannons at the beast. They aren't going to try firing at it now; the Amity Colosseum's in the way. One wrong shot would send us all sinking to the ground, and all of Remnant is going to fall into chaos if the symbol of peace fell. We're at the complete mercy of this dragon.

"Well unlike Deery here, I have nothing worth saving. I only have people who need justice." Cinder glanced behind her. "The Bistern's going to reach the Amity soon. Mercury, Emerald, let's go." The girl glared at me as the Bullhead rose up. "Ruby. As someone who respects you, let me give you some advice. Don't try to fight it. Let go of your burden and stay out of this situation. Everything will get better once I bring back my mistress. We'll all find peace with each other. But until then… goodbye, Ruby."

"Cinder, no!"

Before I could do anything else, the Bullhead sent itself flying off into the skies, knocking me off of my feet. By the time I got back up, they were gone, far away from this place. I can't do anything to stop them. Not with my Stand, my Semblance, the blanks in my weapon, nothing.

Oh my gods… I fell to my knees, tears running down my face. Gods, why? Cinder, Mercury, Emerald… I can't believe it. I should've noticed it sooner. I could've stopped them, they were right there! If I figured it out sooner, this attack wouldn't happen. I tilted my head up towards the ceiling. I'm—

"I'm a failure." Huh? I turned my head towards the voice, eyes bleary. Deery, surprisingly enough, was curled up into a ball. Bori was already by her side, attempting to figure out from which direction to hug her sister. The Faunus user let out a weak, choking sound. "I let this happen. I abandoned my life, hurt so many people, hurt you, Bori. My actions summoned the dragon. And all I can do now is watch as that thing flies over to kill us all. This isn't happiness. It's annihilation." She buried her head into her legs. "I don't deserve to live."

"Deery… please don't say things like that." Bori gave up, wrapping her arms around her sister's entire body. "You deserve to live."

"I've doomed everyone to the dragon. That's unforgivable." Deery went limp. "I don't deserve to live. I don't want to live anymore. You don't deserve a selfish person like me." I glanced out into the skies to see the Bistern dragon rapidly approaching the Colosseum. More specifically, it was making a beeline towards our section. My eyes widened. Oh gods! I took a long breath, pushing away the feelings bubbling inside. Focus, Ruby. You have to make sure no one else dies here tonight.

I started making my way towards the deer Faunus. "Deery, none of that's true. You deserve another chance in life, no matter what you did. Maybe you messed up, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to live—!" I jerked back in surprise when a jellyfish popped out of the top of Deery's head. The Stand… I forgot that Deery never called back her Stand. I'm going to have to be more careful, then—

"Why bother continuing on?" Deery's voice had no emotion, no soul. "I'll just take my punishment for what I've done." A nearby jellyfish floated across Deery's legs, carving an ugly red line across her skin.

My eyes widened as Bori let out a gasp. "Oh my gods! Deery!" The elder sister reached for a bottle of vinegar. Meanwhile, I blinked in shock at the sight. What the— Her Stand just… hurt her. Stands aren't supposed to do that. Stands shouldn't harm the user, at least not directly… right? But the fact that Deery's been stung by her actual Stand… it's not trying to protect her anymore. But if that's the case, does that mean…

My eyes widened. She lost the willpower to control her Stand, just like **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** and **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** before Nolan and Russel respectively gained gods, it's going to start attacking everyone!

"Bori, get Deery on her feet and get somewhere safe!" I pulled out Crescent Rose, biting my lip as the landing zone started filling up with **「** **HEATHENS.** **」** "Get her to snap out of it and call back her ability! I'm going to need everything I can to stop the dragon in its tracks!"

The moose Faunus didn't say a word. All she did was nod, quickly splashing vinegar before pulling her sister upright. "Deery, come on. We have to go now." My eyes narrowed as some jellyfish started drifting towards the two sisters. What in the world? Is it just me, or did those jellyfish cross the protective border that Bori used to have? Wait a minute— they did!

I jerked Crescent Rose up. "Bori, get down!" The girl let out a scream, dropping to the floor right as I shot a blast of air, blowing the jellyfish away. Oh my gods, what happened to Bori's protective field? Why is she no longer protected by it?

Is it because Deery lost control of her Stand? One of Arslan's musings came to mind: the strength of one's Stand is based on creativity and the willpower to use them. The only thing blocking one from using its true potential is the moral lines one refuses to cross. If that's true, then Deery is in no position to control her Stand. She's not protecting her sister from the attack!

My head jerked up. "You need to be careful, Bori! You're no longer protected from the jellyfish!

She started to nod when the Bistern dragon landed with a thump, perching itself on the awning right above us. Yelps escaped from everyone's mouths as bits of rubble fell around us. The creature didn't waste any time, poking its head down into the landing area. It kinda reminded me of bats, if bats were out to destroy all of civilization. Although, Yang would argue they totally are already— Now's not the time for that, Ruby!

I shifted Crescent Rose into its scythe form, taking in everything around me. I'm surrounded by jellyfish that can kill me in a single hit. The dragon could easily destroy this whole entire place with a single bite, and it can summon Grimm that can slip past me and massacre the civilians inside. This is easily one of the worst situations I've ever been in. And I thought that mission back with the ancient Grimm Ursa was a bad situation. I have no choice. There's only one thing that can maybe hold the Grimm back, if not turn the tide outright.

Breathe in… breathe out. A tingling feeling started to grow within my skull. The cackling energy from back in the forest was zipping across my vision. My heart started beating harder as my vision started going white. It's going to overwhelm me— No! Continue the breathing. No matter what happens, focus on every single breath. It'll move. Another breath in, another out. Just like before, the energy left my skull, instead shooting through my body through a series of silver lightning arcs. I can feel my muscles grow even stronger than before…

I did another set of controlled breaths before staring down the monster in front of me. It definitely lost its cockiness, becoming a lot warier as we locked eyes. Its face wrinkled in almost displeasure at the power emitting through my body. The power of the Silver Eyes.

Another breath in, another out. I'm not even close to mastering this power. Heck, I only learned about these powers just over a week ago. Breathing exercises seem so easy, but turns out that I really, really suck at them. I need long, controlled breaths like before to harness my Silver Eyes. And well… I only had three days of breathing training. I couldn't get in a proper breathing session ever since the Vytal Festival. And I'm going to pay the price for it. Going against an ancient Grimm like that with the weakest grasp on my eye powers… This is insane!

But maybe I don't need perfect control just yet. I stared down the dragon, feeling the metaphorical sparks flash between the two of us. Just enough control to use it and fight the dragon. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** formed behind me. I have to destroy this thing now, and the Bistern combined with **「** **HEATHENS** **」** isn't going to make this task easy. Already droplets of black ooze fell to the ground, forming Ursai and Beowolves. One person against an entire swarm of Grimm and jellyfish. All of the cards are stacked against me… All I can do right now is just go all in and hope that I can make this work.

I shot a burst of air in front of me, creating a path through the jellyfish before charging towards the Grimm swarm. A wave of black and white rushed towards me in turn, letting out savage roars as they stumbled over each other for a chance to claw at me. Crescent Rose's scythe bounced behind me, ready to swing forwards like a bear trap. I narrowed my eyes as the mountainous pile grew bigger with every step. Silver eyes… please work.

One breath in… My eyes started radiating energy. For some reason, the side columns of the Grimm horde started to slow down. Only the center group continued on its way, but even then they tried surrounding me. No dice. I dashed to meet the group, snapping Crescent Rose forwards with all my might. One breath out.

Silver lightning bolts flew down my arms at that moment, sparking through my weapon's chassis and collecting at the blade right as it made contact with the Grimm in front of the pack: an alpha Beowolf. It squealed the moment my blade made contact, its flesh _burning_ as the electrical arcs leaped from my weapon into a shallow cut across its face. It disintegrated in front of my very eyes, silver arcs coursing over its skin and opening new burning pores to eat the creature alive.

The rest of the swarm hesitated at the sight of my powers close up. A fatal mistake. Crescent Rose came around, cleaving through several members of the center pack. However, there weren't any sparks this time around. They just got sliced in two with one swing. I let out a weak gasp as I let Crescent Rose's momentum grind through the horde. If I pay attention to my breath, I can channel enough energy through my baby for one swing. That's not really good, honestly. Crescent Rose by herself killed more Grimm here than with the power of my eyes. But then again, my eyes are frightening the Grimm, just a bit. That might be useful.

"Come on, Deery!" The voice of Bori rang through the arena as I sliced through yet another creature of Grimm. "Please, snap out of it! You need to call off the jellyfish cloud thing!" I sidestepped an Ursa, allowing it to barrel past me into Crescent Rose. She continued, "Please, you can stop all of this!"

"I can't do it. I can't possibly face myself for everything I've done." A yelp escaped my mouth as a jellyfish flew right over my head. Oh gods, they're getting real close to me— I fired a burst of wind to my left, making a mad dash through the opening and continuing my one woman stand. Deery let out a dejected sigh. "I thought I could control everything, from the jellyfish to all of society. All in the hopes that I could make life for us just a little bit easier. I'm so arrogant…" She groaned. "I never controlled anything. I was always just a pawn."

"Don't think like that, Deery." I blew a hole through the jellyfish cloud above the swarm. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** ripped my pinky away and threw it in the air, my rose petals following close behind. The moment I reappeared, I breathed in and fired another hole down towards the heart of the pack. I spun like a top on my way down, letting my breath out as I met the pack head on. Lightning coursed through the swarm, disintegrating every single Grimm within the reach of my scythe. Bori let out a long sigh. "You were taking fate into your own hands. Before today, I wouldn't have imagined standing up and acting when somebody needed it the most. I let myself be a bystander to the world, but you didn't stay at the sidelines."

"No, you stepped out and acted on your honest desires." My breathing started to get rough as I bobbed and weaved through the wave of both jellyfish and Grimm. I hissed, a few claw marks finally making it through my defenses. How long can I hold on… Bori continued, "You refused to accept the current reality, and you did all you can to change it. Maybe you made a bad choice, joining the White Fang. But you don't have to regret a single thing you've done."

Bori paused for a moment. Oh gods, the jellyfish are getting close again… I tried firing Crescent Rose, only to hear a _click._ Oh gods… I don't remember if I have any more wind Dust bullets… The moose Faunus spoke up right then and there: "People have to step from the sidelines to protect your loved ones. You showed me that, you gave me the courage to act on it. Maybe people see you as a terrorist, but I see you as my hero. You stepped forwards before, and people died. Please, for everyone else. Step forwards once again and stop it all."

A slow gasp escaped Deery's mouth. "Bori… thank you." The skulls started fading away, disappearing into the air.

I let out a gasp of happiness. Bori and Deery did it. They took out one problem in this situation. Another deep breath in caused my eyes to glow, forcing the Grimm around me to back up in fear. Now I just have to fight against an entire army of Grimm by myself.

I winced at the thought. That's… still not good. My eyes flickered to the head of the Bistern. I should just go straight for the big baddy Grimm. It's the one still spawning Grimm, but then there's Deery, Bori, and the other civilians in the section. The glow in my eyes grew stronger. They're not going to survive the Grimm horde long enough for me to defeat the dragon. There's no way I can hold up against a swarm of Grimm. Not by myself. I need a way to thin out the mass, but I just don't know how to do it when I have so little control over my eyes—

Wait! I'm making all of the Silver Eye energy in my eyes… But I don't need to keep a steady breathing rhythm to create the energy. Back in the forest, it started building up when I was grieving over Arslan. The energy was there. I just needed the breathing to channel it through my body.

The right side of my face split away from my head, red rose petals floating in front of me. I can work on the breathing and the channeling of my powers at a later date, but for now, there's another way I can use my Silver Eye powers. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** stepped forwards, left hand outstretched as the petals formed three silver balls. Each one had an amygdala center, the structure of my skull, and one-third of my eyeball laced into the bone cartilage. They all glowed bright silver, lightning arcs dancing across its center. This is already pretty good, but there's one more thing I can use…

"Deery." The woman made a scuffling sound, as if standing up. "I'm going to need your help. Do you see the ball bearings in the air? I need you to summon **「** **HEATHENS** **」** and bounce those balls around the room." I stared straight forwards, letting Silver Eye energy course through my remaining eye. "It won't hurt you, I've made sure of that. I'm going to take down the dragon once and for all."

"Are you asking me whether I can play a mean game of pool?" She let out a scoff. "I can do that just fine." A couple of seconds later, those skull jellyfish started drifting their way over the landing site, covering the air above us. The jellyfish were spaced a decent distance apart. Far enough to let me maneuver around without any problems, but close enough to do what I needed it to do. They bobbed in the air, waiting for me to throw the ball.

I smiled. "Thanks, Deery. Your move!" **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** flung the Silver Eye bearings, each one thrown in different directions. What happened after that was nothing short of amazing. The moment they made contact with a jellyfish, they bounced off at precise angles, smashing into nearby Grimm before flying back up towards another jellyfish. Everywhere the bearings touched, burning Grimm followed. It's almost hypnotic watching the Silver Balls bounce throughout the arena, lightning trailing behind them as they bounced through the Grimm swarm. Perfect. "That's good! Keep it up!" I reloaded and readied my scythe, with live rounds this time as my Stand ripped my right pinky off of my hand. I'm going to end this threat.

 **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** threw the pinky through the crowd and out of the arena, my disintegrated body quickly following behind it. My body locked itself back together a couple of meters from the Bistern dragon, took a breath, and swung my blade.

The roar that escaped the dragon was ear-shattering. Literally, I had to peel my ears away from my body and fill in my ear holes with them before the screech blew my eardrums. Still, I couldn't help but feel determination build up in my chest as my blade made a burning slice across its nose, snorting in vain in its attempt at removing the burning material. I soared past it, firing Crescent Rose multiple times, slowing my descent in the air. I looked down. Oh gods, I'm thousands of kilometers above the ground. I glared up at the dragon, which to be honest looked more like a wyvern.

This creature… This thing has killed more people than can be counted. But right now, it's currently hesitating at the sight of me. Why is that? Is it because it was just revived, and is currently weak? No… it must be my eyes. There's something about them that Grimm are scared of.

It didn't hesitate too long, though. The Bistern took off, its head locking on my position as it went after me. Oh? I stopped firing, allowing myself to fall. It's going to chase after me… perfect. My Stand ripped my pinky off once again as I stared down the monster flying towards me, roar escaping its mouth. You might've made a mess out of Vale the last time you were here, but make no mistake. We're no longer afraid of you.

My pinky flew up into the air, straight towards the dragon's tail. I appeared in front of it moments later, **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** snatching both my arm and its tail before throwing me on. Whew… alright. Let's do this.

I ran down its body, taking a long breath every couple of steps before making another slice on its body. The Bistern roared, jerking through the air in pain. On its back, several Grimm formed, all of them roaring before rushing towards me. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** shot forwards, slamming their skulls into the ground, letting me continue on my way. We were a team, slicing and punching our way to the top. When it tried to knock me off, my Stand reached for its exposed carapace and threw me back on to continue our assault on the beast. All its attempts were useless.

Eventually, I finally made it to its neck. I took a long breath before drawing Crescent Rose back. I stared at its crimson eyes one last time. Hate seemed to flow through the creature's eye, like it was trying to unnerve me. In response, I cleaved through its neck, my Silver Eye-powered weapon ripping clean through. The head flopped forwards, falling off its body entirely. It's over.

I staggered a moment later as its body started gliding down. Wait a minute… it's flying in the direction of the Amity! Crescent Rose flew out, puncturing through the back of its neck. I had exactly zero plans to deal with this. Let's hope this works… I threw all my weight forwards. Sure enough, it started dipping, but not nearly fast enough. My eyes widened. Come on! I jerked several more times. You're not going to crash! Please! The dead body finally started making progress. Yes! I'm going to miss the Amity! I kept my eye on the landing pads. Just gotta time it right…

I jumped, letting the dead beast's body glide under the colosseum and to the ground before landing back on with a roll. Ow… that hurt. But it's okay now. It's all over. The Bistern's dead. Everyone's going to be okay.

"Ruby…" I turned around, meeting up with Bori and Deery. They winced at the sight of my face. Oh… That's right, I used parts of my skull to build the ball bearings. Still, they stayed. Deery let out a cough, turning away as she held out her hand. In it was the three Silver Ball bearings. "These are yours. Thanks."

The bearings broke up in her hand, sending rose petals back to my face and rebuilding it. I felt a tear run down my face. It's over… Oh my gods. I dropped to the floor, finally letting my emotions take me over. "Oh my gods…" The danger's over, but at what cost? The other two girls joined in, wrapping their arms around me as they joined me in my sorrow.

"Ruby!" Jaune ran in my line of sight. "Ruby, thank gods you're here! You have to be careful, there's a traitor— Huh?" His eyes widened. "Those are… what the? Aren't those guys the traitors? And where's Cinder and her team?"

I continued crying. I couldn't possibly tell him about what happened here. Not right now anyways. Because the fight for the Amity is finally over. We won the fight… but we might lose the war. But that's not why I'm crying. Everyone lost something here on the Amity and gained something else. I can't speak for everyone, but I gained a semblance of control of my Silver Eyes—

But I lost Cinder, and maybe the lives of all of Remnant.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 10/12/18**

* * *

 **Russel's Bizarre Adventure - Act 4**

Life has a strange way of surprising you. One moment you try to live life as normally as you can. The next moment, you find yourself having to step forwards and act due to outside forces. And sometimes, that little push is enough to reach new heights. They say that hard times make great people, unite them when they need to the most. I never would have thought that I would physically live that ideal.

I let out a sigh as I lay on a stolen futon mattress, watching Atlesian soldiers shoot into the breach hole atop their new perch. In the distance, I let the sounds of the Grimm death cry sing a happy tune to my ears. And from the looks of it, they're not going to stop any time soon.

The improvised barrier… we did it. Against all odds, we managed to do it. I mean, a ton of mistakes were made along the way, and a ton of people got hurt. But… I swallowed my saliva, glancing over at the rest of the 'beds' within the makeshift hospital and the people lying there. I balled my fist up. It was my fault that more people are lying here right now instead of getting evacuated. I don't really have anything to counter that. If I had a better grasp on my ability, maybe this wouldn't have happened. All I can really say to make myself feel better is that my actions kept the situation from getting worse.

I winced a moment later as I felt a piece of shrapnel get ripped out of my leg. "Ow!"

"Stay still, will you?" The man in gray - Qrow was his name - scowled as he held up a shard of bloody concrete. "Don't make this harder than it already is, kid."

"Agh, but it hurts, though. Couldn't you just get me some Aura boosters?"

"And not punish you for what you just did back there? I don't think so." Qrow let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Getting civilians involved with the fighting, even if that is your 'special ability…' Whoever was your homeroom teacher back in Signal should be fired."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault though—"

"In fact, I _should_ bring it up with your homeroom teacher! Who was it, by the way?"

"Uh…" I swallowed. "That was Ms. Tuli."

The man let out a hum. "Oh… Nevermind, then. She's fun to talk to. And besides, she's probably going to be harsher on you than I am for this kind of stuff." The both of us shivered at the thought. "But still, you should know better than anyone else what you did was wrong."

"Yeah, of course. I was desperate, and it's the only thing I can do. And my ability happens to cover everyone. It was the best choice I had." I shrugged. "How else was I going to react?"

"Divert the Beringel away from the internal barricade and drag it towards the outer barricade for the soldiers to shoot. Lure it into a building and collapse it down around it. Those are the options that immediately come to mind. Way better than pulling in civilians to fight."

Qrow sighed. "But I have to admit, this whole thing would've fallen apart if you didn't rally the citizens. I can complain and moan all I want, but for what you had at your disposal, you managed to turn the tables, kill that Beringel, and get the barricade up, all while Amber was down. So I'm not in much of a position to complain." The man glanced into nowhere. "Thanks, kid. Just… just make sure you don't let that power of yours go out of control."

I let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, don't worry. I'm too afraid of my powers to use them every day. We're probably not going to have another situation like this."

Now it was the man's turn to chuckle. "Well, wouldn't you know it. I guess we _do_ have something in common."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

"I'll explain whenever I feel like it," he said, shrugging it off. "Let's just say that I don't exactly have the best experiences using my Semblance, either. But just because you got stuck with a bad Semblance doesn't mean you have to be afraid of it. You just… have to figure out how to make it work." Qrow pressed his lips against closed hands, letting out a hum before taking out and offering emergency Aura boosters. "You know what? If we make it out of here alive, come visit Signal when you have the time. I can definitely give you pointers on dealing with your powers."

I nodded, taking it and jabbing it into my thigh. I gasped, air escaping my lungs as my Aura flared back to life. "Oof!" Those shards of shrapnel got pushed out with almost little effort, and the wounds closed up like it was nothing. I took in a deep breath. "Yeah, sure thing."

My gaze fell on the woman to the left of us. Amber herself looked well-off compared to other people in the makeshift hospital. Other than the occasional dirt mark, she didn't look like she was hurt at all. But considering what she tried to do to the Beringel earlier…

"Hey, old man," I whispered, catching his attention. I gestured over to the brunette woman. "Do you think Amber's going to be fine?"

Qrow let out a huff. "First of all, I'm not that old, so watch it."

"Says the person calling me a kid. You're just as bad as me."

"Hey, you never heard of a hypocrite before?" The man snarked back. He let out a sigh as he looked down at the unconscious Amber's body. "In all seriousness… who knows? Thinking about it now… I never thought her own abilities could tax her mind like that. Who knows what's going to happen to her? She might wake up, she might not. It might only take a couple of hours, or it could be several days before she wakes up again. There's no way we can figure that out."

"Oh." I sat down, letting out a long sigh. "But do you think she could die from this?"

"I hope not." The man pulled out a flask and started drinking, pulling back with a sharp exhale. "I want to believe that she's more resilient than that. There's no way she would've tried teleporting the Beringel away from danger if she didn't believe she couldn't do it. Well, either that, or she let her heart speak for her instead of her mind."

He let out a sigh. "But if the gods are listening, I hope they don't take her in just yet. Dumb as people like her are, they really do bring in a bit of light to this world. They just… somehow know what they want, you know? Even if it's some obvious and simple goal, they just have this sincerity that makes them endearing." The man stared down at the woman with an almost mournful gaze. "And soon enough, you're secretly rooting for them, following them and hoping they make it to the end. Just hoping, that maybe this time… maybe this time they see their dreams come true."

"Uh…" I swallowed some of my saliva. "What?"

"Huh? Ignore the last bit." Qrow waved it away. "I'm dwelling too much on past memories." He let out a 'humph.' "Well, what do you know? I might be getting old, after all. Wonder how long it'll be until I yell at kids to get off my lawn. _If_ I ever live that long."

I shrugged. "Considering you've been alive this long, I'd bet on you being alive long enough to see retirement. You seem like a lucky dude."

"Hah! You're underestimating what the Grimm can truly do. I'd probably win if I agreed to the bet. But, something tells me I wouldn't be able to enjoy the lien I'd win if I took it. Besides, luck is pretty subjective." Qrow held up a finger. "We can talk about this later. I still have a job to do." He looked over at the white-haired woman recording data on her scroll. "Hey, Winter! When's our evac coming?"

"We still don't have a response," she replied, not bothering to look up from the screen. "General Ironwood is still on complete radio silence, and Headmaster Ozpin hasn't replied ever since the initial report. We only have local chatter that they just got the Atlesian Knights back up."

Qrow groaned, leaning back in his seat. "Ah, so the toys are finally rolling out," he said with a deadpan tone. "'Bout time. We could've used the numbers thirty minutes ago, but hey. Better than nothing." He let out a groan. "But radio silence. Woo hoo. I love playing 'talking into the void while nobody listens.' It's fun being drunk, bored, and ignored waiting around. I hope they're going to drop in soon, because the last thing we need right now is another surprise coming out from underneath us."

"Wait a minute," I started. "Why take Amber to Beacon or Atlas? Couldn't we load her into one of the airbuses and take her to a Grimm shelter?"

"No can do, kiddo. Beacon or Atlas is the safest place for Amber right now. Any other place would put her in danger. Which is why—" The man rose his voice. "—we should get out of here as soon as possible, _Winter._ "

"Now here's a curious thing. Have you heard about this new product called 'patience?'" Winter looked up from the pad at the two of us. "It helps with composure. You could use some right now."

"Sounds overrated." Qrow shook his flask. "Why have patience when I got this?"

The woman frowned. "The point is that we just have to wait. They'll come when they come—" She was interrupted with the sounds of loud engine whirring passing over us. The sound quickly doubled over, becoming more consistent. "Like right now?" Winter looked out from under the canopy. She let out a confused hum, raising her eyebrow. "It looks like it's one of Beacon's Bullheads. But that's strange… Wouldn't the Headmaster of Beacon notify us of this?"

"Yeah." Qrow stood up, hand raising up to his sword's hilt. "Something's not right here… Winter, can you get them to land?"

She nodded, tapping a couple of buttons before clearing her throat. "Bullhead designated Mossy One Three Two Echo, this is Hyperion Ground. What's your order of business, over?"

" _Testing, testing…_ " A female voice crackled over the speakers. " _Mossy One Three Two Echo to Hyperion Ground, we're here to pick up the girl, over._ " I let out a sigh of relief. Whew… they finally came! We can finally get Amber out of here—

Qrow pulled his sword out the moment he locked eyes with Winter; the two of them nodded, the man unsheathing his weapon and shifting it into its shotgun form.

"Hey, what's—"

"Shh!"

"What's the deal?" I whispered. "I thought they're here to pick Amber up!"

"They also don't have the right voice signature," Winter murmured. "Not the same pilot as the ones assigned to this Bullhead. Plus, they got the terminology wrong. This _is a_ trap." Out loud she continued, "I hear you loud and clear. Giving you permission to land."

" _We don't have the time to land, we need you to bring the VIP over and hook them to the line we're dropping._ " Right when they said that, the side door of the Bullhead popped out ever so slightly, letting a steel cable fall to the ground. " _The VIP needs immediate care, right? We can take them there._ "

"No need for that," Winter started, "The situation on the ground has been taken care of. There's no need for an emergency extraction. Again, I'm giving you permission to land. We can then bring the VIP into the vehicle without worrying about any additional complications."

Whoever was on the other side of the line went silent, only speaking up after a long, tense minute. " _Acknowledged._ "

The side door flew open with a striking bang, followed by a gray-haired boy jumping out. Qrow raised his shotgun up, but before he could get out a shot, the boy sprayed buckshot at the man and knocked him over. "Qrow!" Winter yelled. Both Winter and I started after the gunned down Huntsman, but our bodies were slow to act. Actually slow to act. I shook my arms back and forth, but they refused to move faster than a slow, relaxed pace. What the— No matter how much I willed my body to move, I can't move as fast as I should. It felt like moving through molasses, or maybe through an Arachne's web. Either way, I just can't move fast. But why?

My eyes widened as the boy passed me and scooped Amber up. No! **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」** appeared around my neck. " _Stop the kidnapping._ " Everyone who can still move started after the boy, only to be slowed down by some mysterious substance. What is this? I couldn't do anything but stretch my hand towards Amber, already getting that much further away from us. At this point a few lasers flew towards both the boy and the airborne Bullhead; some of the Atlesians must've noticed what was going on. A few familiar gunshots also rang out in the air. The rest of CRDL must've joined in the shooting.

Despite the amount of fire the boy was under, he didn't stop, leaping up onto the steel cable and yanking on it. "Go, go!" With that, the Bullhead started rising into the air. The boy was being pulled up by somebody else in the airship. He and Amber disappeared from sight, the door closing right as they made it to the top.

No! I reached for my weapon, this time without any resistance whatsoever. Was the sluggishness due to a Stand? The cylinder spun towards fire Dust. It doesn't matter. I ran out into the open and launched a fireball at the ascending vehicle. It splashed against the side, scorching but otherwise having no effect. Behind me, buckshot, tiny white Nevermores, and so, so many various bullets flew towards the Bullhead, doing everything in our power to get Amber back. But none could bring the airship down.

It started soaring away. No… we can't lose Amber. I started running towards the soaring Bullhead. She's not going anywhere! Amber's going to go back to helping people in her own way! We're not going to lose her!

As if my thoughts were heard from above, another Bullhead flew in front of the kidnapper's at that moment. The side door popped open, revealing both Headmaster Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch. Let me tell you, I've never seen them look so furious until now. They stared down the person within the cockpit for who knows how long. If they were talking, I couldn't hear them.

All of a sudden, a purple spear formed in the skies out of tiny bits of rubble before flying straight into the kidnapper's Bullhead. They dropped like a rock, allowing the spear to fly over them. But instead of attacking, they… tried to run away. But the professors weren't having that. They quickly mirrored the kidnapper's movements, containing the criminals within the area. And with every second wasted, the more Atlesians came towards the fighting Bullheads, continuing to fire their rifles at the aircraft. And that's not counting the rest of the Huntsmen running over there. The kidnappers don't have a lot of time until they are completely boxed in.

But as I approached the two flying aircraft, the kidnappers made their move. They flew up… straight towards the professors. My eyes widened. What? A ramming maneuver? There's no way they're going to do it. Right? The Bullhead sped up. No way… they're actually doing it! No!

The professors must've realized this too, because it was at that very moment when they moved out of the way. The kidnappers immediately jerked the other way, hightailing it out of there. Oh my gods… it was a feint. And we fell for it. Everybody on the ground aimed their guns at the fleeing Bullhead. But at this point… we aren't probably going to get anywhere.

Then something surprising happened. One moment it looked as if the kidnappers managed to slip past the Headmaster. A third person stuck their head out from the professor's Bullhead. A blink later, an entire engine blew up, causing the kidnapper's Bullhead to start spinning in the air. I blinked. How did they get them? I didn't see Goodwitch launch another kinetic spear at the ship. But in an instant, they managed to turn the tables. I shook my head. I don't think this is the time to think too hard about that. We stopped the kidnapping!

The kidnapper's Bullhead descended off into the distance, landing with a crash but thankfully without an explosion. And from the looks of it, they can't be more than a few blocks away. Oh my gods, they did it! They saved Amber! We just have to get over there!

The three of us didn't hesitate, jumping over the outside barrier in pursuit of the fallen Bullhead. "Winter." Qrow nodded at the woman. "You know what to do." She nodded. Winter sped past us, launching herself forwards with the help of her glyphs.

"Agh," Qrow groaned, rubbing his chest. "Still stings a bit… Last thing I wanted was to inflate that girl's ego. Still, really hope that Winter makes it." He waves over to the Headmaster's Bullhead, who followed us in our chase. "I'll be quick: Amber's in there, those guys are trying to kidnap her, Winter's after them, I'll be following closely behind, and you should come with us."

The Headmaster nodded. "Thank you, Qrow. We'll go after her as soon as possible—!"

A sudden burst of energy slammed into us, knocking us off our feet. Winter flew past us, tumbling across the ground. Even the Bullhead looked like it was being pushed back. What the— I stood up. It feels like a wall of air is pushing back on me… and at one point, I can't any further! Another Stand ability? So there are two Stand users within that Bullhead? Not good. Not good at all.

We heard the sound of gunshot ring in the air. The Headmaster collapsed almost immediately, a giant, gaping hole now within his torso. No! The Headmaster!

"Oz!"

"Qrow, focus!" Professor Goodwitch called out. "I'll take care of Ozpin. You have to figure out how to get past this— this energy!"

Almost like a switch, the energy pushing on us just stopped. Everyone blinked. Well then. That was easy. Still, that's our chance! I started running. We have to get to the Bullhead now! We can't lose Amber here! We just have to hurry up… I bet they haven't gone far, we just have to catch the kidnappers in their tracks. Gods, I hope they were wounded in the crash.

My run slowed to a jog as I approached the downed Bullhead. Oh, it's totaled, alright. It smashed through the entrance of an apartment building. The engines are destroyed, the wings are bent beyond repair. There's no way that they're going to escape with this thing.

But that didn't matter, because inside… there's no one. There's no way. Both Qrow and I split up, searching around the building, inside, around the area. But there was no trace of them anywhere. Not even blood stains to follow. It's like they disappeared into nothingness. It's over. We lost Amber.

A hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned to look at Qrow, who shook at the sight of the empty Bullhead. The impossible has happened. And for some reason, it felt like the world just became a little bit darker.

 **=RUSSEL BA END=**

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 **Stand Descriptions:**

 **「** **HEATHENS** **」** **\- Summons a swarm of Chironex fleckeri (sea wasp) to float around, sting, and generally kill everybody around them. This cloud wanders aimlessly, often going into random directions unless the user designates an individual to specifically target or ignore.**

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 **Song Reference: Deery's「HEATHENS」is inspired by Twenty One Pilots's Heathens. Heathens is a rap-rock song released in 2016. I chose this song because of its scathing critique towards judgemental, holier-than-thou attitudes, searching for acceptance, and the terrible actions that can come from those two aspects clashing. In that sense, how I depicted Deery here is an amalgamation of those aspects in her life. There's a sense of isolation within Deery as she tries to integrate for the sake of family. But little by little, she gets frustrated with how little progress she feels like she's making in a world not really willing to give her the chance, and goes over to the White Fang, who would accept her if she did what they wanted. And well, that can drive a good person to do terrible things.**

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 **Anyways, next chapter is the official end of Arc 4. This is it. One arc left to the end of the story. Writing-wise, I am extremely close to the end. Most of Arc 5 has already been written, and there are only three chapters left for me to draft out. Don't take this as any signs of any schedule changes or anything like that. I'm only saying this to provide some perspective on where I'm currently at. We are genuinely close to the end here. Let's go out strong.**

 **And some might notice I chose not to have Amber's Stand ability and song reference mentioned here. I'm choosing to save this for later.**

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **Guest: Oh, yeah. Deery's a Stand user.**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! And if we were doing semantics, Ruby has always been in a Stand fight. This chapter just happens to end it in favor of a Grimm fight.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **metacllica: Thank you, metacllica! Yeah, to say this will be hard for Bori is an understatement. As for Jaune and Ciel, I definitely like that they finally came to genuinely work together, for each other. It's definitely an easier reconciliation, considering that the two of them are closer bound to honor than other characters.**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Finally gain a bit of control over some of those Silver Eyes powers, according to this chapter. Thank you for the review, Ultimate Kuuga!**

 **doa570047: Oh, yeah. I kinda chuckled to myself when I first learned her name. Like, her parents were basically asking for unintentional attention. For a one-off character, Deery definitely works as a name. But considering people always remember the waifus, it becomes a funny thing to rib her on.**

 **Regarding Feel Good Inc's Stand activation requirement, it's activated the moment the Stand is summoned. From there, emotional changes and shifts in intensity radiates out from Russel, similar to radio waves. If Russel's in control of his powers, he can regulate his range, but his hard-set range is well... the size of Beacon. Although reaching that far would mean he is completely unrestrained, so realistically it's far less. Similar to radio waves, it doesn't have to be heard. Just being in range is enough for non-Stand users to get affected.**

 **Sweet Dreams is one interesting Stand, but I'll put in a slight correction. She doesn't quite draw the location herself. Her Stand depicts what location she's imagining. The more vivid it is, the faster/more accurate the portal will be. So the Heaven's Door comparison is still a little accurate, but she's not really drawing it physically.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: October 12, 2018**_


	47. Silver Springs

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **For anyone out of the loop, the Part 5 anime has premiered last week. Loving it so far, and I can't wait for every JoJo Friday now.**

 **But I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't really have any announcements regarding the fic, so let's get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all their help!**

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 **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**

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It was all quiet on the airbus. Jaune and I sat around, quieter than insects scurrying on walls. I brushed a lock of my black hair back, shifting in my seat and keeping my eyes on the headrest in front of me. My eyes want to look around the cabin, they really do. But I don't know how much more heartbreak I can take. It'll be better if I just ignore the world—

A cough immediately drew my eyes to the source. I regretted that almost immediately. To say the airbus was packed was an understatement. All of the civilians were squeezed together between the seats, packed in the vehicle like a can of sardines. Despite discomfort showing clearly on their faces, they couldn't bring themselves to say a thing. Breaking the silence would bring nothing but pain for everyone inside.

I looked down the aisle at the bandaged and the bloody, both in civilian wear and in the White Fang uniform. At this point, their wounds were drying up. They were either recovering or… had already left us. No one wanted to find out which one it was.

Tension laid thick in the air. Nobody in the airbus wanted to break it, not even the wounded. And to be honest, I don't really fault them for that. After everything that happened tonight, I don't think anybody wants to bring it up again. Not when airborne Grimm are still soaring about over the city of Vale.

I ran my fingers down my cape with a shiver. Feeling it is comforting, now more than ever before. But I just can't pull my mind away from the Amity attack and team C.M.E.N. I still can't believe it. They started the Stand problem.

Everyone hurt by the Arrow… all of that pain and misery… C.M.E.N did that. I balled my fist up. And under our noses as well… My team figured that out too late. My teeth gnawed the inside of my cheek. I can't help but feel like I messed up. C.M.E.N were close to us, we've talked to each other. I should've realized it sooner. How many lives were lost on the Amity? I closed my eyes. How many people would've been saved if I had just figured it out a little sooner—

"We're now arriving at Beacon Academy." The pilot spoke softly, just loud enough to break the silence in the cabin. Huh? I looked out of the window to see the familiar castle looming over us. That was fast. Was I really that lost in my thoughts?

The pilot continued, "For all civilians onboard, please exit the airbus in an orderly yet quick fashion and head over to the emergency stations to your left. The attendants there will collect your information before escorting you to shelter. Allow Beacon's trained medics to take your loved ones for recovery—"

"Come on, Ruby," Jaune whispered, tapping my shoulder as the door next to us swung open. "We need to tell the Headmaster about team C.M.E.N, and fast."

I nodded, turning to look at the aisle across from us. Two redheaded girls glanced back: one with moose antlers and one with deer antlers. Deery now had torn civilian clothes on instead of the White Fang uniform. She mouthed the words 'thank you' to me before lowering her head down. I pushed a smile onto my face, nodding my head before following Jaune out the door.

The corner of my lips dropped almost immediately. The evacuation line stretched across the entire courtyard, filled with tens of thousands of people. Many of them grieved in silence or wore fear on their faces. Others displayed frustration, quietly steaming as they waited to get to safety. None of them dared to truly vent their emotions, though. They glanced at the night sky every so often, watching out for beady red eyes. No one was willing to risk their lives like that. Not when they're so close to safety.

I glanced away. It's hard to look at this scene. But Beacon can only do so much so quickly. The academy might've been a former military base, sure. And it was designed as another Grimm shelter. But that was for just the people of Vale. There have to be tens of thousands of people, all from different Kingdoms. Beacon wasn't designed to take them all. But this is the only safe haven for them right now.

"Ruby! Jaune!" The two of us turned to see Weiss stumble in our direction. She gasped for air as she joined us. "Thank gods you two are here. I'd hate to think about what would happen to the rest of the group if we lost one of you guys." She frowned. "We're lucky we managed to push back the attack tonight. I don't want to think about what might've happened if the Amity fell." Her light-blue eyes glanced at the two of us, our expressions sullen. "Hey," she whispered. "Are you guys okay?"

"No, Weiss. We're not okay." Jaune glanced at the ground, rubbing the back of his head. "It's… well… we found out who was controlling the Cupid."

"Did you really? That's good, though!" My partner let out a hum. "We've been looking for this person for over a month now! We can finally stop them once and for all!" She gestured to us. "Well? Who was the mystery perpetrator, then?"

Jaune let out a long breath. "Weiss… it's team C.M.E.N." The air around us went silent at that moment.

The girl blinked. "What?"

"Cinder, Emerald, Mercury…" Jaune exhaled. "Apparently, they were the ones controlling the Cupid all this time. They're the ones trying to destroy the world."

Her eyes widened. "There's no way…"

"It is," I finally said. I swallowed down a choking sound. "Team C.M.E.N and I went to get pilots and medics. They stole a Bullhead and flew off to who-knows-where. They must be far away from the city by now… We won't be able to catch up with them in time." I balled my fists up. "Cinder… she told me before she left that if we value our lives, we should hide and wait for the end of days." Everybody's expression hardened hearing that. We all knew what that meant for Remnant.

"And is that what we're going to do? Just let Cinder have her way with the world, just like that?" Weiss stomped in front of me. "Ruby, you know just as much as I do that we can't in our right minds let that happen. We have to do something right now, otherwise all the things we've done are for nothing—"

"What can we do?" I felt my throat seize up. "Weiss, we're backed up against a wall. Cinder's gone, we might have days, if not hours left until they finally bring the end of Vale and the Kingdoms, I don't know what we have left at this point. Like, our best option at this point is to kill off as much Grimm as possible and hope that we limit the damage done or somehow stumble into them or— or—"

Tears ran down my face as I pulled her into a hug. "Gods, I don't know, anymore. I'm so scared, Weiss."

My partner nodded her head, squeezing the sides of my shoulder. "I am, too. I am, too." She pulled away from me and started rubbing the base of her chin. "I don't know what to say right now, to be honest. Why don't we put this to the side for now, at least until everyone's back together? Yang just texted me. She and Blake are in the infirmary. Let's meet up with them, okay?"

I nodded, looking to the side. This whole entire situation— it feels like standing on a sinking boat. Is there any way to save Vale at this point? Should I listen to Cinder and just try to live out the last of these days with the rest of my family?

The outline of buildings appeared in my vision; I don't pay any mind to them. Dad… he should've finished his Huntsmen mission a week ago and should be on Patch. Do I run away from Vale and go back home with the rest of my team? Should we be okay with the world ending? How can Cinder and the rest of her team be so calm with the thought that millions will die for this new world of 'justice?' Is it really worth the lives at stake—

"Ruby." I jerked my head up, snapping to attention. Wha— Jaune looked at me with some concern. "We're here." Really? I looked up to see that familiar red cross. Huh. We are.

"Right…" When did we get here? Why am I so unfocused today? I shook the thoughts away. "Let's go in, then."

The moment we came in, we heard commotion towards the receptionist's desk. "Please, you have to let me back in!"

"Ma'am, please. You need to calm down. I just need to confirm some details with the other doctors before I can let you pass—"

"I walked in through the front door with my partner in my arms and blood over the both of us! What else do you need to confirm?" The three of us turned our heads toward the voice. Yang leaned over the desk, bouncing around on her heels and rapping the counter as she stared down the old lady. "Everybody's been having a hard day, can't you find it in your heart to make an exception just this once—"

"Yang!"

"Huh— Ruby!" I barely had enough time to raise my arms out when my sister rushed over and scooped me up, giving me one of the longest, tightest bear hugs ever. Please… not like this… "Oh, thank gods you're okay! It's just… just—" Yang took a deep breath. "I was so worried when I sent a text to the group, but only Weiss replied back." She squeezed me even tighter, forcing all of the air out of my lungs. "Thank gods you all made it out alive."

I let out a wheeze, tapping Yang's shoulders before pointing to my throat. Her eyes widened almost immediately. "Oh! Sorry, Ruby!" She let go of me. I took a deep breath in, placing a hand on my chest as I tried to reclaim as much air as I can.

"Whew, whew… Thanks Yang. It's nice to see you here as well." I looked up. "Wait a minute… Where's Blake?"

My mind caught up the moment those words left my mouth. Yang's at the infirmary… if all of team RWBY is still alive, then Blake is— I glanced at the door leading to the patient's hall. No…

Yang caught me looking before sighing and nodding. "Yeah, Blake… she's not doing too good right now. She's hurt, and bad. Blake's going to be here for a while. I was going to go back in, but _someone_ —" She turned to glare at the receptionist. "—Didn't want to cooperate with me."

"Ma'am, again," the elderly woman rasped. "The onboard doctors need time to check on their patients, and they are going to be done with your partner in three, two, one…" She glanced at the hologram screen and clicked a button. "Now. You can now visit your loved one."

The blonde girl threw her hands up. "Thank you."

"Just doing my job." The receptionist pressed her lips down in a thin line, waving us away. "Now please leave me be."

"Alright, alright." My sister turned towards Jaune, Weiss, and me. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

It didn't take us long to cross the hallway. Yang sighed, approaching a door to the right before giving it a firm knock.

"Come in," a familiar deadpan voice called out.

Unpleasant memories came back to me as we all walked in. That sterile smell, as well as the overwhelmingly white room, caught my attention. All too familiar at this point. I shivered. I should really stop going to hospitals. I glanced around the room. Aside from the normal equipment and all that, the only thing different about this place is the person lying on the bed.

Blake cleared out her throat, putting 'Ninjas of Love' on the nightstand before sitting up. "Hi—" She winced right after, letting out a hiss as she reached for her torso.

"Blake!" Yang rushed over to her partner, nudging the girl back down on her back. "Don't strain yourself too much. You're not supposed to move, remember?"

"I know, Yang. I just forgot this one time. You don't need to coddle me that much, gods." Blake pressed a button to the side, causing the bed to push her upright. I bit my lip. She looked pale. Deathly pale, in fact. That might be the reason why she's hooked up to a blood bag and Aura boosters in an IV drip. I also noticed that underneath her patient gown and below a sports bra was a thick cast around her torso. What the— just what in the world happened to Blake?

The faunus girl glanced down at her cast, her face turning stone-cold moments later. "Right… I guess you guys would want to know what happened to me… Well, let's start with the good news." She pointed to the cabinet in the nightstand. "Yang, show it to them."

Yang nodded, fumbling through the combination lock. The moment the drawer unlocked, Yang opened it and pulled out some kind of rod. She held it out to us. Jaune, Weiss, and I all gasped at the sight. In her hands was an ornate, golden arrow. Oh my gods… They have the Arrow! Blake and Yang actually did it!

Blake nodded. "We managed to find and kill the Cupid once and for all. No more new Stand users to worry about, no more Cupid to fight." My eyes lit up just a bit. No more new Stand users… I never thought I would ever hear those words. If it wasn't for the fact that Cinder knows who she needs to succeed in her plans, I would be excited. No more need to worry about any more chaos in Vale… But is it too little, too late?

"However…" The cat faunus let out a long sigh, rubbing the base of her eyes. "I ran into someone from the White Fang. My old partner." Blake frowned. "Turns out, he happened to be a Stand user as well, and he was trying to slaughter a student team. We tried to step in, and well… he managed to slice through most of my torso."

I covered my mouth in shock. Oh my gods… "But if that's the case…" I started. "How did you and Yang survive?"

Yang got nervous at that moment. "Well…" she started, rubbing the back of her neck. "I… sorta stabbed myself with the Arrow and gave myself Stand powers."

"What?!" I started towards her, but stopped when Weiss and Jaune grabbed me. "You gave yourself Stand powers, knowing what it could do to you? Knowing what would happen if it backfired and you didn't have the willpower to control it?"

"Hey, I wasn't thinking when I did that! Plus, I wasn't trying to give myself Stand powers, I just needed to see the effects of Adam's Stand so I can injure him and run away with Blake—"

"Adam?" both Weiss and Jaune asked.

"—The guy who used to be partners with Blake, don't need to say more than that. But here's the thing: I would definitely be dead if I hadn't stabbed myself with the Arrow, an entire Huntsmen team would be dead if I didn't do it, and Blake would be who-knows-where! Everything went well at the end of the day, and I managed to defeat Adam and save the others. It was the only choice I could make."

"Yang…" I shook my head. "I didn't want you to go through the pains of being a Stand user. We went through so much pain. We have to fight against other users and deal with the stress of that. And at the end of the day, once everything is over, we can't say a word about it. It's a painful life, and I didn't want you to go through all of that. You deserved a chance to live a normal life."

"… And let you quietly suffer for the rest of your life, along with the rest of my teammates?" My sister glanced down at the Arrow. "Maybe I deserve a chance to live a normal life, but you lost that chance. Same with Weiss and Blake and Jaune and all of the other Stand users. You didn't choose this life, you were forced into it. And you know me, I can't stand seeing the people I love hurt like that."

She twirled the object in her hands. "Maybe my initial choice to stab myself with the Arrow was out of desperation, and just plain stupid. But I don't regret it. The life of a Stand user is hard, I understand that. But if I can make it just a little bit easier on you guys, for the people I love… I would gladly stab myself again, right here, right now. Because I'd rather we all go through the pain together, where we have each other to rely on. People deserve normal lives, yeah. But that also includes you guys."

I felt a tear well up in my eye. "Yang… you dummy…" I wiped the tear out from my eye. "Thank you. I wouldn't want any other sister than you." That got Yang to blush a bit while giving me a familiar cheeky grin.

With that done, I turned towards Blake. "So how bad is it? Your injuries, I mean?"

Blake gave us all an almost bitter smile. "According to the doctors, my partner severed my lumbar spine and sliced up my intestines. Luckily, he severed one of the lower bones. The doctors believe that I have a chance of walking one day. I might need to wear a back brace, granted… Then I'm going to have to go through physical therapy…" Her face cringed. "And I might need to wear a diaper for the rest of my life—"

"What?" Weiss interrupted, her face contorting in disgust.

"That's what the doctors say. Something about me potentially losing control of my bladder and bowels?" She shrugged. "Whatever, that's not the point. The point is that I'm lucky. The doctors already fused my spine back together and stitched me up, and they're hoping that my Aura on the boosters will be enough to leave me mostly functioning by the time it's morning, if not entirely. They said it could've been worse. If the cut was angled higher, I would already be dead, or maybe lose my ability to walk entirely."

Blake pressed her hands against the body cast, her smile dropping. "However, I think I'm not healing right. From what I can tell, my Aura has more or less put my body back together… But I still feel pain sitting up. I don't think I can walk without feeling like I'm dying." She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I'm going to be much help from now on."

"Don't say that, Blake." I bit my lip. "You can walk again without any pain. Let me try something."

My vision started to glow white, causing everyone to jerk back in surprise. "Ruby," Yang breathed. "Your eyes… what are you going to do?"

"Try something to help Blake heal." I balled my left hand into a fist, allowing the energy to flow into it with a sharp breath out. I've tried this before with Arslan, back during the simulation. But that time, I forced blood back into her body and held it there. I've never tried healing somebody in Blake's condition, or even another person, period. Still, it's worth a shot.

I opened my hand and watched the lightning arcs jump between my fingers. "Blake, stay still and tell me if this hurts." I pressed my hands against the casting and focused my breathing… only for the Silver Eye energy to bounce away from the casting. Huh? What in the world? Does plaster not channel the energy well? My eyebrows furrowed. I need to get to the wound, though… I can't really do much else if my powers don't reach her torso. Okay, something drastic. I wound my fist back, having **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** overlay her own fist under mine. "Just stay still…"

Jaune coughed into his hand. "Ruby…" he hissed. Everybody else shifted around as well, uncomfortable at the sight. Blake had a few beads of sweat slip down her face.

"Don't worry, I'm only putting in enough power to break through the plaster. I'm a bit nervous as well. I don't want to hurt my teammate and friend, after all."

"I mean…" Blake tugged at the collar of her gown. "You can just ask one of the nurses to get the casting off of me first instead of you attempting to punch through it. There's really no need to do this— Oh gods!"

My fist slammed into her stomach moments later, puncturing a hole right through the casting. She coughed out a bit of her spit as she caved in. I let out a long breath. I can feel Blake's stitches above her abs, and I don't feel any liquids seeping out from them. Whew… I didn't accidentally punch a hole in my teammate. Okay… now for the other part. My powers zipped into Blake's body, causing her to convulse in the bed.

Weiss gasped. "Oh my gods, Ruby!"

"Don't worry about it, Weiss. I can feel her getting better." I don't know where that came from. It's not like I have x-ray vision or anything. But there's a small voice in the back of my head, an instinctual feeling that Blake's body is rapidly fixing itself. Tiny little fixes, to be sure. But more than enough to make a difference. Like it's rebuilding all of its missing components, and realigning all of the missing pieces. Way better than stitching everything together and hoping it holds up after a few weeks.

Before I knew it, my mind told me everything was alright now. I pulled my hand back… before stumbling to the ground, groaning as I gripped my head. Everything grew fuzzy for just a moment. Oh… I think I overdid it.

Yang caught me before I hit the floor, though. "Ruby! Oh my gods, what just happened?"

"That… was one of my Silver Eye powers. Hopefully, it did something." I picked myself back up, shaking my head as I rubbed the side of my forehead. "Blake, is everything okay with you?"

The girl nodded, sitting up. Her eyes grew. "Actually… Yes." She started pressing her fingers against the casting. "Oh my gods, it doesn't hurt anymore when I sit up… Could it be?" She started tugging at the hole within her casting.

"Blake," Weiss winced. "Maybe you shouldn't pull off the cast just yet—"

Before my partner could finish her sentence, Blake ripped through the plaster with a firm snap. The skin under it didn't seem off aside from the ugly gash that was her scar. It still had a raw red look to it, despite the combination of Aura boosters and Silver Eye powers. And the muscle around it did looked… what's the word, emaciated? If that's the case, then what about the rest of her body? How bad in condition could that be? Was I too late to fixing Blake's body? I squeezed my fingers against my palm. Please work…

One slender foot pressed against the white linoleum floor, followed by the other as Blake stood up. She took a deep breath, her arms wobbling against the railing. And with a push, she's upright. The girl wobbled, throwing her hands out in an attempt to balance herself out. Oh gods, is she…?

Seconds felt like hours with Blake wobbling in place. When it started to slow down, she took a step. Then another. And then another. The mood in the room lightened up as everyone watched Blake take steps towards the door. She let out a shocked gasp. "I can walk." An uncharacteristically ecstatic grin grew on her face. "Oh my gods, I can walk!"

"Whoa," Yang breathed. She pressed a hand over her mouth at the sight of her partner up and about. "Ruby… it worked. Whatever you just did with your eyes, it healed Blake! Oh my gods, this is— it's a miracle! Blake!" My sister ran over and squeezed the cat faunus in a tight hug. "Oh gods, Blake!"

"Oh gods," the cat faunus gasped, her body tipping again. "I think I lost my sense of balance."

"Huh?" The blonde girl released Blake's body, only to gasp and snatch her the moment she tipped backward. "What the— What happened? You were walking fine just a moment ago, what happened there?"

Blake gave us a shrug. "I don't know, it's not making sense. I _feel_ okay now, and I didn't feel any pain while I was walking, but I— I guess I'm just out of balance. Like— like when you try using a piece of furniture with one side fully built and the other side just a frame." The girl let go of Yang's hand, wobbling again as she righted herself. "I might be all healed up, but I don't feel in top shape, either."

And like that, the mood within the patient room sank. I stared at my hands. My powers aren't all that powerful. They're going to help us in a pinch, and definitely help against the Grimm. But I don't have enough control to make a major difference in our fight against Cinder or the Grimm. The Headmaster said that being able to control my Silver Eye powers can help us later on, but I don't know… Is this level of control enough? Because with the amount of time we have left, I don't think I'll be making any big improvements to my powers.

Blake let out a long hum. "I don't really know if I can strengthen those muscles in time, but I don't think it will be that much of an issue… hopefully." The Faunus girl let out a sigh. "The doctors did recommend that I do some abdominal bracing exercises while I waited for my spine to heal up… maybe that'll help—"

Footsteps in the hallway caught our attention. Several doctors rushed past our room moments later with faces full of panic. I raised my eyebrow alongside everyone else.

"Hey, does anyone know what's going on outside?" I asked. Everybody shook their heads. Now that's weird. I started towards the door. I mean, this shouldn't be an uncommon thing. Doctors rushing about as they try to take care of the mass of injured people coming to their doorstep. But something was particularly off about their mannerism. They sound so… fearful compared to before. Like their lives depended on it. I pulled the door open. Whose life could be so important that they need to keep them alive—

"Out of the way!" I yelped as a pair of doctors rushed past me, not bothering to look back as they flipped through some papers on a clipboard. "Patient coming through, keep the aisle clear!" Not a moment later a pair of nurses rushed past us, wheeling an unconscious person on a bed. I gasped. In those white sheets was Headmaster Ozpin, paler than ash. His chest moved in shallow strokes, taking in oxygen from a canister. A thin purple glow surrounded the man's chest. His face was covered in dried bits of blood.

I couldn't do anything but stand there in horror as the medical staff past us, taking the Headmaster to another patient room. Professor Goodwitch followed closely behind them, her riding crop out and glowing purple. The two of us met eyes. I've never seen eyes so conflicted and in pain. That quickly went away as Goodwitch took on her usual stone-faced look, turning to face her colleague again.

"Professor Goodwitch—" The door slammed unceremoniously on me, cutting us off from the events occurring outside our room. Silence enveloped Blake's room.

"Ruby…" Weiss gasped. I turned around to look at the girl, eyes wide at the sight that was before them just seconds ago. "Was that… that couldn't have been…" She didn't finish her question, looking away right as she mouthed the name. My heart felt like it was being eaten alive. No… no!

I burst through the door, turning in the direction of the medical staff. "Headmaster! Professor, stop!" I started running down the path. The doctors didn't even slow down. Several voices sounded from behind me, calling out my name as they followed my lead. I continued onward, keeping my eyes on the crowd of doctors with the Headmaster in their hands.

We're not going to lose the Headmaster. Not now… not when we need him now more than ever. I looked at my hands. My Silver Eyes… I have to try and use them to save the Headmaster. He's the only one who knows about the threat to Remnant. He's the only person we know must've fought, or at least experienced the threat we're going to face. We _need_ him to stay alive, even if it's just long enough to learn about what we're up against! I can see tiny arcs of electrical static bounce over my eyes. I might not have a lot of skill with these powers, but it's do or die. And he won't die here!

The doctors burst through the ER doors, followed by me. I threw my hand out. "Headmaster—"

A set of firm hands grabbed my shoulders a moment later. "Hey, what are you doing, kid? Get out of the room right now, you're not supposed to be here!"

"No! I need to see the Headmaster!" I struggled to pull myself away from the man's grip. "I need to help him!"

"Kid, we're doing the best we can." The man who held me started pulling me towards the entrance. "We can't have any distractions. We need every second we can, so if you really care for your Headmaster that much, get the hell out of here and wait until the professionals have finished their work!"

I didn't bother trying to argue with the man, instead turning my shoulders into rose petals. The man gasped when his hands ran through the place where my shoulders used to be, leaving me free to rush forwards the Headmaster.

I held in a gag. Oh gods, he doesn't look good. There's a horrible open hole about four centimeters on the bottom of his left lung. Within the hole is a decent amount of blood, most likely only staying within his body due to Goodwitch's Semblance. Thank gods for that. I think he might've bled out if she wasn't there to take care of him. With a long breath out, I forced the Silver Eye powers to my fingertips. "Let me touch him. This is going to work faster than Aura booster, trust me."

Before any of the other medical staff can grab me, I pressed both of my hands onto the Headmaster's body and pushed. Within an instant, the electrical energy shot from my hands into his torso. I can actually watch the muscles grow back, filling up the gaping hole in his chest. The rest of the doctors gasped in amazement as the headmasters' internal organs started filling up the gap in his chest. The blood flowed back into his circulatory system. The new muscle forming looked emaciated like Blake's, but that's better than the Headmaster dying. It's more important that he'll be able to be back up soon.

My head started going light. My breathing hitched just a little, causing the muscles to waver. Come on… focus, Ruby! The hole's maybe a centimeter big diameter-wise! Just a little more… Don't let up, the— the Headmaster's going to live! The Headmaster is— I don't think I can stand… I wobbled over, toppling to the side—

Only for a purple forcefield to grab me. Huh? I turned around to see Professor Goodwitch with her riding crop pointed in my direction. "Ms. Rose," she started, her face stern like usual. I let out an eep. So scary… She continued, "You've done more than enough." Her face softened just a little. "Don't push yourself too hard."

My body started hovering in the air, floating over to a nearby chair where she set me down. With how light my head felt, I didn't mind a bit, letting myself sink into the soft cushion to rest. The rest of my teammates and Jaune burst through the door. "Ruby!" they all called out.

"Oh gods, more of them?" A male doctor, the one who most likely grabbed me, stood up and flicked his hand at them. "Go away, already! This is an operating room, we don't allow people in while we're performing surgery on a patient—"

"No need for that, Gris," one of the other doctors called out. "We might not have to do too much, now. This girl is nothing short of a miracle worker."

Huh? I stood up, groaning as the sudden change in pressure pressed against my skull. Ugh… I didn't recover nearly well enough… but what was the other doctor talking about? Despite the cries from my teammates not to move, I stumbled towards the bed once more. No one tried to stop me for some reason. I don't know whether it's due to shock or awe, but nobody tried to slow me down.

The moment I reached the side of the bed, I gasped. The hole straight through his torso just a minute ago… it's gone now. Well, mostly gone. There's still a deep welt where the wound used to be, and it's still welling up with blood. But the actual hole's gone now. He's in a more stable condition. He's not going to die on us tonight.

"Alright, everyone out! That includes you, miracle girl!" The man who grabbed me butted in the way, pointing his hand towards the door. "We still have a job to perform, and us professionals need room to work!"

"Right, right," the other doctor nodded, taking a look at the rest of the group. "I think you should wait outside as well, Glynda. Fill in the students about the situation Ozpin is in right now. The procedure shouldn't take long, I'd say ten or so minutes." He turned towards me. "Thank you for what you've just done."

I nodded, stepping out into the hallway once more. I took a look at everyone waiting outside. It was all of team RWBY plus Jaune with the deputy of Beacon.

"Professor Goodwitch, what happened to Headmaster Ozpin?" Weiss asked, breaking the long silence. "Why is he hurt?"

She looked to the side for a moment before sighing. "Children… The Headmaster got shot by some kind of projectile." Everyone gasped hearing that. What? The professor continued, "We were trying to stop three people in a stolen Bullhead trying to kidnap someone. While the Headmaster managed to knock them out of the skies, they shot something at him that pierced through his Aura and punctured his lungs."

Oh my gods… so somebody managed to hit him while his Stand was out… But the hole in the Headmaster is way too big for a bullet, and most projectiles are easily blockable with a Stand. What kind of Stand ability could possibly puncture through the Headmaster's defenses, someone with decades of Stand experience? But three people in a Bullhead… I can only think of one group like that. Team C.M.E.N. So they found the Stand user they needed to win… but they got shot down before they could get out of the city.

My eyes widened. Maybe… "Professor…" The blonde-haired woman looked at me. "The people the Headmaster shot down… where are they now? Where did they go?"

"Escaped, unfortunately. Right after they landed, they created some kind of forcefield. No one could approach them due to the debris sent flying due to said field. By the time we could get within range, they were already gone." Darn… Even with the bad news, I can't help but feel a bit of hope. Team C.M.E.N must still be in the city, then! If we organize ourselves and lock down the city, they'll have nowhere to go! We might still have a chance of catching them!

The door popped open once more, revealing the rude doctor once more. "You can see your Headmaster now," he stated, shooting dirty looks at us. With that, he and the other medical staff left, rushing towards the other patient rooms. We didn't waste any time, funneling into his room.

We came in to see the Headmaster already bringing himself up to a seated position. "Good evening, everyone." He glanced at a clock on the wall. "Or maybe I should say morning. It's technically Thursday now, after all." The man let out a groan, pressing his hand against the gauze wrappings above his abdomen. "Don't mind me. I might have a hole through my torso, but I've survived more than that before." He sighed, moving to push his glasses up before realizing he doesn't have any on. "Right… I assume your day has been going better than mine?"

Weiss nodded, stepping forwards. "Yang has the Arrow. The Grimm carrying it's dead now. We don't have to worry about it creating more St—" She glanced at Goodwitch. "—I mean enemies." She glanced at me, swallowed, then looked back at the adult. "And… we figured out who were the masterminds behind all of this. Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai. They were the ones who were in the Bullhead."

That got a reaction out of Yang and Blake, their eyes widening at the revelation. Weiss continued, "Ruby found out about their plans, but they got away by Bullhead before she could get them." I glanced away from the bed. It's still so painful…

"That's fine." The Headmaster nodded, deep in thought. A trickle of tears ran down one of his eyes. "May he find some rest." What? Who's 'he?' The man didn't give us an answer. One blink later, the tears on his face disappeared, almost like he never cried in the first place. But his puffy eyes didn't lie. Something must've happened, something no one else seemed to notice.

The man rubbed his eyes. "As for the masterminds, it's a shame that they managed to escape. However, if they were the ones trying to kidnap the user, then we might be in a better position than we thought. As for the Arrow…" He extended a hand towards my sister. "Can you hand it over to me, Ms. Xiao-Long?"

"Huh— Oh!" She recoiled back, staring at him with disbelief for a moment before offering him the tail end of the artifact. "Yeah, sure." Right as she pressed the Arrow into the Headmaster's hands, Yang had a realization. "Oh wait! One more thing." She dug through her pockets and pulled out a pair of gloves. I winced. Why did they look like skinned hands? Yang crinkled her face. "I found these in Cinder's room. She was using this to control the Cupid."

He frowned at the sight of the gloves, his face a mix of confusion and cold fury. "Oh… Thank you. These… hands. I'll look into them." He threw them off to the side before lifting the Arrow up to his face. "But the Arrow… This thing's caused us so much trouble. It's nice finally having it in our hands and not in the enemy's. We'll get this secure as soon as we can." The Headmaster rested the Arrow on his lap. "Glynda, do you mind if you step outside? I need to speak with the children. Alone."

Her eyes narrowed. "Ozpin—"

"Glynda. This is for their own good, as well as everyone else's." Goodwitch let out a long sigh, giving us a nod before stepping out of the door.

The moment the door closed shut, Headmaster Ozpin stretched his back. "Now if memory serves, Professor Goodwitch must've told you about how I got injured, right?"

We all nodded. "Also about the kidnapping," Jaune added.

"Mmm. I guess you're filled in, then. I have nothing else to say."

The entire room went silent. Oh… that's not good. Nothing? No new insight? So that's it, then? Are the Kingdoms going to die, just like this?

"Uh, Headmaster?" I finally asked. He turned his head towards me. "So what now?" I stepped forwards. "Cinder and the others are somewhere within the city, which means we can still catch her. But what do we do from here? She has everything she needs to summon that— that supernatural being thing that can destroy the whole entire world. And well— you must've fought it before and won. You must know something about this thing. What did you do to win?"

The Headmaster nodded. "You're right, you're right… I did fight her, and I did win." He sighed. "I should explain who she is, then." Wait a minute… 'she?'

He cleared his throat. "The 'creature' Cinder is trying to summon… her name is Sar— Salem. She's a humanoid Grimm, the mother 'brain' of all Grimm. Think of her as a queen in a colony of insects." He closed his eyes. "She has a Stand ability, which she uses to destroy the very being of a Remnan before merging it with a creature of Grimm."

Everybody grew quiet hearing that. Professor Ozpin continued, "That's what I meant by a power that can end civilizations. If she succeeds in doing this, Remnans as we know it will no longer exist, all of them killed to give Grimm souls. We lose our souls to the Grimm horde."

I bit my lip. Murdering all Remnans… to give Grimm souls? How does that make any sense? Grimm's don't have souls, so how does killing us all give them souls? Wait a minute… does Cinder know this? She talks about giving the world justice. Is turning all Remnans into Grimm 'justice' to her? No way… how could she think that? And how can Mercury and Emerald go along with that? They stop existing to become a creature of Grimm… Where's the justice in that?

Headmaster Ozpin sighed, bringing my attention back to him. "A long time ago, during the Great War, I faced her with several other friends. We used our Stand powers to fight her, and eventually we managed to banish her to another dimension. One of us… well, he—" The Headmaster made a choking sound, covering his mouth— And he's back to normal in an instant. Not even a blink, he just straight up changed positions. How is he doing that?

He sighed. "Well after that, we swore to make sure that the Arrow stayed hidden. We couldn't afford another Salem in the world. So we destroyed the shaft, dented the arrowhead, dulled its point and edge. We did whatever we could to make it unusable before throwing it in the sea to be forgotten."

"We thought we would never have to worry about the Arrow ever again. But looking at its condition right now…" He lifted the Arrow up, showing its pristine state. "I don't know how it managed to get fixed, but now it's back. I've learned from my mistakes. I thought getting rid of it was enough. But now that I've heard of the Altans… I'm going to return it to them and bury it once and for all."

"Didn't you say yourself that the last time you hid the Arrow, someone found it?" Everybody turned to look at Yang. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. "No offense, Headmaster, but we're fighting now because you already tried getting rid of the Arrow. We can't keep doing that. After we're gone, people will suffer again."

Everyone nodded their heads. I looked at them, one by one. The tiredness in their eyes, the stubborn yet sullen looks they had. I can feel my exhaustion in my bones; what about the others? Yang held a hand out. "Power is scary, and it can get out of control. But hide from power, and it'll just come back to bite us. Shouldn't we find some middle ground, learn about this power and how we can limit its effect on the world?"

The Headmaster hesitated, looking at the Arrow in his hands. "And risk the chance that it can be abused for selfish reasons?"

"That's the risk we need to take if we want to be free from this," Yang responded.

He looked sullen, looking at the object that caused so much pain, then at us. "… Maybe we should," the Headmaster finally answered. "Maybe we should. If only we can figure that out while making everyone happy."

I straightened up. "Well, it's not like anyone's going to complain once the threat is over. We can easily make something work. But we can do that later." I sighed. "There's just one more thing we need to talk about. How are we going to find Cinder before she finishes this summoning?"

"Hmm… that's where it gets difficult." The Headmaster let out a hum, pulling out a scroll and looking through it. "It looks like Qrow and Winter are currently looking for General Ironwood after his ship crashed. If they can find him, we'll have the Atlesian army and the Valean military quarantine Vale. If not, well… it'll just be us."

"There's an artifact that I gave to Qrow that can track other Stand users, but two people aren't going to have much luck with so many Stand users in the city. Maybe trackers on confirmed users can alleviate the problem, but it might not be as helpful as we'd want. As for us…" he sighed. "Aside from asking around, we aren't going to get too much done until somebody has info we can use."

"Actually…" Everyone turned to me. "I have an idea. We actually have a Stand user who can track people down: Nolan. His Stand can smell where Cinder is, and we definitely have stuff that belongs to Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald. If we put him on a Bullhead and have a small group follow him on the ground, we can force an encounter with Cinder that way."

"Using the old adage to your advantage…" The Headmaster nodded his head. "Stand users attracted to other Stand users… That's not a bad idea. Not bad at all." He chuckled. "This just might work."

"Headmaster?" I asked.

"Don't mind that." He looked up at us. "I think all of you should go out and be the ones on the ground. There's no other group better prepared to handle the fight more than you five." He nodded, turning to look at every single user in the room. "I wouldn't have anyone else be on this team."

I nodded. "We won't fail you, Headmaster Ozpin. Alright, team! Gather around!" All five of us got into a circle. I nodded my head. "We need every bit of energy we can, so let's rest up for the day. We'll meet up again tomorrow evening— I mean this evening to find Cinder."

 _Leave. Give up._ A tiny piece of me kept nagging, trying to change my mind. That's not going to happen. Not when we're so close to the end. Not when there are so many lives at stake. I nudged that voice deep into my mind, focusing on my friends. Now's not the time for hesitance. Right now, we need to fight one last time.

"It's time we end this once and for all."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 10/26/2018**

* * *

 **And with that, Arc 4 has ended. One more to go. I've already said my part regarding the eventual end of this fic last chapter, so I won't repeat it here.**

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: Yeah, the Bori moment was definitely a difficult moment to mention. It is just heartwrenching, seeing someone who hates themselves so much that they try to force themselves to be like everyone else. A lot of people would be motivated to help their loved ones, especially if that's what they're going through. Deery definitely has good intentions backing terrible actions.**

 **And Cinder, oh man. Her friendship and eventual betrayal is actually inspired by Benjamin Franklin and his son during the Revolutionary War. They were actually on opposite sides of the war: Benjamin with the colonies, his son with King George III. They were very similar people, with very similar backgrounds and commonalities. And they genuinely loved each other. They were the perfect example of father and son.**

 **They had their relationship torn by their ideals and by which side they took during the war. Once the Revolutionary War ended, they never reconciled, and they both died with that guilt. That story is tragic, and I wanted to play with that kind of dynamic, even if it doesn't go exactly like how it went with the Franklins. Friends torn apart because they fought for different visions of their world... I can't say how well I pulled that off throughout the story, but I'm glad it's there.**

 **tuskenpaw: Oh yeah. Having the subtitle "Hurting Each Other" was a deliberate move on my part. But yeah, it's about time Ruby got around to learning how to use her Silver Eye powers.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic! And yeah, considering their views on their respective powers, it kinda makes sense Russel and Qrow would connect with each other.**

 **Guest: Thank you, Guest! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Oh yeah. A little bittersweet, but at least for Bori and Deery, it worked out. Thank you!**

 **Mathew Cipriano: I personally feel that RWBY BA as it is will be a self-contained story. Everything will be resolved in a way that I won't be able to make a proper sequel. Not with the main cast, at least. Saying any more would be me spoiling stuff.**

 **That being said, I am interested in doing an anthology fic along the lines of Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe. I feel like such a story gives me the freedom to explore the several ideas I chose not to expand upon in RWBY BA while not messing with the ending I want RWBY BA to have. It probably won't be updated regularly, since I do have other projects that I want to work on. But I'd say something like this is something I do want to explore.**

 **That Username: I personally headcanon that a repeat stabbing of the Arrow is a Requiem, whether it's on the actual user or the Stand. So I consider Killer Queen: BTD to be a proto-Requiem Stand ability. And like I said before, I had it so that a Requiem Stand wouldn't be needed for the story.**

 **mastergamer14: Believe it or not, I have thought about making a Jojo/Persona 4 crossover. Never seriously, though. For one, I've forgotten a lot of Persona 4 since I've last watched/played it, so I'm probably going to need a refresher. Then there's actually thinking about how to reconcile Stands and Personas. They do have similarities, but the subtle differences are the ones I'd like to get locked down, similar to how I made Aura and Stands work with RWBY BA.**

 **Like Personas are more generalized, ability wise. They are basically a ton of themed Magician's Reds. Stands in Jojo tend to have more abnormal abilities, which makes them more situational but more clever. Persona users actually carry weapons, while Stand users lean towards not having weapons. Persona users are only really dangerous in the cognitive world, while Stand users are dangerous anywhere, so on and so forth. I want to figure out some way to balance the two in a way that makes both interesting. I won't even start thinking about drafting a story before I figure that out.**

 **That being said, I do occasionally think about the idea. I can't promise that it'll ever go anywhere, just that I have considered something like that.**

 **doa570047: I definitely agree with the words versus actions aspect of the review. It's easy to say that you can do the right thing when the situation comes to it. It's even easier to justify fighting if you genuinely believe that you're doing it for the right reasons. With the right push, anyone can indulge in their terribleness. But it's the same with virtuousness. Anyone can be pushed to be good**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 **Next Chapter Update: October 26, 2018**


	48. Chandelier

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **So, I actually got a ticket to the Volume 6 premiere and saw it on that Thursday. Without spoiling much, I do think that this is easily one of the most solid premieres out there. It has a perfect blend of all the things I love about RWBY, it's more willing to follow up on the events of the past season while still forging its own identity. I'd gush more, but a lot of it is spoilers and you guys have a story to read. But after nearly two years since I've first started, Jojo and RWBY are back on the air at the same time. I'm as happy as I can be.**

 **But let's cut the talk and get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all their help!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

"In response to the White Fang attack yesterday and the presence of Grimm in the city, the Vale Council has declared martial law."

I ran my finger down the side of Crocea Mors, feeling the smooth finish of the blade. Team JNPR and I all sat in the common area next to the kitchen, nobody saying a word as we let Lisa Lavender continue her news report. "All citizens, please stay within your Grimm shelters until the quarantine has been lifted. For citizens not registered in a shelter, please tune in to the frequency 162.550 MHz using your scrolls for survival tips and militia movements within Vale—"

"So if what you're saying is true, this quarantine isn't for the Grimm," Nora said, breaking the silence in the room. "It's there to trap the people who planned the Vytal Festival attack."

I nodded. "Yep."

She pressed a closed fist against her lips. "Alright, so I understand that part. But why can't we go with you and team RWBY? If we know there's a bad guy and they're so close to destroying the world, why not bring as many people as we can? Why tell us that you're going to chase after these dangerous bad guys AND tell us to not come with you? It makes no sense!"

A long sigh escaped my mouth. "Like I said, these guys have powers way more powerful than Semblances. They've done a lot of damage to so many people, both Huntsmen and non-Huntsmen. Not to mention that they're trying to summon a powerful being that can destroy everything." I stared into Nora's eyes. "Think about it. No more Vale, no more Kingdoms, no more CCT, no more _pancakes_."

That got Nora to gasp in horror. "No pancakes? But that means I _need_ to fight! For pancakes!" She slammed her hand against the coffee table, staring me right in the eyes. "Jaune, we'll put our lives at stake if it meant that the pancakes are safe! Well, also the people of Vale, but you know what I mean! Jaune, we want to fight just as much as you do!"

Pyrrha stepped in from there. She had that frown on her face, the one that says I've messed up somehow. "All joking aside, so what if all of JNPR aren't able to hold our own against the masterminds? We want to help you, Jaune." She gestured to the rest of the team. Nora's eyes grew sharp and intense, staring into my soul while Ren to the side stiffened up, giving his own nod of approval.

My partner sighed, making a forlorn frown. "All of us do. You promised to not push us away. So why don't you let us be a part of the fight? Why tell us to stay at Beacon and watch over it while our team leader does this alone?"

"… A couple of reasons." I took a sharp breath. "We need as many people as possible protecting the artifact that we got during the Vytal Festival. It was important to the villains' plans in the past. Since we have it, it's only a matter of time until we defeat whoever's left. But that also means that this fight could start all over again if they get the artifact back." I rested my head against the backing of the coach. "We need as many people on alert as possible to prevent that."

I sighed. "To be honest, team RWBY and I had thought about using the artifact and giving you guys these powers. We decided that it's too risky. If anyone loses control of their powers when they receive them, then we'll have to waste time and energy to stop the attack, time that we don't have. It's better to put the artifact away and wait until this whole situation is over."

"And well…" I glanced down at the carpet floor. "Well, we can't afford any mishaps. Don't get me wrong, you guys are the best of the best. You all can fight circles around me without even trying. But the thing is… we have no idea what the enemy is capable of. We don't know what their 'powers' do, where they are, what traps they have set for us. The last thing I want is to have you guys be used as hostages. I don't want to see any of my friends or teammates killed because we were caught by surprise." I stared into each of their eyes. "Do you all understand that?"

The room went quiet as all of my teammates were deep in thought. Ren surprisingly was the one who broke the silence, letting out a hum. "Jaune," he started. "I hope you understand that making us worried, just telling us this. You're putting yourself in serious danger, and nobody here likes that idea." The boy closed his eyes. "But I understand."

"Ren!" Pyrrha yelled.

"If this is a job only you and team RWBY can do, then I understand keeping us back at Beacon." Magenta eyes opened back up, his focused gaze connecting with my own. "I'm not happy with that. I'd rather help you out as well. But if the stakes are that big, and the danger that immense… then we'll stay out of your way. We'll stay here and protect the artifact."

Nora let out a whine, pressing her lips together as she glanced at her partner. "Ren… are you sure about this? This is Jaune we're talking about. Our team leader. Our friend. Our family."

Ren stiffened, brushing the magenta-colored highlight away from his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure." He clenched his fists within his lap. "We, as Huntsmen, have to protect the community. And we have to do our part to keep as many people as possible alive. And to keep everyone alive, we need to make sure the artifact doesn't get back into the wrong hands. Jaune will handle everything else. We need to trust him. I trust him."

The normally hyperactive redhead pouted, bobbing her head as she thought through Ren's words. She let out a sigh. "Okay. If you really think we're better off here than with Jaune… Then I'll stay here, too."

Only Pyrrha was left, a frown still on her face. "Jaune…"

"Pyrrha, I _want_ to bring you and team JNPR with me. I really, really do. But it's better if you guys stayed here at Beacon." I rubbed the back of my head. "I know that this goes against what I promised to you way back after the Ursa incident, that I would never go off on my own and instead allow you guys to help me. But I'm not trying to chase after some stupid goal. I'm not doing this for pride or machismo. This is a thing bigger than me, something that I'm doing with others, and—"

"I understand as well." I turned to look at my partner. Huh? She continued, "I don't really like the situation we're all in, but if you think that having us guard an artifact will keep Vale alive, then I'll go with your idea. You wouldn't make a choice like that lightly. But Jaune, please promise me this." We locked eyes. "Promise me you'll do everything you can to come back to us."

A promise, huh? I gave her a smile. "I promise, Pyrrha. I'll come back home to you guys. I won't let you guys down."

The corner of Pyrrha's lip curled up. "Thank you."

"Hey, Pyrrha?" My partner turned her head to look at Nora, who looked a bit embarrassed as she dug through a bag or something behind the couch. "Uh, I guess while we're here as a team, I should get this out of the way." She brought her hand out and opened it up, revealing a little clay figurine. Pyrrha let out a gasp. My eyes widened. It was a statue of a clay kokoni dog. Nora bought that during the first day of the Vytal Festival… It's only been three days since she bought that. So much has happened since then, huh…

Nora glanced away. "I know I've already apologized about what happened, and you said that everything's been forgiven and I shouldn't really bring it up anymore, but I really wanted to make it right. I wanted to give you something to add back to your shrine, as a reminder of Luna and as a token of our friendship."

Pyrrha's mouth opened up just a bit as she took the figurine, staring at the piece of art in her hands. The hyperactive redhead let out a nervous chuckle, twiddling her thumbs. "So… what do you think?"

"My gods, it's beautiful…" My partner ran a finger down the dog's back. "It looks so much like Luna… Where did you get this?"

"There was a stall selling clay figurines like that during the Vytal Festival, I bought one when you doing something else. I mean, Jaune helped me pay for the statue, which by the way…" She turned towards me for a second. "I'll pay you back as soon as we get back to our dorms—" Nora took a deep breath. "—But that's not really that important! Pyrrha, I hope you like it."

"It's beautiful." Pyrrha rubbed a corner of her eye, turning away from us while letting out a sniffle. "I— I just— Thank you, Nora."

My scroll rang at that moment. I glanced at it before sighing. "Well, that's my cue." I stood up. "I gotta meet up with team RWBY and the other defenders. We need time to prepare before anyone can head into the city proper." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I guess I want to have a couple last words with each and every one of you guys before I go."

"Ren, you were like the brother I never had. Even though we don't chat too often, there's this sense of camaraderie, like we just understand each other. I'm glad that we got the chance to meet each other as part of team JNPR." The boy nodded, a small smile growing on his face.

My eyes drifted towards the more bubbly girl. "Nora, your energy keeps every day interesting. No matter what happens, you never fail to find a way to amaze us all. Thank you for keeping me on my toes and making student life in Beacon interesting throughout the entire year." A sad but cheerful grin grew on the girl's face.

Finally, I turned to face my partner. "Pyrrha… I owe so much to you. You saved my life during Initiation, you unlocked my Aura, you believed in me during my lowest point. You helped me train to be the person I am today. And honestly, I have no easy way of putting my feelings into words. It's… I wish I knew the right words to say." I rubbed the base of my chin. "You… mean so much to me. I wouldn't want anyone else but you by my side." Pyrrha blushed the moment she heard that, covering her face.

I sat up. "All three of you are so important to me. I loved spending the entire year with you guys, I enjoyed creating new memories, just the four of us. And I want to continue making memories with you all." A smile formed on my face. "Thank you all for everything you've done for me so far." I made my way to the doorframe before stopping. "Goodbye, guys. If I don't make it back… Try to contact my family. They deserve to know what happened to me.

"We will," Pyrrha said. "Goodbye, Jaune. Let's hope we all see each other again."

A smile grew on my face. "I hope so, too."

* * *

A gust of wind danced through my short, black hair, scattering it across my face and into my mouth. Oh geez— I spat out the strands before brushing it away. My gods, just why did it— I smoothed out my bangs, tucking them under my headphone band. Just gotta make sure my hair doesn't go flying about…

Okay, back to my walk. Wait, I'm walking? I blinked. I'm standing on the sidewalks of Beacon. I _am_ walking. Huh. I continued onwards, shivering as I pulled my cape closer to my body. The fall winds were hitting hard this year, and all of a sudden, too. It wasn't like this during the Vytal Festival. The calm weather then was gone now. Now, it's just clouds on the sky all day. Even though it's evening, it's just a lot of gray all around. It makes Vale all overcast and… sad.

It's as if Remnant itself knew the situation we're in right now. It feels like the world is almost in a spell of sorts, as if cast by an evil wizard. I mean, that's obviously not true… but then again, if a Stand user is basically a wizard, then maybe something like that could realistically happen in real life.

Wait, why am I walking around? I stopped. I'm in front of the Headmaster's tower. Wait a minute, why…? Of course. I'm supposed to be meeting with the others to finalize the plan. Why did that not stick in my mind? This is the most important fight of our lives, and I just… let that slip out of my head? I rubbed my forehead. What's with me today? Way too many people count on me to save them. So why am I… why am I being so absent-minded?

My teeth sank into my lips. I can't afford to do this right now. My feet started moving, entering the building as I let out a hum of displeasure. This… isn't me. Allowing my mind to wander... I mean, it happens. But I've never had it to the point where I wasn't paying attention to the world around me. I mean, the only time I can sorta think of was back when I first became a Stand user, but it doesn't feel the same as before. Right now, it's less delusions and more… more of an empty feeling.

How _can_ you describe that feeling? I pressed the elevator button and sighed. It's not bitterness, I think. It doesn't feel like despair or apathy, either. I really want to continue fighting for the future with everything I have, but it's just… It's getting harder to feel something. Maybe I'm getting close to burning out…

A ding escaped from the elevator before opening. I stepped in and stared at the control panel. Okay, so how did the combination work? I raised my hands toward the buttons—

" _It'll be a lot easier on you and everyone else if you let Vale fall._ " Cinder's words vibrated in my head, stopping my hand right before the button. It's so easy to just step away. All I have to do is step back and run away, then that's it. No more responsibility. No more pressure. I can see my fingers start to shake. If I walk away and let Cinder do her thing, she'll destroy all Remnans… but the other Stand users won't have to suffer anymore. Arslan, Fox, Nolan, Jaune, my team, and so many more… they don't have to fight. They'll get a chance to enjoy their last moments as normal people before everyone dies…

My fingers jabbed the closing door, open door, and highest floor button, all at the same time. The thought was buried deep. I can't be selfish now. We're so close to the end, and we've worked so hard to get this close to the end.

I can't burn out now… I have to keep going. By quitting, their suffering would be all for nothing. I can't let my feelings hold me back from what I'm supposed to do. Not as a team leader, not as a Huntress, not as a Stand user. Nobody else is giving up right now… I won't fail the others and give up. The door closed on me before the compartment sank downwards. I sighed. Maybe once everything's all said and done, I can finally relax and let go.

I tapped my fingers against the side of the elevator, adjusting my cape as it took me down. Okay Ruby, let's think about something else, something more focused on the mission, like… like the fact that the elevator goes down. Yeah. The fact that this is a thing is actually a surprise for me. I didn't know that the Headmaster's tower had an underground area. It didn't even have any kind of obvious button to take us there. I had to do the combination thing to activate it. Only then did the elevator go down.

Then again, I think that's for the best. There couldn't be a lot of people who would figure that out. That means that we can be sure that the underground area is safe. There wouldn't be any better hiding spot for the Arrow.

The elevator doors opened up, revealing a wide, expansive hall. I whistled. Wow. This is extravagant. I started making my way through, admiring everything about it. Holy— How many people can you fit into this thing? I think we could put in tens of thousands of people in here and still have enough room to set up shops and infirmaries and all that. I swear, this can be another Grimm shelter if it wasn't for the fact that, one: the only way in I know of is the elevator, and two: we're hiding a dangerous item here.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, I spotted two people across the room in yellow and blue respectively. I can recognize Arslan's hair and Ciel's beret anywhere. The two of them were in a quiet conversation between themselves, occasionally gesturing towards a padlocked box bolted to the ground at their feet. The place where the Arrow is sealed for the time being.

"Hey guys!" The two of them glanced up to see me walking towards them. I gave Arslan and Ciel a wave. "How's everyone doing?"

"Good, good." Arslan nodded, adjusting her seat. "We were just discussing general info about the Arrow, or at least the information that I remember." She held a hand towards another empty seat.

"Sure thing." I plopped down on the flimsy folding chair and let out a satisfied sigh. "Thanks." I looked around the room. "Is it just going to be the two of you down here?"

The Atlesian girl nodded. "That seems to be the case. The majority of the available Stand users will stay on the surface of Beacon to prevent suspicion. There are no grounds for concern on the surface. If anyone makes it down to the vault, Miss Altan and I are more than enough to handle the assailants." Arslan let out a 'humph' of agreement.

"Okay. That's good. Do the other users already know about the meeting here?" Ciel gave a nod. "Alright then." I tapped the side of my cheek before turning towards the other girl. "So, Arslan… How's progress with getting into contact with the rest of your family? When can we expect them to be here?"

"Fairly well. I've gotten into contact with the matriarch of our family, and she's gotten some of my uncles and aunts and sent them our way in Mistral's fastest airship. If everything goes well, they should make it here by tomorrow. If this Cinder character doesn't summon this monster by then, they should be able to help track her down and stop this ritual."

"Yeah…" I sighed. "Let's hope that Cinder won't have the time to finish the summoning process."

"Right." The three of us sat around in silence, staring at each other with a bit of awkwardness. I coughed into my hand. "Uh… Have there been any more talks about what Atlas and Mistral are planning to do with the Arrow after all of this is done?"

"A bit." The platinum blonde-haired girl brushed a lock off her face. "I'm trying to coordinate with the head of my family in negotiations with the General. We have some details roughed out, but there are still a lot of things to go through and discuss. It doesn't help that the General of Atlas is still recovering from his wounds after his ship got shot down, as well as… well, the current situation with the Grimm in Vale. But we're trying our best to figure out how we can avoid an incident like this again." She let out a sigh. "Of course, none of the negotiations matter if everyone dies before we can get anything done."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, true… But we won't let that happen. I promise—"

"Is anyone there?" The three of us turned towards the voice. Russel and Fox walked down the hall, the two of them relaxing at the 'sight' of us. "Oh, there you guys are. Afternoon," Fox called out, drifting a bit to the left as he walked towards us. The mohawked boy nodded at us, breaking away from Fox and making his way to our side. Fox let out a hum. "I hope we aren't late for the meeting."

Ciel glanced at her wrist. "On the contrary, you're approximately two minutes and thirteen seconds earlier than the expected meeting time."

"Really? Thank you for the time." Fox quickly readjusted himself towards us. "Who isn't here yet?"

"My teammates, Jaune, Nolan, and Gwen haven't arrived yet," I said, placing my chin against the back of my hand. "I texted them while I was coming over, and they said that they're on their way right now. They should be arriving soon-ish."

"I think we can do better than soon-ish, little sis." Huh? I turned around to see Yang with her arms crossed, a half-smile on her face. Weiss, Blake, and Jaune stood behind her. The blonde girl waved her hand. "Hey, Ruby. We didn't keep you waiting too long, did we?"

"Nope." I shook my head with a smile. "You guys are good!"

At that moment, the nine of us heard sounds of panting. "Oh, gods! Okay, we're here. We've made it." We turned around to find a boy in a jean jacket and a girl in a purple ballerina dress gasping in front of us. They looked absolutely flushed.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh hey, Nolan! Hey Gwen! What's with the rush?"

"Well… I was… uh… trying to figure out the exact range of my Stand! Yeah! He placed a hand against his chest, holding a finger up. Finally he spoke. "I didn't want to find out that my range didn't go as far as I remembered it going. But I've checked everything out, and I'm one-hundred percent certain that I'll be able to cover the entire city from a Bullhead."

"Yeah, that was all that happened." Gwen let out a wheeze, clearing her throat. "Nothing else. At all." I raised my eyebrow at that. Really? Nothing at all? I mean, if Blake's romance novels told me anything, it's that— You know what? Let's forget it. Saving the world's a bit more important than speculating about if they're a 'thing.'

"Sure…" I shook my head. "Let's get to the plan. Like we said before, all of team RWBY will get onto one Bullhead, while Jaune, Gwen, and Nolan take the other. We fly over to where Cinder and the others were last spotted. Team RWBY and Jaune will drop off there, while you two stay in the air. Then my group will carjack one of the abandoned cars and tail **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** as we hopefully track where Cinder's hiding. Arslan and Ciel will stay here, and everyone else stays at Beacon in case of an attack. Are we good on that?"

Everyone nodded, making sounds of agreement. "Okay, then! Yang, you still have the gloves from before?"

She nodded, pulling them out from her pockets as she walked over to Nolan. She flinched at the sight of the komodo dragon appearing in front of the boy, it eyeing her every movement. "So this is the Stand that bit me all so long ago," she muttered to herself before offering the Stand the skin gloves. Her skin clammed up as **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** approached her. "Nice lizard… Please don't bite me…"

One sniff, then two. The creature snorted, taking in the scent of the fabric. Behind it, Nolan let out a hum before gasping. "That's… Oh my gods. It smells of… I can't really put a name to it. "

I raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what? What emotion are you smelling?"

"One moment, this is— I need a moment." He stepped away, pacing around while rubbing the base of his nose. "Oh gods, that's an uncomfortable feeling. But well… how do I describe this…" He hummed. "On the surface, it has an ashy, smoky smell, like a mixture of burnt wood and burnt flesh. There's a bit of red Dust smell on it as well." My sister winced when she heard that.

Nolan continued, "But those don't even come close to describing the feeling I'd smelled in these gloves. The smell started out okay, nice and soft and soothing. But then it just takes a dive into terrible, terrible smells. There's an… an acrid, bitter smell that reminded me of betrayal. But it's not like playful betrayal. It's the kind that cuts deep. Then there's this smoggy, miserable, painful feeling: the feeling of losing everything. Ruined lives, ruined dreams, just… ruin all around." He shook my head. "I've never smelled a person so… pained in my life."

"Wait, as in they're 'in pain?'" Yang raised an eyebrow. "You mean it smells of the pain of others, right?"

The boy shook his head. "No no, I'm pretty sure that's how the person feels. I'm unable to smell future emotions. The emotions clearly belong to the person who wore these gloves."

… Huh? That makes no sense at all. I rubbed the corner of my eyes. There's no way Cinder has those kinds of emotions. She's trying to make us extinct, how could she of all people feel the most betrayed out of everyone's she hurt? If what Nolan's saying is true and she truly feels that way— There's no way. That's impossible. A person like her, who stays completely calm in the face of danger, a person who doesn't care about the fate of all of Remnant, _she_ feels bitter and betrayed? That doesn't sound like her. It has to be something else. The pang in my chest was quickly followed by my frown. It has to be.

"… Maybe you can also smell the emotions of the people affected by her?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I mean, it's not the first time someone found another aspect of their Stand that changes everything. It could be that the gloves are some kind of Grimm-like entity that can absorb the negative emotions of everyone nearby it. There could be more ways the gloves have those kinds of emotions."

Nolan shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. I don't want to assume that, though. As they say, the most plausible solution is the one that's the most straightforward. And we _are_ tracking Cinder, after all." He shook his head. "Eh, it doesn't really matter. I'm just throwing out observations. Plus, I have what I need to track her down. **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** is ready when you guys are."

I nodded my head. "Right." I gestured to the group in front of me. "Alright, everyone! I know that there's a lot riding on how this mission goes. If we fail here, then all of Vale will fall, and the rest of the world after." The collective group of Stand users nodded their heads, their faces somber.

My eyes went down to the floor. "I know that for most of you guys, fighting this fight isn't something that you'd want to do. This isn't a burden most people would want to bear. My team, my friends, did our best to keep you all out of the fight. We did our best to give you all a chance to continue living your lives. But that's no longer possible. I failed, and now it's impossible for you all to ignore this problem. Millions of lives are at stake."

I looked back up at the group. "We all have a part to play in making sure the Kingdoms stay standing, tall and proud. Now's no longer the time to stay on the sidelines. It's time we all worked together and use our powers to stop our extinction. For all of Remnant."

Everyone remained silent, taking in everything I just said. While each person had a different set of emotions appearing on their faces, I can see sparks of determination dance through all of their eyes. We might be of different nationalities, come from different backgrounds, have different personalities and Stand abilities, but we all want to continue moving on, freeing Remnant of the fear of death.

A smile grew on my face. "For Remnant!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

After that speech made by my sister, team RWBY found ourselves sitting in our Bullhead, waiting for Cammy to reach the drop-off point. In my ears blared the heart pumping roars of Esy Daisy, a legendary rockstar. What can I say? The Achieve Men might be my favorite band, but for missions such as these, their soothing soft rock isn't quite enough for the blood coursing through my veins. And there's nothing like Esy Daisy to pump me up for a long day at the gym or a Hunt.

The Bullhead rocked once more. It's a turbulent night. Not so much as to knock us out of the sky, but it definitely forced Cammy to take a little detour and eat up some precious time. I don't really understand the turbulence, myself. It wasn't windy when we got on. But if it isn't dangerous… I think we'll be fine.

I looked over Ember Celica one last time. Clean, oiled, and loaded. From the looks of it, both gauntlets are ready for combat. I retracted them into their bracelet forms. Let's hope that I won't have to use these to kill anyone.

But knowing the situation we're in, we just might need to take a person's life to bring peace to Vale. I looked back up at my team. The rest of them have already completed their weapons inspection. We're just waiting to arrive at the plaza now, a decent amount of time, I suppose.

I let out an internal sigh as we flew through the air, my mind wandering back to the speech beforehand. Ruby isn't the greatest orator, I have to admit. She's never been too good at dealing with crowds. But this was one of her better speeches, that's for sure. Makes me wonder if she prepared it while she was on her own today. A sigh escaped my mouth. She's changed, that's for sure. I guess everyone has.

But whew. I adjusted my seat, tugging at my scarf as the silence went on. Is it just me, or is the mood in the Bullhead way too tense? I mean, we are flying to fight for the existence of all Remnans, and that's a lot of pressure. But everyone, and I mean everyone, was on edge.

Blake was stiff as a board, eyes twitching towards any sound within the aircraft. Weiss had Myrtenaster in her lap, her index idly rubbing against her weapon's trigger. Every once in a while she would tighten her grip around the weapon, as if ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Even Ruby, the girl who normally could never hold in her anticipation, was as still as a stone, eyes focused out of a window. The energy that used to course through my sister's body felt way more muted than before.

They haven't been doing their usual pre-mission habits. It clicked in my head. I'm the only one here still indulging in mine. Everyone else was hyper-focused on the mission in front of them. It made me feel like a rookie fighting alongside a squadron of war-hardened veterans. And in a sense, that might be a better description than I can give credit for. My eyes flickered to the floor. Gods… a single month of looking and finding and fighting turned my team into this?

The previous song ended, with the next song starting with a banging guitar solo. I smiled, moving on from my previous thoughts. Ooo, I like this one. I bobbed my head in time with the beat, taking in the song. A smirk grew on my face as I started mouthing the lyrics: 'Thunder… thunder… thunder… thunder…'

'I was caught; in the middle of a railroad track!' I waggled my fingers around in time with the drums. Oh man, this is my jam! 'I looked 'round, and I knew there was no turning back—'

Somebody tapped my leg. Huh? I pulled my earbuds out and looked up. My teammates were all looking at me. Was I supposed to pay attention to something? Because man, it would be pretty embarrassing if there was something I missed.

Ruby cleared her throat. "So, this is it. This is the last Stand mission we might ever have to go on." She took the time to look at every single one of us. "I don't need to repeat what's at stake, but I do want to touch base with the rest of you guys. Because well… there's a real risk that one or more of us might… you know." She let the point sink in. Right… My sister continued, "I guess while we still have some time left and while we're still here, we should have one last talk together. Try to settle things with each other while we still can."

"That makes sense." To my surprise, Blake out of all people nodded. "The White Fang used to do that before they went on a mission. It's a good way of making sure that there wasn't emotional baggage being carried into a life-or-death situation. And considering how high the stakes are for this mission, we need every advantage we can get."

My sister nodded her head. "Yeah, I heard about this from someone I… met, during the Vytal Festival. It's a pretty good idea."

"You don't need to say that twice." My partner laced her fingers and breathed in. "I'll start it, then. To be honest, I didn't trust you guys starting out. I was always scared of being 'outed,' of being thrown out. But despite that, you guys stayed by my side, helped me when I would've ran away." She pressed her thumbs against her lip. "Thanks for trusting in me, even when I didn't believe in myself."

Weiss sat up after that. "I guess I'll go next. … As you all know, my life as the heiress of the SDC hasn't always been the best. I didn't have anyone to confide in. So I pushed myself to be the best, to show my worth to others, to feel less alone." She shook her head. "I wasn't proud of the person I was one year ago. But you guys… you guys changed everything. You accepted me for who I truly was, and you all humbled me and allowed me to be myself. It's… I'm glad that I have you guys as my team."

Ruby turned towards me. "Can you go first? I want to be sure I get my words just right."

"Sure thing." I sat up. Hmm… I mean, what can we talk about that the others haven't already touched on? I sighed. "Well, while I haven't been part of this search for long, this has been one hell of a journey. And I'm not really talking about just the hunt for the Arrow or the Stands. Our year together as teammates, we did a lot together. Initiation, our food fight, the dance, all this Stand business, the little moments between all that… I had fun throughout it all. And after all of this is done… I hope we can go back to that. Maybe we might be changed from all of the fighting, but we'll still be together as a team. As a family."

Ruby nodded. "Honestly, you guys took the words out of my mouth. There's not a lot I can say that doesn't repeat what you guys said. I'll just ramble, then."

She glanced at her partner. "Weiss. Thank you so much for being my best friend and partner. We might've had a rough start, but through it all, I enjoyed the time with you. I wouldn't want anyone else by my side." Her eyes met with the girl sitting next to me. "Blake. I enjoyed the times we had together. I enjoyed the times when we could talk about stories, as rare as it was. And thank you for trusting us despite it all."

My sister and I locked eyes. Ruby cleared her throat. "Yang… I have so much to say to you, but honestly, I don't know where to start." She sighed. "For as long as we've been together, I've always seen you as the older sister, the one I should look up to. Never just a half-sister. And despite all the mistakes we've made along the way, that never changed. You were still there for me, for us, even when I don't really deserve it."

She gave me a smile. "I still remember all the wagon rides you would give me, and how we'd explore the forests of Patch. We'd race through it, seeing how fast we can get on that tiny thing. How I'd get scared, and you would protect me from the 'monsters' that would try to eat us. Besides Mom and Uncle Qrow, you're my hero. Thank you for being there when no one else was."

I felt a few tears form in my eyes. "Aww, Ruby…" I reached over and gave her a hug. "Thank you. But you make it sound like you're going to leave us."

"Oh, I'm not. Not one bit." She squeezed back. "We'll make it all back, alive."

Cammy knocked on the cockpit door, catching everyone's attention. "Hey, as great of a moment this is, I'd tone down the sappiness. It's so sweet in that cabin that I'm probably going to get ants when I land back at Beacon." The woman chuckled to herself. "Ah… but in all seriousness, we're approaching Church Plaza right now. Once we stop, you're cleared to drop." Our pilot sighed. "It's not my place to comment on what you guys are doing, but let me say that it's been an honor being your pilot. You guys have been great, and I truly hope I'll be flying you guys next year."

"It's been wonderful being with you as well," my sister smiled. "We'll see you again, don't you worry."

"Stay safe out there, kiddos." The side door slid open, revealing the destroyed plaza. A small squadron of Atlesian soldiers surrounded the internal wall, welding damage to the walls while an automated turret fired down into the hole. Aside from that, there aren't any Grimm or any other creatures within the area. Then again, I've heard that it's one of the few areas completely barricaded, a safe area in a sea of Grimm. I nodded my head. Never really liked team CRDL that much, but they did a good job establishing this safe zone.

Cammy let out a whistle. "You're clear to drop! Happy Hunting, everyone!"

"This is it, everyone!" Ruby's grin finally returned as she pulled out Crescent Rose. "It's now or never! Banzai!"

Banzai!" I leapt out first, jumping straight into gravity's hands. Ember Celica barked a second later, launching me straight down towards the streets. A grin grew on my face. Not even a problem. With practiced ease, I flipped myself around, firing a barrage of rounds towards the ground to slow myself down. I tucked into a ball once I hit the ground, rolling a couple of meters before landing back on my feet. Oh yeah. I brushed myself off. Still got it.

Four other thumps sounded off behind me. I glanced behind me. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Jaune were in the midst of brushing themselves off as well. It'll just be the lovebirds who'll be staying on the Bullhead the rest of the mission. Honestly, I don't really think that they're in a relationship… but still. It's fun to pair people up for no other reason than 'they look good together.'

Ruby was the first one aside from me to recover, pulling out her scroll and speed dialing a number. "Hey Nolan, everything okay up there?"

" _Yeah,_ " the boy responded over the speaker. " _Everything looks fine from our end. Nothing went wrong with your landing, right?_ "

The girl shook her head. "We're all good. Stay on the line, we'll get a car soon enough." She flicked to another screen on her scroll before moving forwards. We followed close behind. I glanced up. The clouds gave an eerie glow where the moon should be. I felt shivers wash through me.

Ruby glanced at her scroll. "So, if everything's gone according to plan, then we should find a car close to the far end of the plaza, in one of the dead-end alleyways."

"What do you mean, Ruby?" Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Weren't we going to borrow something from Atlas?"

"Yeah, I never said that." Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Uh… turns out Atlas chose to not bring in any vehicles except for Bullheads, airships, and Paladins. And those are currently down. So we had to get our car locally." She held her hand out. "Don't worry. I know the guys that got the car for us, and they're good people. Or at least they're good people _now_ …"

"You can say we've turned over a new leaf." My eyes widened in surprise. That voice… isn't that? I whirled my head to spot two figures sitting in a luxurious, sleek cherry red car with an open top. In the driver's seat was a small woman with pink and brown hair waving at the five of us, while the man in the bowler hat placed his chin against his hand. "It's great to see the team that caused me so much pain are here for my help."

"Roman!" I stepped forwards, locking Ember Celica into place. "You little—"

"Yang, hold up!" Jaune grabbed my arms from behind me while Ruby held a hand out, stopping Weiss and Blake from stepping in. "We can explain!"

"What is there to explain? We have two criminals who disappeared a month ago return right in the middle of all this! Who's to say they won't try anything while we try to stop Cinder?"

"Oh, ye of little faith." Roman shook his head, giving us a smile. "As if we're going to try and pick a fight with the people who got us away from Cinder's plan." What? I turned to look at the two with a shocked look on my face. They did that? The man chuckled. "What, they didn't tell you guys? They gave us an out from dealing with crime, and we owe them one for it."

My sister nodded. "Thank you for bringing a car for us. We definitely appreciate it. But I do have one question…" She pointed toward the vehicle. "Why so? We could've taken any other car just fine."

"What's so wrong with showing a little class? Just because the streets of Vale are covered in Grimm doesn't mean you have to give up dignity. Speaking of which." Roman held an empty hand out and made a wide sweeping motion in the air, revealing a set of car keys. "Hope one of you kids can drive, otherwise this will be a massive waste of time lugging this thing around."

I scowled. "That'll be me." I caught the key he threw at me.

"Wait a minute…" Blake narrowed her eyes. "Isn't this plaza supposed to be completely closed off? How did you sneak a luxury vehicle into a heavily guarded area?"

"Would you believe me if I said I absorbed all of it into a Stand, walked in, then pulled it out right here?" Everyone except for Jaune and Ruby twitched at him saying the word. Stand user? Is he a Stand user? Roman sighed. "Yeah, I thought not. Well, it happened anyways." He yawned. "Well, if you have any other questions you would like to ask—"

"Oh yeah, I got some questions. Don't mind if I gave you some rough ones?" I started struggling in Jaune's grasp again.

The boy gasped. "Yang, stop it, just let them go—"

"Seriously? Are we really going to just let Roman and… her go?" I shot a glare at the tiny girl. "They're Stand users, they're dangerous! Plus, these guys stole a ton of Dust for the White Fang. Hell, I have a sneaking suspicion they were the ones who provided the Dust for the Vale attacks!"

"Well…" Roman shrugged his shoulders. "Technically we did, but like we said, we've turned over a new leaf now. We make our lien through honest means now. As artists!" The two of them flourished.

I raised an eyebrow as I scoffed. "Really? Artists? So you're telling me that two of the most dangerous criminals in all of Vale decided to go into art?"

"Why, of course! We're making a pretty good living off of the hobby we love. By the way, we have a website you can check out at r&nsculptures dot com! Remember the dot-com, okay? We also have a Pay-tree-on account, same name, so if you want to donate to us there—"

"Hey, how about we just get the car and go on our way already?" Ruby groaned.

"Yeah," I muttered. I stopped struggling. "We're kinda on a tight schedule, and I've wasted enough of our time."

He held his hands up. "Okay, firecracker. Whatever you say, then. Come on Neo, time for us to split." She nodded, and with that, the two of them hopped out of the car and towards a door. "It's been a pleasure working with you all. Let's hope that this isn't the last time." They walked through and disappeared.

"Well… that was… unexpected," Weiss said as we all started piling into the car.

"Yeah." I gripped the wheel. "I still want to go after them."

Ruby and Jaune looked at each other. "Ehh…" they both said. "It's not worth it."

The car lurched forward as I took the five of us into the plaza. "Hey Nolan," my sister stated over the scroll. "We got the car. It's a fancy red one, uh… what's the car maker, Yang?"

"I think it's a Stallone."

"A cherry red Stallone," she said. "Can you see us?"

" _Yeah, we see you. I'm going to send out_ _ **「**_ _ **BELFRY FALLS**_ _ **」**_ _right now… it's heading for the south barricade._ " South? I turned my head southwards. Sure enough, the lizard Stand just crawled over the gate in question.

"Alright, everybody hold on." I turned ourselves around and drove southwards.

"Hey!" I yelled as we got close to the barricade. "Huntsmen here! We need you to open the gates!" The guards nodded, giving us passageway without any hassle.

Soon enough, we were driving down the streets of Vale. I shuddered. Abandoned celebratory items such as party hats, sparklers, confetti, and the like lay scattered all over the ground. Blood and Grimm ichor splattered all over the items, giving the scene a more gruesome look to it. Recently shot Grimm bodies sizzled on the ground, smoke escaping from their bodies as they started dissolving into nothing. To our left, a destroyed building with a Bullhead sunk into it. A reminder of the damage the attack caused.

I shook my head, focusing instead on the tail of komodo dragon Stand. "Do you have a general idea of where **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** is going?" Ruby asked.

"Sorta. The scent is roughly southwest of where you guys are, around the area where the industrial district, commercial district, and the highway system meet. This might be the path Cinder took to escape capture."

Not much happened tailing the lizard Stand. We came to a stop when **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** bolted to the left, running up to a building before scratching it. My eyes widened. "How in the world…?"

Ruby let out a gasp as well. "This place… Cinder really went here? Are you absolutely sure, Nolan?"

" _My Stand's nose doesn't lie. This is where she went after she managed to escape._ "

"Yang, what do you mean?" Blake asked. "So what if she went here? What's so special about this particular building?"

"Well, I have a particular relationship with the people from here. I've been here before for information. The guy here happens to have a ton of information on the criminal underworld, so I've come here to ask about finding certain… individuals. In fact, this is where I went to ask about Roman and the White Fang."

The five of us stayed put, our mouths opened wide as we stared at the home of the criminal information broker. Junior's Bar.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 11/9/2018**

* * *

 **Ozpin's Bizarre Adventure - Act 1**

Being hospitalized is not a pleasant feeling. Even with Remnant's advancements in medicine and bioengineering, there are still many inconveniences that make recovery nothing short of tedium. One that's getting to me right now is boredom. Too much time to think. Not enough time to act.

I grabbed my cane for the umpteenth time and fiddled with it yet again. A relic of my past that refuses to give in to the waves of time. I don't really know why. It brings me so much pain to recall the history behind it. But I can't bring myself to throw it away. I ran my finger down the decor on the handle. I can't bring myself to throw away my partner's gift.

A knock on the door sounded before Glynda walked through. "Ozpin. The team you formed just took off for Vale. I've brought you a scroll to keep track of them."

"Thank you." I took the scroll with little complaint. Silence took over from there.

Glynda cleared her throat. "Are you going to be okay, Ozpin?"

I looked over to Glynda, the slightest frown formed on her face. "Yes, of course," I said, rubbing my eyes. "My body is more or less recovered. I'm just tired. Nothing a nap can't solve." I rested my head against a pillow. "From what I've heard, the refugees just managed to settle in thanks to your help. Go get some rest. You earned it."

She didn't respond, simply nodding before leaving the room. I should get some rest as well. My eyes fluttered closed. I'm most likely going to have to rush over and help team RWBY fight. It depends on how fast we can intercept this Cinder before she brings back Salem. I felt myself dragged deeper into sleep. My ability managed to stop Salem last time, and with luck, we can do it again. I just hope that we aren't too late…

"… Backed into a corner by a slew of Ursai and headless lover in her arms, the woman threw herself off of a cliff to reunite with him in the afterlife. The gods looked at this event and pitied the couple, giving birth a patch of white roses in their honor. To this day, their pure white love will forever shine bright in the sea of red." Huh? I blinked myself awake. The broken moon rose high in the air. My ears picked up the crackling of campfire and the orchestra of talented crickets.

"And that's how Forever Fall got its color," a masculine voice concluded with a flourish. A younger voice let out an 'ooh.'

Across the fire, a big, burly blue-haired man smiled as a smaller, lithe blonde-haired soldier sat up, giving an applause. "That's an amazing story! It's so sad, but it's so… so great! Who told you that story?"

"Well, I wasn't really _told_ the story, per say. It was something I read in my father's library." The man rubbed the back of his neck. "I was pretty young when I first read it, but it stuck with me ever since. It's amazing how our ancestors created tales to explain a world they don't understand. To learn these tales is to learn of the culture that made a civilization, and to learn the life of past civilizations is to learn their story. It's an eternal loop of stories." He chuckled to himself. "You could say that the 'White Roses of Forever Fall' is the reason why I'm an archeologist."

The soldier let out a long sigh of awe. "Amazing! I never thought something as simple as a story can reveal so much, Mr. Joestar!"

"Please, call me Jojo." The big man held his hands up, slightly backing up at the soldier's enthusiasm. "You don't need to be so respectful, I'm just a civilian along for the ride."

"But still! It's so amazing how you're so smart and you know all these stories! You've gotta be as smart as my village elder—"

"Private Nicholas Arc, stop hounding the man and pack your things up," a feminine voice called out. "This land isn't going to scout itself." Soon after, a tender hand pulled my chin to the left, leaving me staring at a vibrant set of light hazel eyes. Beautiful, beautiful eyes.

The woman hovering over me gave me a cheeky smile before lightly smacking the side of my cheek, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Wake up, sleepyhead. We're not living inside a bell tower anymore."

"I'm up, I'm up," I groaned, stifling a yawn. "You really didn't need to do that, Sarah."

"Knowing you, Osmond… I probably do." Osmond… It's been a while since somebody called me by that name. She continued with almost a giggle, "Who's the one who's always on time for the first bell? And who keeps sleeping and missing it?"

"You know me. I like taking in every second of rest I can get. And besides, you still cover for me." I sat up, turning to look at Sarah. She didn't wear anything unique, just the usual outfit of the Valean Army. I focused on the one thing that consistently changes with Sarah: her bun style. Today, it's a simple undone bun. It's simple, keeps her hair out of the way, yet still maintains her signature messy locks. I smiled. Even days away from a proper shower, her hair looks wonderful.

Sarah gave me another smirk, shifting a lock of hair off her face. "Are you liking what you see?"

My face went flush for just a moment before I gave her a smile of my own. "As beautiful as the land Vale sits on."

"Agh," Nicholas groaned off in the distance. "And here comes the usual—"

"Private Arc, if you say another word, you'll be scrubbing the base's clothes for a week!" Sarah's face grew stern at that moment. "So pick your next words carefully." The blond haired boy cowered at the sudden change of mood. My heart fluttered. Classic Sarah.

"Corporal Tituba… I mean no offense. It was just a joke!" Nicholas jerked over to Jojo, his eyes pleading for help. But all the giant did was smile before continuing to pack his bags. I shook my head.

"Ah, don't pay him any mind, Sarah," I called out. Already I sheathed a wooden baton that's more walking stick then baton. My fingers danced across a standard-issue bolt-action rifle. The rifles from afar, the sticks up close: that was how we killed Grimm before mechashift. I continued, "After all, you can say we're on the clock now. If he thinks it's hard to work with us messing around, well… we can hold off the banter for the night."

"That's true." She relaxed almost instantly. "We _do_ have a job to do." Sarah rested her rifle on her shoulder. "We'll have plenty of time to relax once we make camp again. Which isn't going to happen if we keep lollygagging here." Her eyes bored on Nicholas once more. "So Private Arc! Pack up and get ready to do your job!" The boy yelped, nodding before doing as he was ordered.

Minutes of scouting soon turned to hours. Sarah took point, leading the team through the dense vegetation. Nicholas stayed closer to the rear, eyes flickering at even the slightest hint of movement. Sword and shield were raised, ready for anything that jumped at us. And as for me… I stood in the middle, staying close to our resident archeologist and amateur cartographer as he scribbled across a map of Sanus.

Officially, that was our mission: explore the northeastern mountainous part of Sanus, document ruin locations for future expeditions, and mark potential locations for a settlement or even a city expansion, should Vale grow large enough to necessitate such a project. That's the job we told Jojo we were doing. I gripped my gun tighter. Our other, secret objective… was to document Mistrali movements, if they expanded this far into the continent.

Everyone in Vale felt nervous the day Mistrali settlers landed on Sanus. Why would the Mistrali come here when they already have an entire continent to themselves? What were their plans for Sanus? Would Vale and its settlements be at risk of a hostile takeover by the Mistrali? The uncertainty in the air isn't healthy. We and other scouting teams are here to clear the air. We needed to know what Mistral wants with Sanus, ideally before an incident happens.

"Wait." The group stopped when Sarah threw her hand up. The first thing we noticed was the amount of destroyed vegetation that we were surrounded by. There was a sizeable hole formed by knocked down trees and broken branches. On the ground, we spotted thin erratic grooves running across the ground.

Jojo leaned down and ran her fingers across the groove within the forest floor. "These look like tracks a wagon would make. They're relatively recent. I'd say they were made within this month." He consulted his map before pointing towards the right. "The old road is that way, and it looks like the wagon went this way." His finger drifted to the left. "I'm guessing there's a trade caravan that got ran into the forest."

My partner nodded. "It might be Mistralian." She hummed, eyes glittering with determination. I can see her mind realizing what this could mean. "We should search the wreckage. I'm sure the Mistrali don't know that one of their caravans were destroyed by the Grimm. I'm sure they'll appreciate the gesture."

We followed the trail. It didn't take us long to reach the missing wagon. Nicholas let out a gag. "Oh my gods…" My eyes widened at the sight. Oh my gods, indeed.

The vehicle smashed into one of the tree trunks; it for sure was a trade caravan. The horses that were pulling the caravan were dead, trapped in positions of terror and pain. Their stomachs were ripped open, exposing their internals yet no organs. The scavengers must've eaten their organs by now. The only thing that remained from these horses are their bones and their skin, and even then, that was ruined by scratches and bite marks.

Nicholas whimpered. "Do you think anyone survived?"

"I don't know," I whispered. "There's only one way to find out.

We all took tentative steps forward, slowly circling the wagon. There are no signs of a fire, or eaten food or any indication that somebody tried to survive here. Maybe they moved towards a source of water? Only one close by is a few kilometers north of here. We spread out, trying to cover more ground.

Something caught my eye. It wasn't much, just the tiniest of sheens, like from a fabric. But it was more than enough to be worth checking out. I narrowed my eyes. Huh… it's coming from this bush. What is that? I pushed the bush aside and peered in.

A hollow face lifelessly stared back at me.

"Oh my gods!" I threw myself back.

"Corporal Pinner, sir?" Nicholas called out. "What happened?"

I wiped the sweat off my brow. "Tell the others that I found someone's body." As Nicholas went back, I leaned down and checked the body. The only scavengers that managed to get to the body were the maggots, which crawled around the rotting flesh. And the smell… I don't even want to describe it. I held my breath and leaned forward. The silky clothes were covered in leaves and dirt. A quick brush of the fabric revealed a looping symbol that I can't recognize, but it reminded me of Mistral. Other than that, I couldn't find any type of identification on him.

"Ooh… ahh, that's not good." My partner appeared from behind, taking a peek at the corpse before recoiling. "How'd he fly out from the wagon to here?"

"Looks like he was in a struggle. He must've climbed over here to get away from the Grimm, but died from the wounds." I looked over the dead man. "But that's strange… I don't see any weaponry on him. Did this guy fight using his bare hands?"

"No broken skin over his knuckles, though." Sarah narrowed her eyes. "I don't know… all I can tell is that this guy was Mistralian, and I checked his rucksack. Only enough for one person, though. This is the only person on the wagon. Strange."

I nodded. "Well, I don't think there's anything we can do about the situation other than return the items and the body to the Mistralian colonies. Speaking of which, what _was_ this guy delivering?"

We heard the sounds of wood shattering, followed by Jojo gasping. "Oh my gods…" the man called out. "This is… this is amazing!"

"Huh?" Sarah and I walked towards the wagon and the excited Jojo. "What is it?"

"This man was carrying ancient Mistralian artifacts!" Jojo yanked out what looked to be a vase. "Look at this beautiful craftsmanship! There isn't a lot of surviving pottery from the Euranimatic Age. With how often tribes would raid each other, it's a miracle to see a single shard, let alone an entire piece! They usually made more pragmatic items…" The archeologist looked into a wooden box, silver eyes lighting up with glee. "Like this!" He traded the vase for what looked like a compass. "Ah, this one isn't Euranimatic. This is more… Classical Mistral, or around the early Bronze Age." He turned around in a circle. "It looks like the compass lost its magnetism, though."

Jojo turned to look into the box again before something caught his eye. "Oh? What's this?" He pulled out an arrow. "Now this is a strange one… It looks like it's from the same period as the compass, but its metal…"

"Well, it's the Bronze Age, right?" Nicholas asked. "Shouldn't tools from the Bronze Age be made out of bronze?"

"Not quite. While it's true that bronze tools became widespread during the Bronze Age, they are often the exception. Only properly established Kingdoms would have the infrastructure to smelt bronze. Mistral, being a unification of tribes, was slow to adopting bronze technology during its early years. It didn't have the fleet it would later be famous for, so they couldn't import it from anyone in any significant capacity. And besides, this isn't bronze."

Jojo stared at the arrowhead. "It's an iron-nickel alloy. And well maintained, too. There isn't a hint of rusting or corrosion. I want to say that this is mainly ceremonial, maybe a religious idol made from some pieces of meteorite. Either that or the owners simply replaced the arrowhead over time, and kept the looks. I can't tell unless I test it—"

We heard the sounds of growling right then and there. What the— We all turned around to see a massive pack of Ursai surrounding us. Way more Ursai than should typically be.

"Get on top of the wagon!" Sarah's voice rang out, and without hesitation, all four of us leaped up and scrambled on. When we looked back, the sight we were faced with was nothing short of horrifying. A literal sea of Ursai surrounded us, spiraling towards the wagon second by second like water spinning into a drain.

"How did they surround us?" I asked, chambering a round into my rifle.

"I have no idea." Sarah bit her lip. "This shouldn't happen. Grimm don't move so quietly through a forest. Either they were resting here and they just noticed us, we happen to be on a nest of Grimm, or they somehow tracked us. But none of those options should be possible! Grimm are animalistic! They shouldn't be able to act intelligently by themselves, let alone as a group!"

"So what _is_ causing all this?" Nicholas cried.

"I don't know! This is earth-shattering news to me!" Sarah fired off a round, sending one Ursa tumbling down. "We need to tell command about this!"

We nodded. No matter what the answer to this is, one thing's for sure: this cannot be forgotten. We already have trouble dealing with mindless Grimm. If there _are_ intelligent Grimm out there, if they are coordinating with each other… the colonies are going to fail. We need to tell everyone of this, so we can adapt and fight back.

A bullet hole drilled through an Ursa that wandered too close. I chambered another round. The odds are against us. But we're just going to have to play those odds. We need to survive this.

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: Thank you, metacllica! As for your question, the thought's never really come to mind. I can definitely see the potential in a RWBY x Persona fusion. I enjoyed RWBY: The Hands of Fate when it was still being updated. Still, I don't see myself working on a project like that.**

 **Guest: I guess I can see where you're coming from in how this last arc and Phantom Blood is about hunting someone down. I personally don't think it's the best comparison, though. Still, thanks for reading the story!**

 **tuskenpaw: That's an interesting theory. It can be, it might not. You'll just need to continue reading to find out.**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Thank you, Ultimate Kuuga! There will be surprises in store, that I can promise for sure.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! Glad you're still enjoying the fic!**

 **doa570047: Yeah, the Part 5 anime is nothing short of the bomb! I've always felt like the surrealness of Part 4 is something that only really works with Part 4's tone. If anything, I'm glad that they chose to depict Part 5 as more grounded than surreal. But hey, different people see things in different ways. But yeah, I love the ending and how much meme potential it has. There's one arc where I feel like the ending actually fits way better than it really should. Won't say which one for people who want to find out organically, but I'm going to laugh when that pops up.**

 **And yeah, getting nearly bisected... that's one hell of a life consequence. That's always like a late-game kinda injury, and to receive that is nothing short of life-changing. And story-wise, that basically means writing a character out of an action story, which is hard to execute well. I mean to be fair, I didn't quite go all the way with it, but the idea of having your life upended by an injury is something I want to play with in an action story. Probably not in this one, but somewhere else. Just to see how'd it go.**

 **And how will I plan the final fight... that'll be my surprise.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 ** _Next Chapter Update: November 9, 2018_**


	49. Dancing with the Devil (BBB & QOS)

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **For quick milestones, the story has officially been viewed 50K times! I honestly can't thank you guys enough for all the support you've given this story, especially this close to the end. It makes me so happy that everyone is enjoying the story after almost two years of syndication. Thank you all.**

 **That's all from me for now, so let's get right into the chapter! Thanks again to my beta for all their help!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

You know, I didn't expect finding Cinder to be easy. Ruby had made it seem like it's going to be a struggle the whole entire way. All five of us stepped out of the car, staring at the garish neon sign in front of Junior's Bar. I brushed a lock of blonde hair off my face.

And I groaned. "Of all of the hiding places she could choose, she chooses this one." I balled my fists up. "This is ridiculous!"

"What do you mean, Yang?" Weiss raised her eyebrows up. "I don't remember much about Junior, but you said that way back that he's just an information broker, right? It shouldn't be too much to get information out of him. What's so bad about this guy?"

"Everything," I moaned. "Junior might be an information broker, but he's also the son of a crime family. He has enforcers gathered here that he 'lends' to other criminals for violent jobs. And those enforcers have guns." Everyone paled hearing that.

I continued, "Suppose Cinder really is hiding here, and she decided this is where she'll have her last stand. That means we'll be fighting two factions at once." I rubbed the back of my neck. "To be honest, Junior's men are jokes. I've taken down everyone in this bar last year, all by myself. But the fact that we'll haveto fight Stand users as well as hired guns changes the situation."

Everybody started to watch me pace around. "If we step in there and start a fight, we'll be filled with more holes than cartoon cheese… We're at a severe disadvantage fighting in this place."

"It's a no-win situation right off the bat," Blake hummed, pressing her hand against her chin.

"Exactly! How in the world are we going to take down Cinder if she's in the equivalent of a fortress with an army?"

"Well…" Ruby started. "We can try and avoid fighting as long as possible. Think about it. The same limitations we have against these guys are true for Cinder too. If Cinder is under Junior's protection, then maybe we can convince him to turn on her and give her up to us."

"That might be possible… if we had the time to wire enough lien to pay Junior off." Weiss let out a sigh, pulling out her scroll. "There's no way the Council can get us money for this. However, I can get some money from my personal account. It'll just take a moment— and what? My bank account's been frozen?" We all turned to look at the girl. "When did this happen? I swear, if my father decided that now of all times is the perfect time to freeze my account, I'm going to— ooh!" Weiss groaned, thumping her head against her scroll. "I don't think that we're going to be paying off Junior."

"Well, what else can we do?" I asked. "How can we go in there and get Cinder without pissing off Junior?"

Ruby let out a hum. "Well… maybe we can get him to switch sides. Convince him that he should be fighting Cinder instead of us."

"I mean… maybe? It's not like we have any other choice, here." I let out a sigh. "We'll just have to hope for the best. As long as we avoid any kind of fight against Junior and Cinder together… So, how are we going to do this? Have everyone walk in?"

"No. We'll call too much attention to ourselves. As much as I hate to do this, we might need to split up for this one." Ruby tapped the side of the car. "Two of us will walk in through the front door, while everyone else will stay right outside. If fighting breaks out, everyone outside should run in with their Auras up and take out the henchmen. The people inside will focus on using their Stands to take out the users. Is that good?" Everyone nodded. "Alright. Now, who should go in?"

I gave a quick wave. "I should go. I'm the only person who has talked to him here. I have to be there. Then I guess… I guess the other best option is you, Ruby."

She frowned. "Hmm… yeah. I guess I am." Her forehead furrowed. "Jaune, Weiss, and Blake will stay outside. That should be good." She nodded. "Let's do this."

We nodded and walked into the club. The first thing you can notice about the lobby was how dim it was. Granted, most of the dimness was due to the fog machine. Still, the only sources of light came from hanging lanterns, which provide just enough light for us to see maybe an arm's length away from us. For ambiance and mood setting, I guess. Because nothing sets the mood better than bumping around with no way to see.

Not that running into things was an issue. Aside from the plush seats on the side walls and the giant line of carpet leading to the sliding doors, there wasn't any furniture around to stumble on. I can't help but smile at the sight of the carpet. Sometimes I like to strut across it like it was a walkway. Is it a useless thing to do? Yes, but it's fun pretending that all eyes are on me as I walk in. Which is usually the case.

The receptionist right outside the door let out a yawn. "Hey, didn't you hear? We're not accepting refugees here. You guys should be at home or go to an actual certified Grimm bunker—" He looked up before paling at the sight of me.

I flashed him a grin. "Sup?"

"Oh gods, no—"

Everyone pointed their weapons at him. "Hands in the air where we can see them, hotshot," I ordered, fist raised at him. He nodded, throwing them up. "Come over here. Away from the desk." Again, he nodded, stepping away from his post and stood in front of his desk.

Ruby sighed. "I'm so sorry about this. We don't want to make too much trouble, so here's the deal. We just want to go in, have a quick talk to your boss, get what we need, then leave without a fuss. If you stay here and keep quiet, everything should be okay for you, okay?" The man nodded, his body shaking with fear. My sister nodded. "Thank you. Stay here, okay? We'll be out in no time." She turned to look at everyone else. "You guys know what to do."

"Right," Jaune said. "Good luck in there."

Both Ruby and I approached the internal sliding door. Already we can feel the thumps of the bass vibrating through our feet. "So, you ready for this, little sis?" I asked.

She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The doors opened up, causing a spotlight to shine down on the two of us. I took a quick glance at the stage around us. Down a set of stairs was the dance floor, still flashing colors like always. However, it was lifeless, flashing in time to heart-pumping pop music that no one was dancing to. No, instead there were gangsters lounging on the sidelines, playing cards or talking to each other. Each and every one of them had a tense posture.

They sprung up hearing the sounds of the door opening, pulling their guns out and aiming it at us. Ruby let out an 'eep' at the sight. As for me, I gave them a toothy smile, throwing them a quick wave. "Heya, fellows! It's nice seeing you guys again!" My eyes flickered over the place again. Huh… there's a set of stairs on the right that lead to some rooms… probably VIP rooms. I continued, "I see the place hasn't collapsed in the attack. I don't know what I'd do without all the Strawberry Sunrises—"

A stray bullet flew way off the mark, piercing the wall five meters to the right of me. "That was a warning shot!" one of the gangsters yelled from a distance. "I'll actually hit you next time if you take another step!"

"Fine, fine. Let me get to the point." I took in a deep breath. "Junior!" My voice echoed through the entire dance floor, returning to me within seconds. "I know you're here! We don't want to start any trouble this time! Hear out what we have to say, and we'll leave you alone!"

Silence. I narrowed my eyes. No one's corrected me about what happened to Junior, so I'm sure that he has to be here. But where is he, then? Hiding somewhere? Quietly scheming a counterattack? The uncertainty is making the situation uncomfortable, that's for sure. "I said—"

"I heard you loud and clear, blondie." A groan escaped from behind the bar to the left of me. The bearded man stood up at that moment, wiping his brow. "Frankly, I hate the situations we keep meeting in. This is three times now that you've come to my club. Three times you've put everyone here on edge. The smarter half of me wants to throw you and that girl right out." He sighed. "But since I don't trust that you'll go quietly, let's bargain." He gestured to us, then to the bar seats. "Come. Sit."

At the sight of their boss, all of the gangsters scattered, doing everything in their power to get up the stairs. Most of them kept their eyes trained on us. "Yang…" Ruby whispered. "I'm pretty sure this is a trap."

"Yeah, I think so, too. There's no way Junior's going to make it that easy for us." My gaze flickered over to the upper levels. Junior's men were now lined up next to the balcony, eyes squarely focused on us. No one paid any attention to the walls. "Hey, do you think Blake could manage to sneak into the rooms to the right?"

"Hmm… Signal her through the door somehow? I don't think so, not without alerting the bodyguards." My sister frowned. "I guess we'll just play along for now." I let out a sigh. Great.

Aside from the music in the background, the only thing that anyone could hear in the club was our footsteps as we approached the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two girls standing close to the base of the DJ stage. One of them had a frilly snow-white dress with a fancy feather scarf around her neck, her arms crossed as she gave an almost bored look at the Ruby and I. The other had a strapless red dress with feathers above her left ear. She, on the other hand, gave us a sorta aggressive look, but it comes off as more meek than stern. Not like it's a good idea to underestimate her… I know what she can do with those claws on her hands.

The Malachite twins. I see they're just as pleased as I am to see them: not very. Then again, they were well-behaved enough when I visited the club with Neptune some time ago. Let's hope they stay like that.

They started moving towards the bar as Ruby and I sat down, sending shivers down my back. Don't panic, Yang. The twins won't attack unless I start something first. Don't cause a scene, and it should work out fine. I hope. I have Junior my best smile. "I'm sure you know my usual."

He grunted. "Really wish I didn't." Deft hands sprung out, grabbing strawberry liqueur, orange juice, and grenadine before mixing the right portions with practiced ease. One pour into a cocktail glass and a cute drink umbrella later, and he had the wonderful drink completed. "So…" Junior shot a glare at the caped woman as he slid the Strawberry Sunrise toward me. "Who's the little runt, blondie?"

"Oh, she's my sister and team leader," I chuckled. My fingers snatched the drink, although I made no attempt to drink it.

"You'd bring your sister to a bar like mine? Weren't Huntresses supposed to be responsible members of society?" He groaned. "I'm not in the mood to deal with _two_ children tonight."

"She's not here to drink," I responded. I glanced at the twins. They haven't moved from their new spot, but they definitely have their eyes on us. Miltia thumbed her claws, almost with dispassionate boredom, while Melanie made a grinding motion with her feet, eyes boring into me. I swallowed. "Just business."

Junior sighed. "I hate the kind of business you keep bringing me. Let me guess, I'm supposed to give you information on the 'missing criminal' flavor of the month, am I right?"

I let out a whistle. "Huh. I _do_ only come here for that." I let out a half-hearted gasp. "My gods, have we already gotten into such a pattern?" I twirled my finger around the rim of my drink, staring at the liquid inside before looking back at Junior. "But yes, we need you to 'find' a certain someone. Are you aware of the name 'Cinder Fall?' Black hair about shoulder-length, either a red dress or a sarashi wraps—"

"—Amber eyes."

My eyes flickered at Ruby, who stared the bar owner down. "Yeah. Amber eyes. Any one of your contacts talk about her recently?"

The man narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips and swallowing before nodding. "Sure. Rumor mill likes chatting about her. Some upstart that appeared out of nowhere maybe a year ago. Mistrali, although she hides the accent well. Was Roman's last client before he went missing. My sources say that she hired and supplied the White Fang with Dust crystals for the Amity incident yesterday. Bad news all around. But what do a bunch of kids like you want to do with a woman like her?"

"I'm glad you asked." I looked at my sister. "Ruby?"

She nodded, sitting up straighter. "Well, we know she's still in Vale, and we know she's hiding somewhere." My eye flicked back to the twins. Miltia was moving away from us and towards the sliding door. What is she doing exactly? Ruby continued, "I bet someone like you can figure out where she is, or maybe you even know where she is right now. We need your help." She pressed her hands against the countertop. "It's important that we find her as soon as possible. A lot of lives depend on how quickly we can arrest her."

"Mmhm…" The gigantic fellow looked unimpressed. "Pretty ambitious goal you got there, tiny. I'm afraid you're wasting your time, though. I don't know where Cinder is right now. And besides, even if I knew, what's in it for me?" He scowled. "She's one of the most dangerous criminals I've known, and trust me, you don't grow to be that dangerous without making some dangerous friends yourself. What's to stop her associates from stabbing me in the back for helping the authorities hunt her down?"

"Your life, your men's lives, your livelihood." Ruby sat up. "Cinder's trying to destroy all Remnans. That includes you, me, and all of the people we care about. We're not going to stand by and let her murder so many people. Everything we've been doing? It's all to keep the entire Kingdom alive and prospering. Telling us about Cinder means your men can go back to their families and loved ones. It means _you_ can go back home every night and be with the people you care about."

I leaned forward. "Think about it, Junior. Your business needs people to exist, both your club and your information. Even if you live, you'll lose everything you care about without people. And that's not considering the fact that you'll still be a target for Cinder anyways. You're going to die no matter what. But you might have a chance to live if you tell us where she is."

Sweat started slipping down his face. "But I don't know where she is!"

"Gods." I shook my head. "For somebody who claims to be an information broker, you really have no clue where to find people, huh?" I played with the umbrella in my drink. "Man, it's a shame. We come all this way to ask about Cinder. But when the cards are stacked against everyone and the stakes are at the highest, you're telling me that you really don't know where she is? That's pretty hard to believe." I slammed my hands against the counter, causing everyone to jump. "In fact, who's to say you aren't lying to our faces right now?"

Junior frowned, the only thing breaking his cool demeanor being a sweatdrop running down the side of his cheek. He gritted his teeth. "Why, you— You have the gall to walk into my bar, put all of my men on edge, ask me for information that I'm not privy to, and then call me a _liar_ when I tell you that I don't know?" He let out a snort. "What else would I expect from someone like you? Seriously." He jabbed a finger towards the door. "Get out of my club and leave my men alone, right now."

"Nope." Ruby planted her feet on the footrest of the barstool, standing up tall. "We're not going anywhere, because we can prove for a fact that you're trying to lie."

"And what gives you the right to say that—"

"We have someone with exceptionally good tracking abilities," Ruby interrupted. Junior paused when he heard that declaration. I swear, the rest of the room went silent hearing that as well. My sister continued, "They managed to track Cinder from her crash-zone to this place. I trust this person with my life, and I can say with certainty that Cinder has been here within the past day, even if she never entered the building."

I nodded, tilting my head towards the man. "That's pretty interesting. I doubt a person like you would be blissfully unaware that someone with that much power happened to be in the area. So, Junior… Care to explain how much a dangerous criminal managed to get so close to your personal territory?" I curled my right hand into a claw, gesturing downwards. "Or do I need to handle some personal goods to get something out of you?"

The man tugged at his collar, shaking his head before leaning in closer to us. "Look here," he hissed. "What you're doing is an absolute mistake. You do not want to try and search for that woman. Trust me when I say that I'm doing you all a favor keeping Cinder out of the public eye. Messing with her is a death sentence."

"Well, us sitting around will just be a death sentence for the entire world, so I don't really see the difference." I straightened myself. "We'll take our odds."

"You don't understand, blondie. Cinder and her minions… they all have unusual powers. Not like Semblances, no. These powers are absolutely frightening. It's as if they appear out of nowhere. And I've seen how they use them. They can destroy any person they go up against. You have to believe me here when I say that it's better off letting her complete her task. I might lose my job, my livelihood, my identity, but at least we'll still exist once it's all over. If you face her and her minions… that's it. You're a goner."

Ruby shook her head. "We've already accepted that. That's why we're here. We don't care about losing our lives. All we care about is keeping people safe and happy." She let out a sigh. "Tell us where Cinder is. At least give us a chance to stop her. Let us give you a chance to keep your business and livelihood and your men. Please. Don't let your fear take over. Trust us."

The man paused for a moment, letting the silence stretch out for way too long. Finally, he let out a sigh of his own, shaking his head. "Such naivete… it's a miracle you survived this long with it intact. But if you really want to throw your life away, then be my guest." He groaned. "I'm going to regret this… Cinder—"

An unscrewed faucet smashed into the ground next to us and shattered the glass floor, causing all three of us to recoil and all of the bodyguards to pull out their guns. What the—

We all turned around to see Melanie yawn next to a pouring keg. "I'm getting bored. Let's cut to the chase. Junior, you don't need to say any more to these brats. What do these kids understand? They're playing with fire. No need to give them the kindling to burn everyone else along with them."

I gritted my teeth. "You stay out of this, Melanie—"

"No, _you_ stay out of this, you dumb broad!" The girl in white pushed herself away from the wall and approached us. "Junior, my sister and I are your personal bodyguards. If there's one thing both your family and mine have beat into my head for years, it's that VIPs must be protected at all costs. And I'm not going to let you paint a target on your own back. And besides, this place will become a bore if you die. Then what's the point of everything?" Her boot knives extended out. "So let me stomp the message through these two's thick skulls: get out of my house, or I'll drag your bloody bodies out with my own bare hands!"

I shot out to my feet, still keeping my drink in hand. "Oh, you wanna go? I didn't come here for a fight, but I can totally offer another 'lesson' like last time."

She scoffed. "You wish. I'm not going to let you get any closer to finding Cinder and painting a target on Junior's back. Besides, you'd be surprised to learn what I've picked up since my battle with you."

"Oh yeah?" I stepped off my barstool. "Bring it on—"

My sister gasped. "Yang, stop!" Ruby yanked me back, throwing herself in front of me. Moments later, the glass tile below her exploded. The one tile I stepped on just a moment ago. The glass shards tore through Ruby's foot and ripped through her leg before leaving through her thigh. Blood squirted out from several puncture holes as she let out a pained scream and reeled back at the hit.

"Oh my gods, Ruby!" I yanked her onto another nearby barstool, away from Melanie. I can feel pangs of guilt already creeping in the back of my mind. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she gasped, reactivating her Aura. Her face contorted a moment later as several more fragments of glass were pushed out of her, leaving trails of blood to run down her leg. "I'll be fine. Nothing a bit of my Aura can fix."

I nodded, but my mind started cranking at a million miles per hour. What in the world just happened? Did she just step on a landmine? How in the world did Melanie hide a mine underneath a flashing dance floor? In fact, why in the world is there a mine on the dance floor? Is there some kind of club defense that Junior installed in case the Grimm came in? No, that's unlikely. It's not a Grimm shelter, it doesn't need or even has a good excuse to have buried explosives within the vicinity, let alone inside the building. But still… what is going on?

The girl in white sneered. "Where's that anger and energy you had just a moment ago? Was a single explosion enough to put you on edge? If that's the case, I don't see how you can think about fighting against Cinder. I pale in comparison to the woman, but if you can't handle me, you don't deserve to play with the big dogs."

I held in a gasp as a blocky feminine figure appeared behind Melanie. The best way to describe the Stand is 'messy.' For one thing, the Stand itself isn't a single piece. It had individual body parts separated with weird, diagonal cuts. The only thing holding the parts together is what looked like scotch tape and hot glue where the joints would normally be. It really shouldn't be holding up, but for some reason it just… does. Unlike the bland, white dress the woman was wearing, this Stand had a different color for every part of its body. Bright red, neon pink, an ugly green, and many other colors covered a different body section. It reminded me a bit of a toddler trying to keep an impossible block tower together.

Melanie let out a sigh as she brushed back a lock of hair. Behind her, the bodyguards were… running away? What? "Unlike you, we have the powers that this Cinder woman has, the one everyone fears. I call mine **「** **BOM BITTY BOM.** **」** A little jingle that cuts through the dullness of life." She leaned against the bar. "We were supposed to use it to stop morons like you from interrupting her plans, and we will. We are the ones who will protect Junior and the others should it come to that."

That caught everyone, including Junior by surprise. "Huh?" he asked. "What do you mean? I was never told any of this."

"She came up to us and gave us the offer. Our services as fighters in exchange for the continued existence of everyone still inside the building. Why did you think we told everyone to cancel their operations and stay inside for the day? That's to make sure no one's outside for what she's planning." Melanie shot a glare at me. "But if we let anyone pass, the deal's off. We won't let you walk out."

Something finally clicked in Ruby's mind. "Wait a minute… 'we?'" My eyes widened. We? There's more than one user?

At that moment, we heard banging on the front sliding door. "Hello?" Jaune yelled from the other side of the door. "Hey, what's going on? Why can't we— Oh gods! Ruby! Yang! Get out of there! The door's stuck or something! It's not moving!" What? I felt my jaw drop in surprise. What did he mean, 'the door just stopped working? We walked through the sliding doors just a couple minutes ago, no problem. Why aren't they working now?

Before I could think about the problem any further, I saw a flash of red to my side. Ember Celica popped out just in time to meet Miltia's claws with a clang. I pushed her away and brought my arm up. "Oh gods, this isn't good," I muttered. "How's your leg, Ruby?"

"Almost healed." She wiggled her foot before looking up at the two sisters. "We gotta stop these two, and fast."

I nodded. "Yeah. We need to get the others in somehow. Even just Blake would help us a bunch." A sigh escaped me. "I was hoping that Blake could squeeze through the crack between the sliding doors, but I guess we're going to have to pull the door open ourselves."

"Right." Ruby flickered for a moment, hiding her Stand within her body. She yanked Crescent Rose and unfolded the weapon. "I have the best odds of surviving whatever those two throw at me, so I'll hold them off while you go over to the doors and let the others through."

I nodded again, starting towards the door.

Melanie's voice called out from behind me, "Where do you think you're going—"

I heard the sound of a blade piercing into the ground, followed by two gasps. "You're not going anywhere," Ruby said. "You're not getting past me!"

The sounds of weapons clashing started from behind me right as I approached the door. Okay, what could be the problem? I looked over the door. Nothing on the surface looked damaged. Hmm… so Miltia must've done something with the internals. Don't think she managed to yank a couple of wires out and lock the doors in place. Maybe she broke the rolling mechanisms or something like that? But I don't know how someone would do that… Man, if only it was obvious how Miltia destroyed the mechanisms. Then I would know a bit more.

But for now, I guess I just have to force it open. Ruby can't buy me time forever. We need backup, now. I grabbed the crack of the metallic doors. Alright, one… two… three—

Movement caught my eye. There was… something floating out from the spaces at the top of the door. Like tiny, tiny particles. I narrowed my eyes. No, they're not floating out. They're flying out towards me. What in the world is that? It reminded me of a mix between powdered concrete and mold spores. Where in the world did that come from? I covered my mouth and nose with my scarf. But just in case… I'm not going to risk breathing in these spore things. I lit my hand on fire and waved it at the cloud. Let's burn this all away before continuing on—

The flames licked at what I thought was a spore cloud. Instead of burning up, they went through the flames, continuing to float toward me. My eyes widened. What the— That's not possible! How did the spores survive the heat of the flames—

Before I could think about the issue any further, the spores touched my hand. I winced before relaxing almost immediately. Okay, well as long as I don't breathe in any of the particles, I should be fine. The spores shouldn't affect me if I limit the exposure to just the skin and— Why is my hand so tingly all of a sudden? That's weird. Why does it feel like my hand feels like it's growing for some reason—

I gasped as my skin on the back of my hand broke open, swelling up. Oh my gods! I watched in horror as a black, crackly bump started growing on it. Is that… is that a cyst? I shook my head. There's no way cysts can grow that quickly. How is it possible that I can see them growing? I don't think this is right at all—

In the blink of an eye, the cyst-like growth moved to envelop the back of my hand. What the— I yanked my hand out from the cloud. And just like that, the cyst stopped growing. If anything, it rapidly started shrinking away into nothingness. Before I knew it, it was all but gone.

What just happened? I stared at the back of my hand. What do those spores do? How did they create a cyst, or a tumor, or whatever appeared on my arm that quickly? Is this the ability of the other Stand user? They can release these spore particle things and give other people tumors from it? But where did the spores come from, exactly?

I looked down. The door… the bottom part of it looked more sludge-like than before. It looked like it was just melting up. And from it came those weird spores. Is that what's sealing the door? It's definitely stopping me from getting close to it, that's for sure. I guess we can't bring in any backup. It's just me and Ruby versus these two sisters.

Somehow, Miltia did this. I don't exactly know how yet, but this has to be her Stand ability. And she's fighting with her twin. My eyes widened. I gotta get back to Ruby.

* * *

My sniper scythe barked. The two bodyguards sidestepped my gunfire, charging towards me once more. I gritted my teeth, tightening my grip around the shaft of my propped up weapon. Wait for it… now! I threw myself up, giving the girl in red a kick to the face and knocking her to the side. The other girl — I think her name's Melanie — stomped on the ground before swinging her leg to meet mine. I let out a hiss a moment later as I felt her boot blade slice through my skin.

I fired my weapon again, blasting its blade out from the ground and sending it blunt side first towards Melanie. She seethed at the sight, jumping out of the way of my Crescent Rose and backing off. I gritted my teeth as I landed and felt the wave of pain rush up my leg. Ooh… ow. I know it's not that bad of a cut, but geez. That stings.

My eyes glanced at the girl in white. Wariness started building up in my chest. No one's getting anywhere. It's obvious that she wants me to move forward and walk onto the floor tiles. I glared at the 'broken' items. They were merging back to their original forms before my very eyes. Is that what happened to the tile Yang nearly stepped on earlier? It's definitely a hint to how her Stand works, but it's not that helpful. But one thing's for sure: I'm not setting foot on that. Not until I figure out what she's doing.

But at the same time, Melanie has to run in to hurt me, let alone attack Yang. And she just can't break through my guard. Even with her sister's help, we aren't making that much progress against each other. The three of us are kinda… just standing around, waiting for someone to make a move. That's not the worst situation to be in, to be honest. Every moment I'm distracting these two girls, Yang's figuring out how to bring in more people. It should be a matter of time until Yang makes some kind of breakthrough. Hopefully.

Until then, I gotta keep buying time and figure out how **「** **BOM BITTY BOM** **」** works. It definitely has something to do with breaking and fixing things. I glanced at the otherwise undamaged tiles in front of me. They come back together, but they somehow blow up when I step on them.

It's a confusing one, for sure. It doesn't make sense. Melanie shouldn't be able to both fix things and turn them into bombs. Those seem like they'd be opposite powers. No, there has to be some kind of explanation that can shed some light on the situation. But what could it be?

"Ruby." Yang rushed over to me. "We have a problem. The second Stand's affecting the door. I don't know exactly what's going on, but certain parts of the door are letting out… I guess radiation might be the right word for it? The moment it hits me, I start developing a tumor. Dunno if the others are being affected by the Stand right now, but one thing's for certain. It's just you and me here."

Oh, gods. Just us two? That's going to be a hard job, that's for sure. How in the world are the two of us going to figure out how to defeat these guys? My forehead wrinkled. "Just us? Gods." I gritted my teeth. "Well, I know that Melanie is somehow able to repair things that she's broken, but at the same time create a bomb out of it. Do you know something that's similar to that?"

"Maybe… something's familiar about that… Give me a moment." Yang hummed. Let's hope she figures something out. I mean, granted, the Stand abilities don't look too bad in practice. Both **「** **BOM BITTY BOM** **」** and the other Stand are easy to avoid, assuming we're paying attention. Avoiding the attack isn't too bad. But at the same time, I can't help but feel that there's an important detail we're missing. A small detail that could make the difference between life and death—

"Back up!" Yang pulled me back at that moment, eyes to the floor. "That's the radiation!" Wha— I looked down to see tiny particles radiating from the exact tiles Melanie broke earlier. At the same time, the tile started… gooping up into a pile of slime. Huh? Wait a minute… I peeled away a fingernail and threw it at the goop.

Everyone flinched a moment later when it erupted, sending the 'radioactive' sludge flying everywhere. Everyone ducked for cover, but even as I hit the ground, my mind was churning. The sludge forming ability and the radiation has to be the girl in red's ability. But the pile exploded just like Melanie's. Are both Stand abilities happen to be working on the same tile? Are they just switching off to catch us off guard? I let out a soft groan. I swear, there's something missing to this puzzle… what was it?

At that moment, Yang widened her eyes. "Nuclear power."

I glanced at my sister. "Say what now?"

"Their powers are related to nuclear energy." She straightened up. "I don't think you would know any of this. Apparently it's an experimental energy source that might be used if Dust ever ran out. Not that it will…" She shook her head. "Anyways, it's Junior year chemistry stuff you'd learn back in Signal." Oh… that's why I don't know about it.

My sister continued, "Miltia, that's the girl in red, her ability reminds me of radioactive decay. Basically, radioactive material breaks down over time, and the released particles can damage your genes, giving you diseases like cancer. You following?" I gave my sister a half-nod. Yang continued, "I'm guessing Miltia can turn any substance radioactive and break down into a sludge. And the particles released from it give you some kind of fast-acting cancer."

"As for Melanie, her ability works more like nuclear fusion. The idea is that you combine two smaller atoms into one bigger atom, but on a very tiny scale. For example, imagine shards of glass combining into a single glass pane, but on the scale of atoms. However, the combined atom is unstable, and will break up violently if disturbed. Melanie's ability isn't exactly like nuclear fusion, but the same idea of creating a big, unstable object is there."

And with their abilities combined, they can create something that is both stable and unstable. I let out a hum. Two vaguely similar abilities that are great on their own, but together pack a surprising punch. The amount of synergy they had to have with each other to coordinate their Stand abilities… Huh. I think we might be underestimating the strength of these two.

I stared down the two women. They're going to be hard to approach. We've gotta make sure that they don't box us in. I growled as the other floor panels started to decay, creating a wall of radiation in front of us. It's just about to reach one of the glass pillars. At this rate, it'll be impossible to reach them at all if we keep standing here. I racked Crescent Rose and aimed at the girl in red. We need to knock them out, and soon.

A round went flying at her… Only for a ghostly figure to shoot out in front of her and punch the bullet upwards. I watched in horror as the projectile deteriorated and fell apart in the air, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of radioactive particles. There was nothing left of the bullet, not even sludge. " **「** **QUEEN OF SPADES,** **」** " Miltia whispered.

Both Yang and I stared in amazement at the sight of Miltia's Stand. Unlike her sister, her Stand looked a lot more sturdy. The feminine figure looked like it was made out of concrete, kinda like the foundation for a building. However, the concrete itself had seen better days. Cracks and water damage ran across the surface of the Stand, giving it this weathered, old look. At the end of its limbs, the concrete was completely chipped away, revealing rusted pieces of rebar sticking out. And its face… you can make out the general shape, but like a poorly maintained statue, it's impossible to make out any noticeable details.

So that's what Miltia's Stand looks like. I let out a quiet hiss. At this point, I don't know if we can actually do something about these two. There's no way either Yang or I can break through their defenses. I gestured to Yang, and together we started backing up. We need to think of something, and fast.

An explosion sounded to my side, followed by a cry of pain. Yang! I turned to my sister, who fell to one knee. Her legs weren't quite mangled, but I could see clear chunks of flesh gone from her calves and thighs. Shattered tiles stuck out from her arms and torso. It was a direct hit. I started towards her. "Yang—"

"Don't get any closer!" I stopped. Yang glanced around her. "Everything's booby-trapped!" My eyes spotted the goop from the previous explosion, now solid. It sat scattered across the dance floor. Oh my gods… they took advantage of the explosion I caused. We're standing in a minefield we made ourselves.

I turned back towards the approaching twins. Melanie furrowed her brow, turning to look at her boss. "Junior, it's now or never! Take them out right now!" He nodded. With a yank, he revealed a metallic bat, gun barrel pointed at the two of us.

A missile flew straight towards us. "Get down!" Yang yelled. One of Ember Celica's rounds flew to meet the projectile, detonating it in the air. I gritted my teeth. We can't stay here. We need to get away as quickly as we can… but Yang can't move! I can't leave her here! Junior's currently loading another missile… I have roughly that much time to think of something.

I glanced up at the ceiling. I don't think they managed to touch the beams holding the stage lights yet. Maybe I can form myself into a rope and have Yang climb up— But Junior could easily shoot us down. What else, what else… I'm just drawing a blank. My mind couldn't grasp another solution. I pounded my forehead. Come on, think! There has to be a way out of this! Some way to turn this around! Something to force the fighting to stop—

It clicked in my head. "Yang, how far can **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** reach?" I whispered to her.

"Around five meters," she whispered back. "Why'd you ask?"

Hmm… that might be enough. I broke up my body and reformed myself right below her arm. I pulled her up to her feet. "I have an idea. You're going to need to trust me on this one." My skin started to peel away, forming into rose petals. "Get as close to me as you can, and when I give you the signal, I need you to set me on fire."

Her eyes widened. "Wait, what? Did you say set you on fire?"

"Not me, exactly. Just the petals that leave my body."

"Why would you want me to do that— Ooh. I see." The girl smiled. "Gotcha, little sis. Let's do this."

I nodded, and with that, we pressed ourselves against each other. The other three people looked at us in confusion. It would be strange to see a tiny girl pressed up against her way bigger sister for no apparent reason. And that's what I'm exactly counting on.

Junior raised an eyebrow. "What in the— If this is your idea of fighting back, then you might as well throw in the towel." He raised his weapon towards the two of us. "I don't take pleasure in doing this." He squeezed the trigger.

A rocket came roaring out— only for my skin to burst into rose petals, sending itself flying out in an explosion. Seconds later, flames went roaring as every single rose petal went ablaze, catching the rocket mid-air and detonating it early. I winced. Oh gods, it burns! I gritted my teeth. Hold on, Ruby. Keep it together… just long enough to finish the plan.

Both Rose and **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** shot out, punching away the rocket shrapnel. And as for me, I focused on the burning petals around us, sending them floating throughout the bar.

"What… are you doing?" Melanie asked, narrowing her eyes. "What are you planning—"

The first petal hit the ground. It immediately exploded, sending chunks of flaming, goopy, radioactive material towards the girls. Both sisters let out gasps of surprise as they jumped back. The next petal did the same thing, detonating that particular object as well. No matter where the two jumped, there was always a petal activating another object, sending more radioactive material and causing it to spread. At this point, the radiation particles filled in a big portion of the club.

Another petal ignited next to the bottles on the wall, setting it ablaze. The flames started out small, but the fumes quickly made a wall of flames behind the counter. Glass bottles shattered, increasing the intensity of the flames. Junior flinched at the sight, trying to dodge the flaming liquid pouring down towards him. The sisters hissed at the sight.

I kept my focus, directing my petals throughout the club. They should realize by now that this entire bar is going to be covered in radiation if they don't release Miltia's Stand. And Melanie isn't going to risk a fire triggering one of her traps and exploding her boss in the process. This should force their hand. Come on… call back your Stands, Miltia and Melanie. Just try and do something—

All of a sudden, the alcoholic liquid just… stopped burning. What? Yang and I watched as everything flowed back up, flowing back into their respective bottles before the glass put itself back together. When everything was all said and done, it looked as if we didn't do anything. But we all know: one touch can set it ablaze once more.

Moments later, I felt a lump forming on my face. Huh? What the— I looked down. A melting cocktail glass rested below us, sending out those radioactive spores. One of the twins must've thrown it at us. Most likely Miltia. I glanced over at my sister. The two of us were covered with tumors. It wouldn't take long for more symptoms to pop up.

"Is that really the best thing you can do?" Melanie called out. "You try to light the bar on fire, big whoop. I can recombine it all together without a problem. There's no point."

"Oh, but there is." I stared the girl down. "Because it made all of the difference in turning the tide of the battle. Rose petals… they can't really do much on their own, but when combined, they can mean everything." I gestured behind me. "Take a look behind me."

They did, as did I. The rose petals close to the doors started folding up over the flames before reforming into pointed bone. In an instant, they shot towards the tinted glass door with several cracks, tiny flames shooting out of a single pore within the bone. Before anyone could react, the bones pierced through the glass, forming small cracks within them.

I smiled. "I managed to create some simple missiles. They compress air and release it all at once, generating the thrust needed to crack the glass door."

"And? So what if you do? It doesn't matter if you crack the door, because it's not enough to let someone through!"

"You're wrong about that." The room went tense as we heard the click of a gun. Junior raised his hands up. Behind him was Blake, Gambol Shroud pointing at the man's head. I turned to look at the women. "I don't want to hurt anyone today. The same goes for my friend. So let's stop all of the fighting. Give us the information we need, let us walk away, and we'll make sure that Junior and everyone under him stays safe. We promise you that."

Melanie gritted her teeth. "No. We've said it once and we'll say it again, we won't back down—"

"Stand down."

The girl in white blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me." Junior sighed. "Melanie, Miltia… stand down. This fight's pointless. Look at them." He gestured to our tumor-ridden bodies. "They're willing to die for this. We're not going to kick them out or convince them otherwise. If anything, I'd bet that these punks will cause more damage than it's worth. Let's give them the info and let them rush off to their deaths."

The radiation around us disappeared within an instant. And just like that, the tumors disappeared. My eyes started glowing. "Hold on, Yang." I pressed my hand on her legs. "Let me patch you up—"

"Save your eyes," Yang said, recalling her Stand. Her body started knitting itself back together. "We might need every bit of that power." Right, right… in case we have to fight Salem. I balled up my fists. I still hope it wouldn't come to that.

Junior let out a grunt. "So, how many others are there in your team, tiny?"

"Five," I responded. "The three of us in the club plus two more."

"Invite them in as well. We have a lot to talk about regarding Cinder."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 11/23/2018**

* * *

 **Ozpin's Bizarre Adventure - Act 2**

 _Crack._ Inky ichor spilled from one Ursa's head. My hands were on autopilot, racking another round into the chamber. I realigned my shot. _Crack._ Another Grimm bit the dust.

Around me, Sarah, Nicholas, and Jojo fired into the swarm of Ursai with me. My partner stayed in perfect sync with my own shots. I would fire, then she would fire. When I was reloading, she was firing, and vice versa. Years of working together were definitely paying off here. I can see the dent we're making in the sea of black around us.

As for the others… I heard an Ursai roar before a slash cut it short. Oh gods. I clicked my tongue. Nicholas abandoned the rifle again for the sword and shield. Sarah's not going to be pleased when she notices. Putting us at risk because he hates firing a gun isn't going to go well with her.

I glanced over at the archeologist. His form was stiff, the man firing wildly into the crowd in front of us. Granted, he can't exactly miss, considering how packed the horde is around us. But at the same time, he's not taking out as many Grimm as we'd like.

And every kill we fail to make does make a difference. After a few misses, the horde would replenish the holes within it and continue forwards. It's like attempting to stop a flooding bathtub by bailing it out with a medicine cup. Our efforts aren't stopping the Grimm from creeping closer to our sanctuary.

A sharp breath escaped me. We must've shot hundreds of Ursai at this point. I can't give a solid count, since the monsters disappear faster than we can count them. This isn't an Ursai pack we're fighting. It feels more like we're fighting an army. It's getting to the point where I'm starting to believe that we're right on top of a Grimm nest. There is absolutely no way that there's a pack of Ursai this big that wouldn't be noticeable to the settlers.

I pulled out my baton and slammed it across an Ursa's face, snapping its neck in an instant. Two Ursai took its original spot. I swallowed my saliva. We don't have enough firepower to do anything. We can't destroy the Grimm horde here, not by ourselves. We have to switch plans.

I glanced at my partner, who shot a look at me back and nodded. My eyes shifted through the sea of black. Who to shoot, who to shoot… There's this one, and that one. But what about this one? My Semblance activated, splitting my mind and body. In every reality I lived in, my sights were lined up on a different target. All of my choices, physically manifested from multiple realities into one. The kaleidoscope of gun barrels compounded with the wavy black and white horde was making my head throb. But it _does_ give me this saving grace.

Every version of me pulled the trigger, creating a barrage of bullets in the base world. The heads of Ursai between us and the old trail burst into a shower of ichor and gore. With a plop, the dissolving bodies of the dead formed a two-meter thick path from the wagon to the old trail.

"Go!" Sarah yelled, jumping off the wagon before pulling out a blade to keep the Ursai away. I jumped off as well… then stumbled on the ground as I brought myself back to a single perspective, clutching my head. Agh… my head…

Sixty different alternate realities… That is my limit. I can superposition sixty different realities of me into the base world. I staggered forwards. I don't think that my mind can take another split for some time. If anything, I'm going to need the longest nap of my life before I attempt my Semblance again. I slapped against my empty clip holders. Let's hope the others have enough to get us all out. There's no way I can protect them.

I took a deep breath, focusing on the opening I managed to make. But this is as good of an opportunity to run. We aren't getting another chance.

"Come on!" I yelled, bracing myself against the empty firearm as I forced myself forwards. "Before the horde closes over us!" Nicholas nodded, sheathing his weapon before jumping and rushing past me.

Jojo on the other hand… He hesitated, looking at the wagon below him before looking at the arrow still within his hand. "But what about the other artifacts? We can't lose what's left!"

"We can find the wagon later! The artifacts won't be going anywhere anytime soon! But we need to leave now!" I waved my hand towards myself. "Jump, Jojo! Jump!"

His eyes flickered to the wagon, then to the arrow, and then back to me. He balled his hands up, gritted his teeth, and threw himself off the vehicle. However, the moment he jumped, one of the Ursai managed to get close enough to take a swipe at him. Fortunately, Jojo barely managed to get out of the way.

Unfortunately, its claws did catch on his sleeve. The man yelped as he twirled through the air, slamming face first to the ground. As he groaned there, another Ursa walked over to him, paw high in the air.

"Private Arc!" I yelled, gripping my head as my headache increased. "Go help Jojo!" The young man didn't hesitate. Before the paw could drop, Nicholas was already on the creature, slicing through its tendons. The creature couldn't even roar in pain when the blonde boy followed up with a kick, knocking the monster back.

I stumbled towards the archeologist. "Grab my hand," I gasped, offering my free hand. He took it with a firm grip, And as I pulled him up, I noticed the long cut across his left arm. In his right hand, the arrow dripped of blood. It's a pretty shallow cut, even if it extended across his arm. I shook my head. "Jojo, stick close to Sarah. We'll get you out of here."

He nodded. "Okay. Alright." He started towards my partner… only to stagger.

"Whoa!" I caught him before he fell. "What happened? Did you break something?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine." His eyes started to droop. "I'm just… a little tired." His muscles fell limp around me.

"Jojo?" I tried shaking the man. "Come on, stay awake! Now's not the time to sleep!"

"No, it's not that. It's… it's… I don't know— Agh!" He started to writhe in pain.

What the— I gripped him tighter. "Just hold on, Jojo! Stay with me!" I started towards the opening we made. To say it was a hard task is an understatement. His massive fame and his spasms made it a lot harder than it should be. I looked over at the man. "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere!" The man gritted his teeth. "It feels like I'm getting wrapped by thorns, and—" He looked at his arms and gasped. "They're wrapping around me! The thorns— they're trying to swallow me up!" He squirmed again, nearly knocking me off my feet. "Osmond, help! Help me!"

I looked on at the raving man, my mouth agape. Oh gods… The arrowhead might be coated with some kind of poison… Whatever it is, it works fast. Jojo might not have much time left. I tried restraining his arms. "Don't worry, Jojo. As soon as we get to safety, we'll get you some treatment. We'll get you to a hospital as soon as we can— ow!" I drew back, reaching for my ear. Right below my earlobe, I felt droplets of blood. Blood? But I have my Aura up—

My knees collapsed, sending the two of us to the ground. "Osmond! Jojo!" I think that was Sarah calling out. It's hard to tell, though. I grabbed my head. Not even seconds after being cut, and I'm getting so lightheaded… Agh, it makes my headache even worse. I let out a groan. The throbbing won't stop…

I have to… I need to run. I tried forcing myself to stand, but my body refused to move. Why… why now? Please… It's getting so hard to focus… everything's getting a little fuzzy. There's no way Nicholas and Sarah can fend off the Grimm while carrying us to safety at the same time. We're not going to make it.

The sea of black slowly creeped on us, along with the wave of black around my vision. It felt as if everything slowed down around me, the colors washing out of the forest. I could watch individual pieces of hair swing at a leisurely pace on a single Ursa. Every sweatdrop that slipped down Sarah's face moved at a snail's pace. This is it. I'm hallucinating. The poison's in my head now, and it's just a matter of time before I'm gone, too. I gritted my teeth. Mom… Dad… I'm sorry for not being the son you've always wanted. I'm coming, just wait for me—

A flash of light blinded me. When I came to, someone was pulling me up. Even if the act itself must've taken seconds, it felt like actual minutes passed. I turned to my side. Jojo… he's up. Somehow through the poison and hallucinations, he's retained some grip to reality. My eyes widened. That's amazing. It must've taken a ton of strength to just stand up.

Then the strangest thing happened: his eyes started glowing. His silver eyes, filled with resolve, grew brighter and brighter. I can't believe it… What is this power? All I can do is stare with a dumbfounded look on my face. He's just a civilian. He did tell us that his Aura was unlocked, but he never said anything about having a Semblance. It shouldn't be possible for someone like him. But this power… did he unlock his Semblance?

Mysteriously, the Ursai pack started backing up at the sight of the glowing eyes, screeching like a cat getting dunked into water. What kind of Semblance is this? I've never seen anything like this before. Something that even the Grimm fear… such a thing existed?

Jojo took a breath in, then out. In an instant, the glow in his eyes cascaded down to his arm, forming vine-y thorns— Wait, what? I did a double take. No, I'm not just imagining it. He actually has purple and silver thorns running down his body. Occasionally the vines would spark with a silver-esque electrical arc.

I blinked. "Jojo?"

He stared down the horde. "Osmond. There's only one thing's in my mind right now. One promise I'll make as we stand amongst the Grimm: we're not going to die here. I won't let another person die again."

That's right. I formed a fist. We can't die here. We said that we'll survive this, and I _will_ survive. I gritted my teeth. Mom and Dad did everything they can to bring me to Vale. I can't spit on their wishes for my survival, on their resolve to protect the people they love. My eyes flickered to Sarah, then back at the sea of Grimm in front of us. I might be wishy-washy with what I want, be indecisive when I really shouldn't, but here, I know what I want. I want to keep being with her, no matter what.

With that, time sped back to normal. I found myself on my feet once more, blinking in surprise. What? How in the— I'm better now. Huh?

Before I could get my bearings, Jojo swiped forwards. The vines leaped out, traveling in a crackling arc towards the Grimm. Every creature it touched roared in sheer agony, the lightning arcs leaping and consuming the creatures. Everyone watched in astonishment as the monsters melted away into nothing. Jojo swung his arm out. Like a whip, those thorny vines snapped, cracking across the chests of the creatures before igniting them ablaze. The energy was nothing like Dust effects or anything, it felt almost… divine.

"Protect Jojo!" Sarah's voice snapped me out of my funk. An Ursa was upon us. A flick of the wrist and my baton snapped the monster's jaw off. Before it could screech in agony, its skull broke open with a follow-up strike. That's right. I don't know how Jojo is doing this, but he has to stay safe.

He didn't really need our help though. With one final scream, his eyes overflowed with energy, sending out a pulse that blinded us and knocked us off our feet. I can only hear what's going on, and what I hear is the symphony of Grimm wailing in agony alongside the sound of fizzling. The oily burning smell filled the air. I wanted to gag. It and the blinding light lasted for what felt like hours.

Eventually, the light started to dim. I blinked, rubbing my eyes. Agh… so bright… I looked up and gasped. The sea of Grimm… were gone. There was nothing left of them. No living stragglers, no bodies, not even a piece of flesh or the smoke dead Grimm would release. They have been obliterated from this world. My jaw dropped at the sight before turning towards the towering man. Just what kind of person is Jojo to destroy that many Grimm at once?

His silver eyes sparkled with energy; his chest heaved. "That's… all of them. It's… over." Jojo fell forwards.

"Whoa!" I caught him once more, Sarah and Nicholas rushing towards us. "Careful there."

"Right." The man brushed his hair back. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine now. The pain… it's all gone." He let out a soft chuckle. "I'm just way too tired." He blinked. "But what's that behind you, Osmond?"

"What?" Nicholas rubbed his head as he and my partner approached us. "Is this a joke, sir? I don't see anything behind him."

Sarah shrugged. "Me, neither. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Jojo, what are you talking about?" I turned around. "There isn't anything behind me—!"

There was some kind of humanoid floating behind me. It wore pale white armor similar to the ancient Vacuoan warrior. It had a headband with some gold rhino beetle-like insect resting on top. Running down its arms are raised yellow clock arrows pointing to gear symbols on its vambraces. It stood to attention, staring straight into nothing like a guard.

"What the— Who is that?"

"I don't know," Jojo replied. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"What are you two talking about?" Sarah furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you staring at? There's nobody behind you two."

"You don't see him, Sarah?" I pointed to the floating man. "He's right there."

" _Sir._ " Both Jojo and I jerked at the voice. Nicholas and Sarah, on the other hand, raised their eyebrows. But what they thought isn't important right now. I glanced around the area. Who said that? We glanced at the man floating behind me, who looked down on us in turn. " _I am here to serve._ "

This is… this is a lot. I swallowed my saliva. "Who are you, exactly?"

" _Your guardian angel. Your fighting spirit. I am your soul, given form by the Arrow in your possession. I am your Stand,_ _ **「**_ _ **BLACK BEATLES.**_ _ **」**_ " My Stand… is that what it is? And does that mean the vines Jojo has… that's also his Stand?

Before I can ask another question, **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** looked into the forests. " _That creature… it has been watching us for some time._ " Huh? What creature? The light in the sky grew red all of a sudden. We looked up.

I shrunk back at that instant. Underneath a blood red moon and within the thick vegetation was some being like the Grimm. The creature looked humanoid at a glance. It had this white, shimmery robe or cloak around its body. If you didn't pay too much mind to it, almost anyone would've assumed it was a traveler. What betrayed its true origins was its head. Its head was bulbous and grotesque, almost like if an octopus had tumors growing on its head. Veins popped out from its shiny black skin. Several dark, red eyes glared at the four of us.

Both Sarah and Nicholas followed our gaze, only to freeze up in terror. That… thing. Is that a creature of Grimm? I've never seen anything like it. It tilted its head a moment later, taking on an observant, almost critical look. No… it can't be… Was that… thing controlling the Grimm? How is it the only survivor of Jojo's attack?

It shrunk back into the forest before I could act on my thoughts. We didn't dare chase it. Our fear got the better of us.

"Oh my gods," Nicholas breathed out. "What in the world was that?"

"I don't know. I— I don't know." Sarah finally moved towards us. "But I have the feeling that we're going to run into it again."

" That— that _thing._ " Jojo balled his fists up. "That… that creature of Grimm… it reminded me of us Remnans. It acted like any other curious, intelligent being would. This creature, which I'll call the Winter Mensis, it seemed sentient." The air around us grew cold. A sentient creature of Grimm… Something not only smarter than a Goliath, but on par with us. I let out a shiver. The thought of such a creature is unfathomable.

"If that thing is really sentient… this changes everything that we've thought about the Grimm. We've spent decades believing that the Grimm are just a force of nature. If that thing is sentient, and _if_ it controls the Grimm…" I can see a glint of determination in her eyes. "We just might have a way of wiping out the Grimm threat once and for all." She sat up. "Wait. Jojo, explain to me how you managed to wipe the Grimm out?

One recap later, she tilted her head, glancing at the Arrow in Jojo's hand. "And you said that this Arrow will give us this… Stand?" Both Jojo and I nodded. The woman pressed her lips. "You know what… We might just be able to use these powers to fight against the Grimm. Jojo, you alone managed to destroy that massive group of Grimm with the help of your unlocked Silver Eye powers. Just imagine what we can do with this if we all had such a Stand like that!"

"My gods…" Nicholas rubbed his chin before snapping. "If we figured out how to use these Stands, then that means we can finally eliminate the Grimm once and for all! Just imagine! For the first time in all of Remnant's history, we can finally see the day where we can develop and grow without fear of the Grimm!"

The woman grinned. "Exactly. So how about that? Why don't we use this Arrow's power to secure our people's peace once and for all?" We all nodded in agreement. At this moment, we thought we had it. The solution to Remnant's problems. Sarah looked ecstatic. "Come on. Let's grab the artifacts and get back. We'll test the Arrow on ourselves as well." Sarah beamed. "I really think this is the birth of a brighter future."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Stand Descriptions:**

 **「** **BOM BITTY BOM** **」** **\- Can reassemble anything from its molecular parts. Said creation is rendered unstable for roughly an hour, and will explode violently if touched during that unstable period, turning into shrapnel to pierce through bodies.**

 **「** **QUEEN OF SPADES** **」** **\- Anything the user touches will start radioactively decaying at a rate that is noticeable to the naked eye. Mutated particles can be seen flying off of it. Anything biologically alive that is hit by the particles will start to grow tumors, which go away when taken away from the radiation source. The user can also stabilize this decay, but cannot return an object back to its original form.**

* * *

 **Song Reference: Melanie's Bom Bitty Bom is inspired by Nick Jonas and Nicki Minaj's Bom Bidi Bom. It's a pop-rap/R &B song released in 2017. Fun fact: this is actually a single off the "Fifty Shades Darker" soundtrack, but I didn't realize that when I first listened to it on the radio and made the choice to use it. But I chose this song because lyrically, it has strong explosive connotations to the standard "crazy relationship." Most of the lyrics are substandard, but the reference to explosive energy gave the song that feeling of barely contained chaos. Like one wrong move can send everyone's lives into a downward spiral.**

 **Then Miltia's Queen of Spades is inspired by the band Styx's Queen of Spades, which is a pop-rock song released in 1978. I chose this song because it has a connotation of spiraling despair. The song itself is about obsession with a girl long gone, and how it breaks down the narrator's soul as the obsession continues. I felt it fit with the radioactive decay that is Queen of Spades's ability. The obsession and decay can be stopped, but if it keeps going, it can destroy.**

* * *

 **There's going to be a retrospective next chapter. It'll be focused on Heathens, Bom Bitty Bom/Queen of Spades, and my overall feelings on Arc 4.**

 **And before we get into the reviews, I want to thank darkmist111 one last time for their involvement in shaping Queen of Spades. Thanks for helping me out with this Stand! Let's get to the reviews!**

 **SomeRandomReview: True. It's not JoJo if someone doesn't die by the end of it. And yeah, I'm excited to show the rest of Ozpin's BA. Easily one of my favorite side stories I've written.**

 **metacllica: I loved the JNPR addressing scene. It felt like the perfect compromise to a big cut I had to make in this chapter. What that cut is, I'll save for the retrospective.**

 **I like the bit with Nolan commenting on Cinder, for several reasons that I can't mention. Let's just say there's a reason why I chose to frame that scene that way. And the team RWBY moment in the Bullhead, I love it as well. Roman and Neo returning is also a wonderful scene. Okay, so I really like how this chapter came out in general. It's a wonderful celebration of the past and everything the story is leading to.**

 **And yes. The bar. Never not the perfect place to hide from the heroes.**

 **Guest: Yes, Jojo is back! And don't worry, I'll reveal who these guys are and what roles they played soon enough.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: No doubt. The death flagging is real here. There isn't much else I can address regarding your review, but thank you for reading this long!**

 **tuskenpaw: I'll be honest: I feel prouder than I really should be regarding that reference. But regarding Ozpin's BA, one of the reasons why I like it is the drastic change in setting. There are a lot of things that are different that I can play with, and it's a joy to craft the adventures of Ozpin's group way back then.**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: No doubt, Ultimate Kuuga. Thank you for reading!**

 **doa570047: The previous chapter is nothing short of heartwarming, no doubt. The flags are planted, everyone is ready to lose everything. It's nice to have a breather before jumping into hell.**

 **Yeah, love the glove scene. And I love how that your statement is just the perfect example of JoJo in a nutshell. It's just the kind of statement that sounds insane to anyone except for JoJo fans. And yay for Neo and Roman! Our favorite crime duo, still with them moves!**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: November 23, 2018**_


	50. The Great Escape

**Hello everybody to a post-Thanksgiving/Black Friday, and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **More quick milestones to announce: the story's passed 175 Favorites and 300 Reviews! Seriously, thank you all for the support. It means so much.**

 **Aside from that, there's going to be the retrospective today, so look out for that. And do know that this chapter will be rougher than usual in terms of quality. Both my beta and I decided it was best to enjoy Thanksgiving with loved ones first. We'll do our best to update this particular chapter in the coming days. But with that said, let's get right into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

Even as everyone backed down, the room still had an air of tension. To my side, Ruby was on her scroll texting the others. Blake remained behind Junior, keeping the barrel of Gambol Shroud pressed against his skull. I brushed a lock of blonde hair back, eyeing the bartender and his bodyguards. They had sour looks on their faces. Still, they haven't made any attempt to attack us. Good thing, too. I don't think we have any more time to waste.

Behind us, we heard the sounds of metal grinding, followed by a long grunt. "Whew!" I heard Jaune exclaim. "That's a pretty heavy door. What is this made out of?" He paused for a moment. "Oh, whoa," Jaune breathed, staring at the field of broken glass, shattered columns, and spilled alcohol in front of him.

"Sorry about the mess," I called out while inserting a fresh belt-magazine into Ember Celica. "We got into a small argument. But don't worry, we're over it."

A 'hmph' escaped from Weiss's mouth as she walked in right behind Jaune. " … Right. At least we're in now. So does that mean these guys are ready to talk?"

I nodded and sighed. "So… you going to tell us everything you know?"

"You mind waiting for a bit as we clean up the mess you made?" Junior rubbed the base of his nose. "This absolute nightmare of a scene is distracting me—" Blake pressed cold steel against his skull. "–Okay, I get the hint. No wasting time. At least… at least let Miltia and Melanie do the cleaning while I talk. You can have as many people watching their every move, I don't care. But the last thing I want right now is to have broken glass lying around my club. Not really something a good host does."

Ruby nodded. "As long as they don't try to attack us again."

"I'm sure they understand 'gun pressed against my head' is a good reason not to." He glared at the Malachite sisters. "Isn't that right?"

"Fine," Melanie sighed. "We get it. We're not going to do anything." She held her hands up. "It's not like we can in the first place." She flexed her wrists, bringing out the sloppily crafted Stand. "Now, step back. One wrong step, and you'll either blow this place up or get cancer. Whichever happens first."

 **「BOM BITTY BOM」** let out an audible sneer, slamming her fist into the ground. Individual glass shards flew towards the fist before floating back into its original place and merging back into its original form. Melanie started forwards, clearing up the club with every punch thrown. Behind her, Miltia summoned **「QUEEN OF SPADES」** and had it slide its finger every spot punched. Only a single particle flew out from each touch. The woman in red prodded the repaired object. It didn't blow up.

Everyone watched in amazement as punch by punch, the two sisters patched up the broken club floor. Before we knew it, the Malchalite sisters called off their Stands. The dance floor looked brand new. It was like nothing ever happened. Well, aside from all of the alcohol that got burned up, but that's not really important right now.

The man adjusted his tie and let out a sigh. "Ah… that's better." Junior took his place behind the bar, Blake following close behind. "So, what do you want to know about Cinder?"

Ruby stepped forwards. "You clearly met her before. When was that?"

"Officially: yesterday. However, I did meet her lackeys… last Wednesday, I believe. The mint-haired girl and gray-haired boy came in that afternoon and made quite a bit of a ruckus. It got bad to the point where I told Melanie and Miltia to deal with them. And when they came back a few minutes later no worse for the wear, I thought they were dealt with."

"They were, but not in the way Junior expected," Miltia stated. Everyone turned to look at her. "We did have a minor fight. But we couldn't get even a few hits in before they stopped and made us an offer. The girl told us about what they were planning, what was going to happen, and offered us a way to protect Junior and his men. All we had to do was stop anyone coming to look for them. I think it's clear what choice we made."

My sister nodded, turning back towards the bearded man. "Hmm… okay. So you're saying Cinder did come in here last night?"

He nodded. "Or it could be early this morning. An attack on the city does things regarding time. She came in with her lackeys. The guy with the gray hair, he was carrying this girl. Short brown hair, tan complexion. Couldn't really tell her eye color, she was unconscious the entire time."

Junior snorted out of his nose, crossing his arms. "Every single one of them looked banged up. Whoever was fighting them must be strong, because several wounds pierced through their Aura. Only now was it trying to heal them."

"They asked, no, demanded a room to rest for the night. When some of my men tried to step in, boom! Feels like we got hit by an invisible wall. I stumbled backward into the cabinet and luckily just lost some bottom shelf whiskey. My men… they weren't so lucky. They went flying, smashing through one of the pillars and had a glass shard rip through one of their hips. I don't think the guy's ever going to walk again." Off to the side, Blake winced.

Junior continued, "With a showing like that, it's not like I could refuse them. I gave them a room and tossed them some first-aid supplies before tending to my wounded. I don't know what Cinder or her minions did, but I don't think that it was an unusually strong Semblance. No, it was something way more dangerous. I didn't want any part in it."

"While Junior was dealing with that, we were approached by the black-haired woman," Melanie interrupted. "She reminded us of the deal. Everyone in Junior's club will be left alone as long as she wasn't interrupted." Melanie gritted her teeth. "But after what just happened, that deal's off the table."

The five of us nodded, taking in the information. While I don't know just how much of this is just Junior trying to cover his own behind, I think the information is accurate enough. It lines up with what everyone else told me, and no one is reacting negatively to it. I think this is true enough.

But when you think about it… Wow. Last Wednesday? That was during the simulation. Cinder gave the Malachite sisters Stands an entire week before she needed them. That's a lot of planning on her part. And that's just getting Melanie and Miltia. How long was she working with the White Fang to get all of their Stand users? How much time did she spend falsifying documents to pass off as Haven students? Gods, I wouldn't be surprised if she has several contingency plans on top of her main plan. How do you deal with someone like that?

We all looked at each other. Weiss, Jaune, and Blake had stern looks on their faces. They must've felt the same way as I did. They must've realized how bad the odds are stacked against us. But if they did, they didn't let it show. Ruby, on the other hand, she kept that look of determination on her face. Silver eyes flickered with energy just a moment.

A vein appeared on Junior's forehead. "So, you guys going to stay quiet? You got any other questions?" He jabbed a finger at the door. "Because if you have nothing else to say, leave."

Ruby let out a hum. "Well, we have just one more thing. Which room is Cinder in right now?"

The man shrugged. "It doesn't matter. She's gone now."

What? My sister's eyes widened. "Gone?"

"As in she packed up her things, grabbed a car and left the building." Junior shrugged. "She left maybe thirty or so minutes before you guys came in." She did? I narrowed my eyes. Wait a minute, if that's the case, how did we not notice her? We were in the skies then. No matter where she went, you'd think that we'd notice a moving car in an abandoned city. How in the world did we miss Cinder in the air?

"Well…" Ruby started. "Do you know which direction she went in?"

"As far as I know, towards the Historical District. From there, who knows?" The confusion increased. Huh? The Historical District? But… we drove from there. That doesn't seem right. No, that's straight up impossible! How in the world did we pass overhead without seeing her car, then drive here without running into her?

None of this lines up. How did she avoid us from both air and land? It can't be just her and whatever Stand she has. One person couldn't possibly do all that. That means Mercury and Emerald… they must also be Stand users. But to be able to avoid detection for that long… they must have strong abilities if that's the case. I looked at Ruby. I just hope we can win against Cinder without anyone dying.

Junior sighed once more. "You good now?"

Ruby nodded. "Yup! That's all we have. We'll be leaving now." She got up from her seat before jerking back in realization. "Oh! I forgot! Do you mind if we take a quick look at the room Cinder stayed at?"

"Go ahead. It's not like they're there to say anything." The bearded man shrugged, glancing under the table before tossing her a room card key she quickly snatched out of the air. "Room 274. Don't think you'll find anything interesting there, but be my guest. And once you're done snooping around, leave the keys inside the room and get out before I change my mind and kick you out."

I nodded. "No probs." I rifled through my pockets and threw Jaune the car keys. "Hey, Jaune! You're in charge of the car while I go check the room with Ruby. As soon as we figure out where Cinder's destination, we're going. No time to waste, after all."

"Aww… but I just came in here…" Jaune nodded. "But go ahead. Weiss, Blake, what about you guys?"

They shrugged. "We'll stay in the car," Weiss said. "Tell us if you find something."

"Yup." Ruby nodded. "Come on, Yang. Let's see if we can find something about where she's going."

* * *

I brushed a lock of black hair back as I stared at the gristly view outside of our unmarked car. There's something fitting about the view outside in the Historical District. While most of the buildings here remained relatively undamaged due to interfering Huntsmen, aging walls showed how poorly maintained these buildings are. Wear and tear and grime worn down previously beautiful architecture, making them shadows of their former selves. Signs such as 'Falkner Insurance Agency' and 'Valean Federal Reserve' betray the true cold indifference inside those old, degrading structures. Honestly, these buildings are more like husks more than anything else.

And the streets outside— I stared at the bloody corpses on the road. People in suits, in military uniforms, ordinary people: they all were mauled and ripped to shreds. Blood mixed with Grimm ichor. It didn't matter who was on the streets. Those who run, enforce, and live such an uncaring life all lie there dead. A small pang of guilt ran through my heart at the sight. They were all victims of our own nature. The pain, the suffering from when they were alive to the moments before their death were all due to our brokenness.

I sighed. Admittedly, my actions got all these people killed. There's no justifying it. I failed to save them from this world. I just took them away from it. But we're so close to the end. I glanced up at the aging buildings. We're so close to the final solution, to bringing true peace amongst everyone. The dead may never see the world we will build, and that is a shame. But once the slate has been wiped clean, once we make ourselves whole again, it'll all be worth it. Everyone who died has paved a brighter future for everyone.

My eyes glanced around the cabin. In front of me was Emerald in the driver's seat, taking care to not catch any attention. And right next to me was an unconscious girl. Amber, if I remember her name correctly. Currently, her hands were tied behind her back with a bit of cloth. Gloves covered them. We don't need her escaping before we needed her.

A hum escaped my mouth, rubbing the sarashi on me. From what I can figure out, she can create a portal by creating frame with a chalk-like substance. While I can't figure out how she connects two places together, I'm certain she has to visualize her target location before such a portal can be activated. No matter what dimension or world, if she can imagine a vivid picture, then she can create a portal there. I smiled. That shouldn't be a problem.

"Emerald," I stated, leaning towards her. "How far are we from our destination?"

"Still a ways off," she reported, keeping her eyes on the street. "You heard the Bullheads approaching earlier, right?" I nodded. "Mercury and I had to… get creative in misdirecting them. We shouldn't be running into them. But just in case, I switched routes. Hopefully, that won't affect us too much."

"Oh, I don't think so. It's better if we're cautious. We can't fail now."

"Right." We both became silent. "Cinder?"

"Yes, Emerald?"

"Thank you."

I raised my eyebrow. "For what, dear?"

"For… everything, I guess." The girl bit her lip. "Back before you found me in that alleyway, I was just some street rat looking for an easy score. Nothing to my name. No friends, no family, no help. For the longest time, I thought I had to go at it all alone."

From the rear-view mirror, I could see a smile grow on her face. "Then you came along. You made a lonely world a little less lonely. And well… I never really thanked you for that." Emerald sighed. "After this is all over, once we bring everyone's hearts out of isolation… I want to make it up to you, somehow. I don't really know how, but… I want to show how much you mean to me."

"Mmhmm." I tore my eyes away from the mirror, simply nodding. A lonely heart yearning for others, secretly wishing to be understood. I gave her that, without having to connect ourselves physically. Then Mercury… a person looking for fulfillment and emotional dedication. I gave him that as well. I glanced down at the floor. It's sad that society refuses to give to people suffering, not unless it meant that they suffered, too. That's our fatal flaw.

The girl next to me started to stir. "Ugh…" I glanced to the side and watched as Amber slowly but surely wakes herself up.

A smirk grew on my face. "Had a nice nap?"

"Huh— What the—" She jerked up, pulling at her restraints, only to find herself bound. "Hey, let me go!"

"That's not going to happen, dear." I rested my chin against my hand. "You're a big part in our final plan. I'm not going to let you go that easily."

A look of frustration grew on her face when she heard that, getting her to pull against her restraints even harder. I shook my head. "You know, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep struggling."

"What do you want from me?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you bother kidnapping me?" she asked, continuing to pull at her arm restraints. Her eyes shifted around the cabin, poring over every little detail she can take in. "I— I'm just some everyday person here for the Vytal Festival! Look, if it's money you want, I can easily give you some, just let me go—"

A chuckle escaped my lips. "Oh, I'm not interested in your lien. Although I'm sure Emerald already took it—"

"Guilty as charged," the mint-haired girl called out from the front seat.

I shot a glare at the girl. "… Right." I brushed a lock of my hair back. "But trust me, Amber. I don't want your money. I want your abilities."

Her eyes widened. "I— I don't know what you're talking about. And how do you know my name?"

"Some questions don't really need to be answered, what matters is what I need you to do." I stared right into her eyes. "And believe me when I say I'm quite familiar with what you can do. What you have is no ordinary Semblance. You have a Stand." Her eyes widened into saucers the moment she heard that. I held a hand up. "I'm not going to kill you. As long as you do what I want you to do, you will not be harmed."

"… And if I don't?"

"Your life will be less pleasant, for sure. But I can promise you that you will not die, at least not if I can help it." I sat up. "Tell me, what do you think about the Kingdoms?"

That got her to raise her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The Councils, the culture, the people, the conflicts, so on and so forth. What do you think about it all?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Well… It's not really too bad. The Council makes sure that the Kingdoms stay running, we take pride in our individuality, the Huntsmen do a good job protecting the Kingdoms from the Grimm—"

I raised a finger there. "I see. What if I told you that this system we live in right now, it's all flawed?"

"What?"

"Let me explain." I sat back. "First point: 'the Council makes sure that the Kingdoms stay running.' That's as far as they go. Tell me: if something isn't absolutely necessary for the Kingdoms to run, does the Council try to take it in? Even if it helps the people?" I raised my hand. "Think about it. Safety protocols, Faunus rights, Dust regulation: all those and more weren't needed to keep the Kingdoms running. They only went into place when the citizenry started making it a big deal, started making it an issue that can rip society apart if left unaddressed. Only when that happens does the Council ever do anything."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Then there's pride in individuality. Pfft. Individuality isn't a badge of pride. It's a convenient buzzword to make people feel better about themselves. People glorify individuality, the idea that you are an individual that is special and can never be replicated. So they, in turn, glorify their identity, live them to the best of their ability, join up with other like-minded individuals to promote their individuality."

"And funny enough, they form groups, throw away the true spirit of individuality, and become talking megaphones for an ideology, for a belief. They forget to consider their fellow individual. Why would they? They let their belief be their identity, and compromise becomes impossible. They don't want to be individuals. They only like the idea of individuality."

"This is the root of all of our problems: our inability to compromise unless we're at risk. We forget we're talking to people with hopes and dreams and families. Instead, we turn them into pawns, if they're on our side. Enemies if they aren't. As the bodies pile up, the dead turn into statistics to push whatever agenda either side has."

I shook my head. "Society allowed itself to be fragmented by their beliefs. Each fragmented group varies in size, in power, and that power imbalance leads to oppression and conflict. We refuse to see eye to eye, and the lives of everyday individuals suffer as a result. And nothing, not even Huntsmen can stop the constant conflict. People have to be hurt to create change. Isn't that frustrating?"

Amber chose to say nothing, continuing to glare at me. I frowned. "There's no need to stay silent, you know. I want you to understand, and I want to know _if_ you understand what I mean."

"Well, I don't." Amber blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. "You're saying that the progress and change that we used all of Remnan history… it's not worth all of the conflict and hurt needed to make that growth? And this attack on Vale, you kidnapping me is a way to change that forever?" I smiled, nodding my head. The girl frowned. "Isn't it hypocritical that you create even more conflict and pain in the name of changing society itself?"

"Why yes, I'm quite aware of that irony. I am a Remnan too, after all. I can't escape my own nature." I locked eyes with her. "But what if I told you that I have a way of ending conflict once and for all? A way to break the cycle Remnans have been stuck in for the entirety of their existence? A way to reject our Remnan nature in exchange for universal understanding? Just think: all of Remnant being able to truly feel the same emotions as their neighbors, to see past the identities and grasp who we truly are? To understand the problems of our neighbors, because their problem is also our problem? We can truly be together, doing what we can to bring happiness to all, because we are all one."

"What's the difference between that and what we have right now?"

"We don't have to suffer ourselves," I responded. "The problems of society, born from us being incapable of understanding another viewpoint: that will no longer exist. The selfishness that comes from us looking only after ourselves and not caring about who we hurt along the way: it will never materialize." I let out a breath of awe. "We will never want to inflict pain upon our fellow Remnans, and we'll instead be able to truly work together and make our lives better. It is a truly better world."

"And you have to hurt other people to do this," Amber cried out. "You don't care about anyone you had to hurt in order to reach your goals. You say you're doing this to help other people, but if you really lived by your own beliefs, you would've found a way of doing this without needing to hurt so many people!"

I nodded. "It's the price I have to pay, the sin I have to bear." My shoulders slumped a bit. "If I was a more perfect person, a stronger flame for love and happiness, maybe I can find a better solution. This… this is an acceptable compromise. One last bout of pain, one last bout of suffering by the hands of another Remnan. I would gladly take on this task for the betterment of all of Remnant, and everyone with me believes that as well." A sigh escaped my mouth. "I might be a hypocrite, but hopefully I am the last one." I extended a hand out to her. "So, what do you think? Will you join me?"

The girl closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a hum before shaking her head. "… I can't do it. What you're asking for… it's too much. You ask me to hurt other people, to cause more pain and misery in collapsing the Kingdoms in the hopes that whatever comes next will prevent that." She shook her head. "I can't in my right mind agree to that."

A frown grew on my face. "You know what the alternative to this is, don't you? You'd rather let more harm come to you in vain than stop the pain and suffering in the world?"

Amber kept a defiant look on her face. "Do whatever you want to me. I'd rather die and be tortured than let other people get hurt due to my actions. I refuse to play a part in any kind of suffering, even if you say it has to be done."

At that moment, Emerald slammed the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden stop. "Cinder. We're here."

Ah. Perfect timing. I gave the girl a smile. "Well then, if that's how you feel, then be my guest." I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the sarashi. A gift from Salem alongside the gloves. I must've forgotten the gloves back at Beacon, and the other Stand users must've gotten to it by now. A big loss, especially considering that means we can't bring the Cupid along. But that doesn't matter. As long as I have a bit of Salem with me, I have access to enough of her powers.

The color in Amber's face drained as I started unwrapping the sarashi around my arm. "Huh? What— what is that?"

"It's a sarashi," I stated matter-of-factly, continuing to unravel the material.

She shook her head. "No… that's not a sarashi. Something's wrong about it. Something very, very wrong. That's not normal!"

I nodded. "You're right. It's not normal." At this point, I had the entire thing unwrapped, a one-inch thick strip roughly four meters long. There was a warm feeling radiating out of it, comforting like a mother's words. I held the wrap up. "It's also what I have to do to you since you're not going to go along with us." I pushed myself over her and started binding the material around her eyes.

"Huh— What are you doing? Stop!" She started thrashing underneath me. "Stop it! Let me go!"

"Emerald!"

The girl hopped out of the car and ran around, gripping Amber's head and keeping it in place. I let out a grunt. "The experience you're about to go through will be unpleasant. But if you aren't going to do this willingly, we still need a way to access your Stand abilities and use them. This is the choice that you made. I'm only doing what's needed to bring about a better future."

"No! I won't do it! You're not going to— hmph!" Her screams of indignation were replaced with muffled grunts when I wrapped the sarashi within her mouth a couple of times. Soon enough, she started gagging, convulsing as the material started pulsing over her eyes and mouth. "Hmmm!"

"And… done." I slipped the end of the 'cloth' under the wrapping and made a single knot, tugging it into place. "It's not bad right now, but the more you resist, the worse the experience will be. Don't make this any harder on yourself, okay?" I nodded over to Emerald, who pulled her out of the car.

More muffled sounds escaped from Amber, but I could barely make out this particular phrase: "It's so dark… What is this thing over my eyes… Where are you taking me?"

I smiled as I stepped out of the car. The building we stood in front of had that same ancient look as the others around it. However, it's way better maintained than the others. It wasn't too impressive, a three-story building with classical-style pillars inspired by ancient West Mistralians. In the middle of the building and above the front entrance was a bell tower displaying the time: 5:30. Evening.

In the courtyard stood a statue, not unlike the one in Beacon. However, this particular statue was of old-fashioned settlers, wearing their raccoon skin hats and fur coats as they planted down a flag: the current flag of Vale. I stared up at the fluttering cloth. Funny that they chose to build a statue around the flagpole. It's a nice touch, for sure.

My eyes bored into the building. Right here is where the sacrifices of many gave birth to Vale. It's here where the minds of a few formed the Councils and the division in our hearts. My smile faded, my face turning serious as I grabbed Amber and nudged her forwards. Emerald followed behind me. The auburn-haired girl let out a whimper.

And it's here where we will be born again.

* * *

I let out a hum as I dug through the room, throwing items around to and fro. My cape wrapped around my neck like a scarf as my sister and I combed through the place. "Yang, you find anything yet?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Nothing." The girl hummed. "I don't know if Blake was lying to me back when she was digging through CMEN's room, because this place is surprisingly clean for a group of people who live in what's basically a pigsty."

"Well… I mean, they were only here for half a day at most. They probably didn't have enough time to make a mess." I started yanking out drawers, looking for anything useful inside. "Or maybe the Cupid was the source for the mess and the smell Blake complained about. I don't think that anyone's lived with a creature of Grimm within their house before, but they're not the best pets to live with."

"Hear hear." I could make out the sounds of sheets flying up into the air, followed by a frustrated hiss. "Come on! We need something, anything! Out of all of the times we can use a hint, we find a clean room with nothing in it!"

I nodded, biting my lip. "Yup. I'd prefer if we can just get the location so we can just fly there instead of following **「** **BELFRY FALLS,** **」** but at this rate, I don't think we're getting anything out of this."

Yang shook her head and stood up. "Let's go. If we hurry up, we might be able to reach them in time—"

A thought struck me when I spotted a filled up recycling bin. "Nonono wait!"

"Huh?" My sister stared as I threw myself at the blue container, digging through its contents. "Ruby?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something." I started pulling out crumpled sheets of paper, flattening them out, and placing them to the side. "It caught my attention. There's a lot of crumpled up note sheets just sitting around in here. More than there really should be. Cinder loves drawing, right?"

"She does?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point." I chucked every crumpled piece of paper out onto the floor. I continued, "So I had a crazy hunch. If CMEN were hiding out here for half a day, they must've stayed here the entire time. And when Cinder needs to pass time, she doodles."

"Really?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "I'm not seeing what you're getting at, though—"

"Remember how Cinder acts most of the time? Unfocused and lost in her own thoughts?" Yang furrowed her brow, letting out a hum before nodding. "Well, she's just like that while drawing."

My sister's eyes widened. "Which means… she could've made a mistake without even realizing it. Oh my gods, Ruby. You're a genius!" She rushed over to me and helped unfold everything.

I nodded. "It might be a long shot, but if she absentmindedly doodled her destination and threw it away without realizing it… That could mean everything." It's a lot of ifs, for sure. But at this point, we just have to dig in and pray it just works out.

Most of the doodles found were pretty useless. Unwitting portraits of Emerald and Mercury from several angles, detailed drawings of stuff inside the room, sketches of the Arrow, views out of the window. Come on, come on. Please. If one of the gods are listening, give us a hint. All we need is one.

As we reached the bottom of the bin, we started getting more architecture. Weirdly-designed fountains, statues, various buildings, so on and so forth. By the time we finished unfolding the loose sheets of paper, we had two piles: one for people and items, and one for architecture and buildings.

I let out a hum, flipping through the people and item drawings. "I don't think we'll get anything useful out of these. It's just stuff we've seen before." I put them back in the recycling and started spreading out the other doodles. "But we might find something in this one." I narrowed my eyes. There are several pictures of places within Beacon, various shop fronts, doodles outside the window. None of them are that helpful, considering that she's supposedly heading to the Historical District. I let out a sigh of frustration. I"m not seeing anything that could be from the Historical District. Did we bet wrong? Did we get our hopes up over nothing?

My gaze fell upon a particular drawing. It reminded me more of a postcard more than anything else. It's a simple image of a government building with a bell tower and a statue in front of it. My eyes widened. This is one of the most iconic buildings in Vale: Fenix Hall. The legislative building and home of the Council. The birthplace and heart of Vale.

"Yang… look at this one." I yanked the image and placed it in a separate pile. "Fenix Hall. It's the only building out of all of these drawings that are in the Historical District. You think she might've gone there?"

The girl raised her eyebrows. "I don't know, Ruby… Fenix Hall is a popular tourist spot. Just because it happens to be in the same direction as Cinder doesn't mean that it's the target." She looked back. "Although… no wonder this picture was familiar." She yanked from the pile an image of the marching settlers planting the flag. "This is also at Fenix Hall. And so is this one, and this one, and— oh my gods." Lilac eyes widened. "Her mind was focused on Fenix Hall at one point in time."

"And why would she be doodling so many images of the place unless she was thinking through her plan while she was trying to relax?" I picked up the first drawing of the city hall building and stuffed it into one of my pockets. "This might be our break." I gestured to Yang. "Come on. We need to tell this to everybody else."

She nodded, getting up before stopping. "Oh yeah, gotta ditch this." She threw the room keys to the side before following me out the door.

Jaune definitely kept his promise: the car hummed on the streets the moment we stepped out. As for the boy himself, he was sitting in the driver's seat, twiddling his thumbs while staring off in the distance. Once in a while, he would look around the area, keeping watch for any signs of movement. In the back sat Weiss and Blake. They were whispering to each other in hush tones. I raised my eyebrow. I wonder what they're talking about. Just like Jaune, they were scanning the area for any signs of danger.

All three of them sat up at the sight of us. "So…" Jaune called out. "Anything useful?"

I nodded. "I think we have something we can work with! Wait a minute, we'll get in the car and then talk!" I turned over to Yang. "Can you call Cammy while I explain everything to the others?"

"Can do, sis."

Yang hopped into the passenger and started dialing up a number while I got in the back. "Okay…" I started. "I think we have an idea of where Cinder's going. It's a bit of a stretch, but with what we know, it seems like the best option." I unfolded the page with the drawing and showed it to the other three.

Weiss let out a hum. "That's… Fenix Hall, right?"

I nodded. "Yang and I found multiple drawings from various parts of Fenix Hall. We were thinking about how Cinder loves drawing, then we realized: what if she absentmindedly drew their destination without realizing it? Granted, we got a ton of drawings of Beacon and other places in the city, but this is the only one from the Historical District. So, that's what we're betting on."

Everyone narrowed their eyes and let out a hum. "Well… that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Blake muttered. "But we aren't absolutely sure that Fenix Hall for sure is the target. Knowing Cinder, that might very much be the case. But we can't make a mistake here. The last thing we need is to be taken on a wild goose chase. We need to be absolutely sure that Fenix Hall is her destination."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. Even I think it's a bit of a stretch. But we can check with Nolan. I'm pretty sure he can summon his Stand far away from him. So, we let Nolan call out **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** at Fenix Hall. If Cinder's actually there or is coming there, he'll have a hit, and we can rush over there. If not… well, no harm, no foul. We can just follow where **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** actually goes and go on from there. It definitely beats waiting for his Stand to track her down."

Jaune, Weiss, and Blake all let out a hum hearing that. Blake furrowed her eyebrows, pressing her hand against her chin before nodding. "That makes a lot more sense. I'm okay with this plan going into place. So, when are you going to call Nolan?"

My scroll was already in my hands, waiting for the call to go through. "I'm already on it."

It didn't take long for Nolan's voice to come through. " _Hello? Ruby?_ "

"Hi, Nolan." I sat up in my seat. "Is everything still fine up there?"

" _Yeah, we haven't spotted anybody yet. You're still okay. Why did you call me? Is everything fine down there? Did you find the person yet?_ "

"Oh, it's fine. We didn't find Cinder in the club, but I think we have another lead." I took a deep breath. "She's supposed to be heading for the Historical District, and we think she might be aiming for Fenix Hall."

" _Fenix Hall, Fenix Hall… Doesn't really ring a bell._ "

"You know, popular tourist spot? Important Council building where they make all of Vale's laws?"

" _... Nope, still not getting the picture._ "

" _It's the one with the big statue around the flagpole,_ " Gwen called out from the background. " _Remember that one dumb 'interactive field trip' they forced on us back in Umbra Academy where they made us look at postcards of landmarks around the world and not the actual landmarks?_ " She let out a long groan. " _Gods, they managed to disappoint ten-year-old me when I learned about that._ "

" _Wait, that one? Oh! Now I know what you're talking about, Ruby._ "

A chuckle escaped from Gwen's mouth. " _Wow, I can't believe you forgot, Nolan._ "

" _Well, I don't know, I'm from Vacuo!_ _How would I be knowledgeable of landmarks in Vale?_ "

" _Weren't your family a bunch of traveling merchants?_ "

" _My family weren't traveling merchants, we worked for a trading company. There's a difference!_ "

" _Still, aren't you guys supposed to know how to not get lost? That involves landmarks, last time I checked. And besides, I'm from Vacuo too, and I know this—_ "

I cleared my throat. "Hey, guys? Can you get back on topic?"

" _Huh?_ " Nolan let out a groan. " _Oh right, sorry. But I know where Fenix Hall is. What about it?_ "

"Can you summon your Stand over there and check to see if Cinder is heading there or is there right now?"

" _Yeah, sure._ " The speaker went quiet for a while. " _Oh! Ooh, that smell— Yup, that's definitely the one. Very distinct. Yeah, Cinder's definitely there. Smells fairly recent, too._ "

"Alright. Thanks Nolan." I pressed my lips together into a thin line. "Oh! One more thing: can you fly over there and keep watch over the place? Give us a couple of progress reports as we head over there. Do it by text."

" _Sure thing. I'll tell the pilot as soon as I'm off the scroll. We'll see you over there._ "

I nodded, ending the call and closing the scroll. "Yup, Nolan confirmed it. Cinder's there, and recently as well. We don't have a lot of time left." My finger tapped against the page. "So this is what I'm thinking. We get on a Bullhead as soon as possible and make a beeline for Fenix Hall. Blake and I will come in from the roof, while everyone else goes in from the bottom floor. We should be able to trap Cinder and the others if we sandwich them within the building. Then it's a matter of time before we stop them."

Yang ended her call at that moment. "Yeah, about the Bullhead part. Just talked to Cammy," she sighed. "Told her about the situation. She would do it, but not here, here. There's not enough landing space for her in the area, so we have to go back to the safe zone and get picked up there."

I pressed my hand against my chin and let out a hum. "Oh… that might be a problem. But then again… it didn't take that long to drive here. It's not that much of a trip." I shrugged. "That's fine. We can just head back and do that, then."

Jaune nodded, putting down the emergency brake and getting up. "Alright, then. Let's go—" He jerked to a stop a moment later.

"Hey, Jaune?" I raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing? Come on, we don't have much time."

"I know, but something's wrong. For some reason, it's hard for me to stand." I raised an eyebrow. What? He continued, "My body feels like it's moving through molasses for some reason." Jaune narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute…"

He dropped back to his seat, shifting gears and stepping on the gas pedal before we could say anything. The car lurched forward, then suddenly stopped. Yang's eyes widened. "Huh? What the— What is this?" She frowned. "The car… for some reason—"

"It's not moving," Blake called out, looking at one of the rear tires. "The wheels are turning, but it's not picking up traction."

"The car's not moving," Jaune repeated, wrinkling his forehead. "Something's… off." He started again, but this time the car didn't move. His eyes narrowed. "The car isn't moving, I can't move…"

"I can't move as well." Weiss struggled in her seat, but she could barely move her arms up. "What's causing this?"

"This the car going through a burnout?" Yang glanced over at the dashboard. "No, the car's ready to drive! What's going on?"

"Hey, I noticed your car's stuck," a masculine voice called out from above, causing my blood to run cold. No… it can't be. I turned my head to see a familiar gray-haired boy strutting from the roof of a nearby building. Oh my gods… how long was he here, and how did we not notice him?

Mercury smirked. "I would help you guys out with that, but honestly, I don't care much coming down from here. Like, think about it. It's a great view just lazing around up here! I can watch you guys struggle down there, Cinder won't be distracted when the time comes, it's a perfect win-win situation."

One thought flashed in my mind: "get out of the car." I tried getting up, only to find myself run into something. Huh? What the— He already caught me? Ugh, it's like I'm surrounded by some kind of invisible string! Yang jerked up to her feet as well, only to be held back by the same thing surrounding me. "Hey— let go!"

"Yeah, you're not going to leave your seats, ladies and gentleman." Mercury sighed. "You're all stuck here for the moment. I'll be watching you guys until Cinder's done with her business. But hey, if you guys get boring to watch, there's always my kite I can play around with."

He twisted his arm in the air, revealing a Bullhead twisting in the air. My eyes widened. That's Nolan and Gwen's! Mercury flashed us a toothy smile. "Everyone, say hello to my **「** **STARBOY.** **」** "

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 12/7/2018**

* * *

 **Ozpin's Bizarre Adventure - Act 3**

The day we discovered the Stand Arrow and its powers changed our lives forever. It was a great power to use. But at the same time… it was a great danger. The four of us didn't know better, though. We were more excited about the fact that Stands could be the thing that turns the tide against the war on Grimm. But it didn't take long before we got caught up in a war us Remnans built for ourselves.

I blinked. The forest we stood in before transformed into rolling hills and plains. Years poured into my body, toughening it up in many ways and weakening them in others. The four of us stood over a valley sinking in yellow and green, grim looks on our faces.

The distinct scent of mixed pepper and pineapple scorched my nose. I let out a cough, pulling a stuffy, wrinkled gas mask up over my face. I can recognize that smell anywhere. Chlorine gas. It was probably Vale's. The last gunshot sounded out hours ago, but the fumes remained. It was like staring into a pool of hell. For the people caught by the gas, that might be truer than we'd like to admit.

Over the hills and past the horizon, a single red trail of smoke flew into the sky. My partner lowered her head at the signal, turning towards us.

"Hawk Team, are you ready?" Sarah asked. I turned around. Specialist Nicholas gave us the thumbs up right as he tightened the straps on his mask. My eyes flickered over to the giant of a man behind Nicholas. Jojo, also a Specialist, gave us a nod.

And as for our team leader, Sergeant Sarah let out a hum of approval, adjusting a messy braided bun along with her own mask. "Alright then. The area bombarded is lower in elevation, so keep the masks on, for the Brothers' sake. Besides that, it's the same as always. Clear the town out and prep it for army occupation."

We nodded and continued westwards, down the gentle slope into the valley the town resides. This was our job during the Great War. In exchange for not having to fight in the front lines, we take care of whatever Grimm spawns in. It's our little part in contributing to the war effort: making sure the army doesn't get overwhelmed with the consequences of their actions. And it's not pretty by any means.

Before we knew it, we stood in front of a ruined gate into the town of Aegle. Or at least, what's left of it. I gritted my teeth. The artillery definitely did a number on this settlement. Aside from the pale yellow-green gas floating through the town, I could see several charred spots where homes would normally be. The buildings still standing had several holes punched through the roof and sides. They wobbled with the gust that flew past us. It's an honest miracle that they're still standing. Although I wished I could say the same about the people within.

As we walked down towards the town, we started seeing the bodies. Their skin had a red, tomato-like tinge, dotted with blisters the size of pinheads. Puddles of pale, watery vomit lined the streets. Lifeless eyes stared into the distance, filled with terror. It didn't matter whether the person was a soldier or a civilian; it didn't matter what their nationality was. They all laid on the ground, hydrochloric acid eating up lungs that stopped breathing for hours. I only hoped that they died quickly.

I turned away from the bodies we walked over. Sarah tensed up, gripping her weapon tighter. She regained her composition in a matter of seconds, but I saw it. I can tell she was trying to hold back frustration and anger at the scene. Nicholas and Jojo's shoulders sank at the sight. They moved with more apprehension, almost hesitant to see what more is up ahead. I don't blame them. You don't get used to it. Not one bit.

We entered a plaza, which was all but reduced to rubble in the artillery fire. I heard about how beautiful Aegle's town plaza was for a colony. I stared at the destroyed landmark. But I guess… I guess we'll never see it now. One attack: that's all it took to destroy something beautiful.

The glow of beady red eyes swimming through the sea of green brought us out of our thoughts. Out from the haze came out Ursai, similar to the day we first found the Arrow. While the concentration of Ursai aren't nearly as thick as back then, it didn't stop them from approaching us. I looked around. They were everywhere. Hiding behind the buildings, within the buildings, underneath the rubble - they infested the once beautiful colony town. I pulled out my cane and extended it. The others pulled out their weapons as well. No more.

Now, most Grimm search and destroy teams are far larger than just four people. Any less than eight or twelve, and there's the very real chance of getting overwhelmed. But the four of us can easily take care of this. We have the power of an entire army at our disposal.

Our Stands appeared behind us. And at that moment, the wave of Ursai shot towards us. **「BLACK BEATLES」** shot forwards at the sight, bashing one of their heads off their shoulders before launching into a flurry of haymakers. I looked over to my compatriots. Jojo took the front, eyes glowing and **「HERMIT PURPLE」** sweeping through the crowd with sheer prejudice. The tsunami of Grimm that was supposed to hit us paused at that moment, eyeing Jojo's powers in almost apprehension.

" **「** **KING & LIONHEART!** **」** " Their hesitance was a mistake. Behind Jojo, Nicholas pulled out the biggest burlap sack he could hold and yanked it open. The metal-plated humanoid behind him glowed. His Stand reminded me of more medieval knights, back when plated armor was more viable than Aura. On its head was a medieval bucket helmet with prongs resembling bunny ears. For slits, it had the Arc family's insignia cut out, revealing glowing blue eyes underneath.

And out from the sack came another Nicholas. And then another. Before long, there were twelve different Nicholas, all from different universes. Or that's how he explained it to me. The squadron of Nicholas charged forwards with a ferocious roar, slashing down the hesitating monsters without a moment of hesitation. I charged in as well, **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** beating through my section of Grimm. I couldn't spot Sarah in the sea of black that I'm punching through, but from the sounds of her grunts, I think she's doing fine.

The Grimm here didn't stand a chance. It didn't take long until the last of the Grimm dissolved into the air. "Alright," Sarah called out, staring at two Ursai dying stuck to each other. "We'll split up and try to cover as much of the town as we can. Oz, you go with Jojo and clear the northern side of town. Nicholas, take your army and clear the eastern side. I'll take the south side."

We nodded. "And Oz?" I turned to look at my partner. She had a smirk on her face. "Can't wait for our dinner date afterward. Try to stay fresh for me, okay?" With a wink, she went on her way.

All the Nicholas rolled his eyes, but went on his way as well, leaving just Jojo and I alone.

One look and a nod, and we went to work. Jojo lead the way, doing most of the damage with his **「** **HERMIT PURPLE** **」** while I kept **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** close, ready to defend against any creature of Grimm that Jojo happened to miss. Not a single creature of Grimm could get past our defenses this way.

It didn't long until we stood in front of what used to be a library, catching our breaths. Or as best as we could wearing gas masks. The last of the Grimm in our section dissipated into the air. "Alright," I said with a gasp. "That should be the last of them." I tossed a gas grenade: a mix of sodium bicarbonate and water. It started hissing, neutralizing the chlorine in the air.

"Did I ever tell you about the time a library saved my life?" Jojo asked as he tossed his own gas grenade out.

"Huh?" I turned towards the man. "No, you didn't."

"Right. I've never talked too much about my own past, at least not to you guys." He walked into the building. "Well, before, the Joestar family, my family… we used to be aristocrats."

"Wait, really?"

He nodded. "One of many families who had the King's favor. In the past, my ancestors were legendary. They were the fiercest of warriors, the most loyal to a cause. In an era where people had to fight for their survival, my family were excellent fighters, and they played a big part in keeping the kingdom of Vale together."

"But soon, the city of Vale was built and guns were invented, providing a safe place for people to live and a way to defend themselves respectively. The people no longer needed the Joestars to survive. But when my family realized that they have little more to provide to the city, they didn't attempt to resist the winds of change. No, my family accepted that the world no longer needed them, and disappeared into obscurity."

He looked at me. I could see nothing but humbleness in his eyes. "Think about it. My family had a lot of power. They could've easily overthrown the King, assert their power, continued on in positions of power. But instead, they withdrew and rested, letting the world grow on their own. And away from the spotlight, my ancestors built a mansion and filled it with the knowledge they've gained throughout the generations, updating it and keeping it safe for when it's needed again."

His eyes flickered to the shelves as he let out a sigh. "I fell in love with the library inside. There wouldn't be a day when I wasn't pouring through the wealth of knowledge inside. When the rest of my family were maintaining the family finances or participating in leisurely activity, I would spend it reading. I wasn't a complete shut-in, of course. I played sports, I attended gatherings. But I definitely spent more time there than anyone else."

His eyes lowered to a charred book on the floor. "Then one day, it all changed. It was a Thursday evening in the library. There was a family party. I was taking a break from all the discussion, taking my leave. I wanted to do some lighter reading, so I focused on finishing up Les Misérables when I heard the sounds of growls. A giant horde of Grimm pranced around my family's estate. To this day, I don't know the catalyst for this. The only thing I knew was that they managed to break through."

"Everything went by so fast. My entire family was downstairs. They were the first ones to fall. The family fighting spirit had dulled from generations of peace. No one knew how to fight, and that went as well as you would expect. As for me, I managed to lock myself in the library before the Grimm rushed up to the second floor. But then, I smelled smoke. I suppose a candle was knocked over in the commotion. But when I smelled that, I thought that I would never make it out alive."

"Well, how did you get out, then?"

"My ancestors, like always, had the solution." He gave me a bitter smile. "Back when I was young, I learned of the hidden passages within the walls of the mansion. They were all but forgotten by the time I came around, and no one believed me when I told them when I was young. They became my hidey hole as a child, somewhere I can escape to my books without interruption. And back then, they were my way out alive."

"And when I got out, the image wasn't pretty. The mansion I lived in all my life, the library I loved, the family I treasured… I watched them all go down in flames. And the Grimm, they noticed and came for me." He shook his head. "The pain, the sorrow from losing everything, it was all too much. Everything went white. And when I woke up, the Grimm horde was gone. That was the day I first unlocked my silver eyes."

"Unlocked? But… back in the forest—"

"—Was the first time I willingly used them in a fight. Remember, I was the first in many generations to unlock my powers. I had no idea how to use them back then, only that I can use my emotions to wipe out the Grimm in an explosion. I've learned a lot more ever since I got my Stand." The two of us stood silent, letting it all sink in.

"Osmond… Do you want to know my biggest regret of that day?" Jojo turned to look at me. "My ancestors put me where I am today. They gave me the knowledge to survive. They gave me a path to escape. Their wisdom saved me. Yet I couldn't save any part of their legacy. My family is gone. Everything they accomplished in life went up in smokes with the mansion. I am the only Joestar left, and all that remains of all of their wisdom is in here."

He tapped his head before sighing. "It's… sobering, knowing that I _am_ what's left of their legacy. And I couldn't live up to the ideals they used to strive for. I failed to save their knowledge. I failed to save my family with the knowledge I did have." His eyes started glowing. "I am ashamed that I carry my family name. Why do you think I get so uncomfortable being called Mr. Joestar, and ask people to call me Jojo? I don't deserve it."

"Jojo…"

"But even if I'm ashamed of myself, that doesn't mean I don't want to fix that." His eyes stopped glowing. "I failed to save my family's legacy. But that doesn't mean I can no longer live by my family's ideals. There's always something worth saving, whether it's knowledge of people. That's why I'm an archeologist. That's why I'm fighting with you guys. It's atonement for my failures, by doing what I love and protecting what I _can_ protect. I don't forgive myself for what happened in the past, and I don't know if I will. But by continuing forwards, by uncovering forgotten knowledge, maybe I can make up for that. Remember the past, push for the future. It's the responsible thing to do."

"I'll toast to that." The two of us looked behind us to find Sarah and Nicholas standing at the doorframe. My partner had a bemused look on her face as she walked in. "Speaking of protecting things, I cleared my part of the town. Same as Nicholas. What about you two? Is that all the Grimm in your area?"

I nodded. "Taken care of. The canisters should take care of the chlorine gas soon enough."

"Alright. Won't take long until the actual army can come in." She nodded, her smile morphing into a growl as she balled her fist up. "I just… I just wish that there were a few survivors. None of these people deserved to die."

"Right." I plopped down, back against a wall. "This war is just a mess. Fighting against each other over whether we should suppress our individualities while letting the Grimm grow stronger—"

"Not just that." Sarah held out a necklace. It was handcrafted, colorful, beautiful: showing off a drawn portrait of some woman. Most likely a lover. "I took this off a young Mistralian soldier who had this in his hand. These people still value their individuality. They've been hiding this from their governments."

I paled at the thought. "Wait… all this time—"

"Vale has been killing people who don't even believe in their Kingdom's own actions." Sarah sighed. "Even after being abused like this, these Mistralians still fight for their Kingdom, dying for a cause they don't believe in and killing people that can help them…" She rubbed the base of her nose. "I'm just glad I'm not actually fighting humans, because I don't think I can bring myself to kill people suffering for other people's actions."

Everyone sat somber. The only thing we could hear was the sounds of hissing from the gas canisters. "Yeah," I finally said. "But you know what? Maybe… maybe that'll go away if we destroy the Grimm. The suppression policy came about to protect against the Grimm. If the Grimm are gone, Remnans would never need those kinds of policies to survive."

"But what if we choose not to give them up?" Sarah stared at the ground. "What if this is just who we are as Remnans, and the Grimm just happen to be an excuse to do this to others? What if Remnans become the ones creating misery for others?"

"Then we will stand and fight against that injustice," Jojo said. "We're all here fighting to protect these people's individualities, and we're here to free ourselves from the Grimm's grip. People like us will rise up and protect against any injustices that appear in the world. I can't promise that they won't happen. But I'm sure honest people will fix them when they do."

"But since we're already on the topic of the Grimm—" Jojo stood up. "Remember that creature of Grimm we saw all those years ago?" I nodded. Everybody else looked up in interest. Jojo continued, "Well, I took the time to map out every reported encounter over the past few years, and I think I know where to find it."

"Really?" I sat up. "That's great! Since when?"

Jojo scratched the back of his head. "Well… for a while, actually. You see, a couple of months ago, I discovered a quirk of **「** **HERMIT PURPLE.** **」** I was sweeping up our underground lab, thinking about one of our next missions when I accidentally activated my Stand. The dust then formed into a map, one that showed the layout of the area where we will be deployed next. So I thought: maybe I could find the Winter Mensis through this."

He held a finger up as Nicholas was about to say something. "However, I chose not to reveal it because I wasn't sure of how accurate it was. I didn't want to assume until I was sure of my abilities."

"And you know where it is now," I said. He nodded.

Nicholas nodded. "Well, don't just leave us hanging! Where?"

"I'll show you." He leaned down, grabbing a handful of ash before placing it down on the ground. As the vines grew over Jojo's hands, the ash… moved, shifting until it formed the shape of eastern Sanus. An 'x' formed over an image of a mountain close to the tip of the mountain range. "Currently, it's right here, on Mount Bergi. It's maybe a few kilometers away from where we first found the caravan. While at times the 'x' will vary in location, it's consistently been in this area."

Sarah sat up, worries forgotten. "Which means we know where we can go to hunt it."

"Exactly."

My partner hummed to herself. "Yeah… It wouldn't be a good idea to go after it during the war. We need to know what it can do, its nesting area, whether or not its being boosted by the negativity of war. But when the war's over… that'll be our chance."

We nodded. From that moment, the Winter Mensis's days were numbered. The Grimm's days are numbered. It's only going to be a matter of time when we destroy it once and for all. But Sarah's words had nagged me back then, and it still nags me now. What _will_ happen in the face of mass Grimm extinction? Will our problems be solved with their fall?

And why did Sarah asking this worry me?

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 ** _Retrospective:_ Arc 4 to this day is the arc I had the most fun writing for. Last Breath and Heathens had weird formats that were a blast to mess around with, Six Days and Warflower were monsters of fights that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for darkmist111, I loved how I progressed the characters in this arc. **

**I felt like Arc 4 was a perfect compromise of writing in canon events while still maintaining creative control. I've never been a fan of rehashing canon. And when I first started this Arc, I had severe reservations about whether I'll enjoy it or not. But looking back at it now, it's honestly my second favorite arc to write, with Arc 5 being my most favorite. That doesn't mean that I didn't like writing the rest of the arcs, I loved writing them all. But I have my favorites out of all of them.**

 **But let's touch on the Stand fights. Heathens was an interesting Stand to write for. For one, it doesn't really have a dedicated Stand fight chapter, similar to how Fox's Teriyaki Boyz didn't have one. Instead, the Stand "fight" was spread out from the "Common People" chapter until the "Don't Speak" chapter. It definitely made the actual battle a pain to write. I only had a limited amount of space to describe Ruby's actions before moving on the real meat of the situation. But I like how it turned out in the end.**

 **Now Heathens is actually inspired by the movie "Seven Pounds." Basically, Will Smith's character impersonates an IRS agent and searches for seven good-hearted people he wants to help. Then at the end of the movie, Will Smith commits suicide in an ice bath using a box jellyfish, the idea being that in his will, he has entrusted his organs to those he deemed worthy of being saved. This is due to a past event where he caused a car crash that killed seven people, and this is his idea of righting what he felt were his sins. Honestly, the movie was okay at best, leaning towards bad. But the suicide by box jellyfish stuck out in my mind.**

 **I generally took that feeling of shame and the motif of the box jellyfish and incorporated it into Deery's character. She's a person who is driven by frustration and shame, even if the source of that frustration is external instead of internal. Add in the box jellyfish as the symbol of redemption, and that's how Heathens was formed.**

 **As for Bom Bitty Bom and Queen of Spades, I actually made Queen of Spades on my own, and darkmist111 helped form Bom Bitty Bom. I wanted to make a pair of Stands with strong synergy, and I was stuck on what ability would work well with radioactive decay. Darkmist111 suggested a Stand that involved Strong Force Manipulation to contrast with the Weak Force Manipulation that is Queen of Spades, which I pulled nuclear fusion from.**

 **As for Queen of Spades, I originally conceived it reading about Chernobyl. An abandoned city of concrete, sitting out to decay after a massive accident... It is a sobering view of something we gave up on. I wanted Queen of Spades and Bom Bitty Bom to reflect different reactions to catastrophe. With Queen of Spades, it was to reflect despair. With Bom Bitty Bom, it came to reflect fatalism. It's easy to write off disasters and declare them lost causes. But they only really become lost causes when we all decide to give up.**

* * *

 **That got a little somber there. Let's switch subjects and get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: I'm definitely proud of how the Stand fight turned out and the Stand designs. I'd say in my head, I definitely like the designs for Bom Bitty Bom and Queen of Spades the most. Relatively simple, but striking. And the fight was fun to write without a doubt.**

 **Guest: Exposed now, I suppose. But thank you for reading!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl! And that's true, they stopped fighting. A bit like Fox and Jaune when they first met.**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! You'll just have to read to find out what happens with Ozpin's BA.**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: I feel like I've seen this meme somewhere, but I can't put my tongue on it. I want to say 7th Stand User?**

 **mastergamer14: I actually like "Fall Out Boy" as a Stand name more than Phoenix, but I'm seeing what you're getting at with your choice. As for the Stand itself, this is one frightening ability. Even taking Bites the Dust out, the exponential growth of power with every death would be terrifying to go up against. My personal opinion: I would make Phoenix an armor Stand that gets stronger every time it gets shattered (every successive "death" in a sense). It would give me those MGSV vibes with the vengeful Man On Fire comparison. Bites the Dust would be less of a mild nuclear bomb in terms of power and more of the heat shockwave associated with a nuclear explosion. But everything else would make this a horrifying Stand to fight against.**

 **And I would agree, this theoretical Stand would be a good match for Cinder. I just personally like the one I have for her better.**

 **Pherix2003: Pucci saw the gravity of the situation, and decided to stay out of the fight. Just like Giorno in Part 6. May or not be there, whoops he's gone before he can appear on screen. Jokes aside, I wouldn't expect Pucci.**

 **doa570047: Okay, I think I should mention how RWBY is being shown, since I've seen enough confusion to justify it. RWBY V6 is going to only be published on the RT website at least until the volume ends. This is due to the Youtube demonetization problem and the fact that a significant amount of their catalog have been either demonetized or removed. It's simply not profitable for RWBY to be on Youtube anymore. People do believe that RWBY will be published on Youtube after V6 ends since that's what RT has been doing with the rest of their animated shows (premiere on the website, crosspost once the season ends), but do not take my word for it until they actually show something.**

 **Regarding the talk about proactive and reactive Stands, I generally agree. Queen of Spades and Bom Bitty Bom are reactive Stands, although they have proactive activations. And looking back on it now, there have been a lot of reactive Stands in rapid succession. Hocus Pocus, Last Breath, Heathens, Queen of Spades and Bom Bitty Bom: all reactive. I don't think them being reactive is a bad thing, but I can see what you mean by saying that they become easier to handle the moment someone realizes the gimmick. Honestly, avoiding and figuring out a way to break the stalemate has its own sense of suspense.**

 **Honestly, if the Stand Arrow was real, I'd probably take a shot at stabbing myself with it as well. Stands are pretty cool to have, after all. Even if you got an extremely basic punch ghost, that's still a level of telekinesis you have access to by default. I know I would have my Stand type out stories on my phone or something while I do whatever else. And that's not talking about the weird abilities you can get out of them as well. Even not-so-practical Stand abilities are solid party tricks. Well, except for the ones that get you killed. I'd probably not be so stoked about having that kind of Stand.**

 **After watching JoJo episode 7, I have to agree. David Pro made something magical with the torture dance.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: December 7, 2018**_


	51. Starboy

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Don't have much to announce this time around aside from the fact that my beta was too busy with finals to get their input on the chapter, so forgive me if the quality is rougher than usual. College is nothing short of brutal this year. But with that in mind, let's get right into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

Come on come on come on! I slammed on the gas pedal, letting the car squeal and roar. A hint of burning rubber entered my nose. I ignored it. There's no way Mercury's trap is strong enough to hold back a sports car and a Bullhead at once! We can't let this happen. I gritted my teeth, gripping the wheel harder. We have to be able to get out of here somehow!

Strained grunts and screams of frustration behind me filled the air. Doesn't seem like Ruby and the others are having much more luck getting out than me. Ruby in particular was covered in the webbing. She tried breaking her body down, but her petals kept getting caught. Even she can't escape.

I gritted my teeth. Gods, just when we're right on track to catching Cinder… Mercury had to come along and trap us. Was it a stroke of bad luck? Was he was here the whole entire time, waiting until he realized Miltia and Melanie failed before jumping in? Ruby promised that no harm would come to them or Junior's men… What would've happened if he didn't catch us here?

It doesn't matter. He caught us. I yanked against the tangled string, only to feel it pull tighter around me. Agh! I loosened up. Okay… Think, Jaune. Think. I can still move a bit, although it's sluggish. Fast, jerky movements will keep me locked. But I can move my feet and my fingers. I lifted my arm. It felt like moving through molasses, but I can still move. Maybe… I reached for the door handle. If I move slow enough without Mercury noticing—

Buckshot decimated the handle. What the— I yelped.

"Whoops," Mercury called out. "My bad. These things and their hair triggers." He tapped his boots and grinned. "It would be a shame if there was, oh, I don't know, an accident with these things and you guys. So relax." He rested his head on the palm of his hand. "It'll all be over soon."

I gritted my teeth. Not good. Not good at all. I glanced over at the boy, who had his full attention swinging the Bullhead around in the air. He said before that he's just going to watch us. He's trying to keep us from interfering with Cinder's plan. She wants as many people alive as possible for her plan to summon Salem. Which means Mercury has to hold back. He's not going to risk hurting any of us, unless he wants to deal with an angry Cinder.

Mercury twirled his finger around, yawning as the Bullhead tipped around. He gave us a quick glance once in a while, but he kept his attention on the aircraft. I furrowed my eyebrows. Wait a minute… He's getting lazy. Mercury's thinking that we have no way to get away. If that's the case… we can do something to get out.

Ruby must've realized this as well, as she stopped struggling in her seat. She pulled out her scroll and Crescent Rose, resting her sniper rifle against the trunk. Ruby chambered a round before handing her weapon to Blake. "Blake. When I give you the signal, do your best to get Mercury to call back his Stand. Jaune, get ready to make a break for it."

I nodded, gripping the wheel of the sports car tighter. It shouldn't be that hard to drive a car. I've played Split Drift at the arcade before. Driving has to work just like that, but with an actual car… I hope. I shook my head. Let's not overthink this. Just drive out of Mercury's range, and I can switch out with Yang. All I have to do is wait for the signal.

Nolan's voice appeared from her speakers. " _Ruby? Really bad time to call us. Somebody's hooked themselves to the Bullhead, and we're stuck tight. We can't really help you right now._ "

"That's fine," she responded. "We're stuck as well. We're changing the plan. When you guys get out, fly back to Beacon and get reinforcements. Don't go to Fenix Hall. Tell the Headmaster about everything going on. The rest of us will make our way over there."

" _Huh? Why?_ "

"Everyone is caught by a Stand user. He's trying to stop anyone heading towards Fenix Hall. And something tells me that the rest of the enemy Stand users are there, waiting to attack. We're going to need everyone we can to break through."

" _But what about you guys?_ "

"We'll push forwards as best as we can. Draw attention, tire them out, buy time for everyone else." Ruby pressed her lips into a thin line. "We'll be okay, Nolan. Trust us."

The man on the other side of the speaker sighed. " _Alright. But quick question: how in the world are we going to get out? We can't even see what's holding us back!_ "

The girl smiled. "But _I_ can. There are these silk-like threads attached to the Bullhead engines. That's why you guys can move around, but only a bit."

Gwen groaned over the call. " _Oh, for— That's it? We could've been out of here a long time ago! So, Ruby. When should we go?_ "

"Now," she responded. "Do it now."

" _My pleasure._ " Off in the distance, I could make out pale purple arms reaching out and slapping the left engine.

The Bullhead jerked in the air, drifting right with its newfound freedom. The boy in gray jerked himself up to his feet. "What the—" He yanked his fist around. "How'd they get out?"

Before he could act, Ruby squeezed Blake's shoulder. Crescent Rose barked, spitting out two rounds. "No!" Mercury curled up, legs towards us. It didn't matter. The two rounds slammed into Mercury's torso and leg respectively, causing him to wheeze and drop to the floor.

I felt the binds around me starting to fade. "Jaune!" Ruby yelled. "Now!"

The car roared to life, speeding away from the bar. I swallowed as I kept driving forwards. Hey, driving's a lot easier than I thought. It's almost like I've been driving cars all my life. Maybe I'm a genius at driving? Or maybe it's the fear of crashing this car that's helping me pick up driving fast. I shook my head. Can't really worry about that right now. The speedometer kept climbing. We need to get out of here, and fast.

Ruby let out a sigh as we rounded the corner and drove onwards. "Whew… We definitely got lucky there." I heard the sounds of rustling in the back. "You good, Nolan?"

" _Yeah. We're free. We already told the pilot to fly back to Beacon._ "

"That's good." She let out a relieved sigh. "We'll see you over at Fenix Hall with the others." I heard the call end before Ruby sat back in her seat. "Nice shot, Blake. I don't think that's going to stop Mercury from going after us, but that should give us enough space to escape. There's no way he's going to catch up to us."

Yang nodded next to me. "Yup. It's a good thing we lucked out." She pulled out her scroll and opened up the navigation app. "But off we go! Next stop: Fenix Hall!"

Everyone else gave sounds of agreement… all except for Weiss. She let out a long hum of contemplation. I glanced up at the rear-view mirror. Ruby shifted in her seat. "Hey, Weiss? What's up? Is everything okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I guess." I heard the sound of something tapping against a cheek. "It's just… I don't know, something feels a bit… off. We managed to escape for sure, but I don't think that's going to be the last we'll see of him."

I bit my lip, thinking about it as I rounded another corner. I mean… Weiss isn't wrong. We'll have to fight him eventually. We just pushed it off. But at the same time, I think we can handle him with a few well-placed traps. Maybe we won't have to deal with him at all, if Blake got lucky with her bullet placements.

"Ehh…" Yang shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think he's out for the count, but I don't think he'll be fighting, either. We can knock him out or something once we run into him—"

"That's not what I meant." That caught my attention. What? The girl continued, "When Blake shoot Mercury, he did the oddest thing. Most people would throw themselves to the ground or run to cover. Mercury chose to curl into a ball." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Don't you think that's a weird thing to do?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "I mean… Mercury has always been a bit of an oddball person. Always doing weird stuff like sniffing shoe leather and whatnot. Maybe his normal reaction to getting shot isn't what most people would do?"

Blake let out a hum. "Now that I think about it… there was something off." Her bow twitched. "I'm sure the torso shot got him. But the shot to the leg… it didn't make a 'squishing' sound that you would expect from a bullet hitting flesh. No, it was more metallic, like smacking a Bullhead or something. I initially dismissed it as me hitting his scroll or something."

"But my bullets are rated to punch through a centimeter of metal," Ruby muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"Exactly. Scrolls might be bullet-resistant, but they shouldn't be able to take a hit from a sniper bullet, especially the ones Ruby's using." Blake rubbed the back of her neck. "It's almost if he had some kind of defense built within his legs—" She let out a yip, turning her head. "What was that?"

"Huh?" I asked. "What was what?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Yang shrugged. "We can't exactly hear anything, Blakey. We don't have ears like you."

"Oh, right." Blake clicked her tongue. "But I hear footsteps. Quick, nimble ones, like somebody running. Wait.." We sat silent, me driving forwards as we let Blake do her thing. "Hmm… Definitely footsteps. Whatever this thing is, it's walking on two feet. So it can't be any type of Grimm in the area. … The footsteps are mechanical, though."

"Maybe a Paladin?" Ruby asked.

The cat Faunus shook her head. "Can't be. You guys would feel the rumbles if you didn't hear the loud stomping. No, this is a lot smaller. I want to say an Atlesian Knight, but that's impossible. There shouldn't be any of those roaming around this area—"

Something, or someone just appeared around the corner. My eyes widened at the sight. No way… he couldn't have caught up to us that quickly! But there's no denying the sight behind us.

Mercury grimaced, sprinting towards us… and actually keeping pace with us. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang shrieked at the sight of the boy. Blake's jaw dropped. "But… how? There's no way he could've recovered that fast." But her denial doesn't change the fact in front of— behind us: Mercury is up and running sooner than he should be.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled. "Go faster!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" I stomped on the gas pedal. Moments later, I felt something hit us from behind. Despite the engine roaring louder than ever, we weren't moving any faster. What the— I glanced at the rear-view window. My eyes widened at the sight of one thick strand of silk stuck to the back of the car. Mercury had his arm extended, the silk extending from his hand. What the— He got us? Oh gods, how do we escape—

We all yelped in surprise when he jerked his arm back, pulling us back just a bit while launching him into the air. The boot guns shot him forwards. "Oh, that's it!" Yang got up from her seat and released Ember Celica. "Take this!"

The boy smirked, again curling behind his legs right as the shotgun gauntlet roared. The blast itself blew through his pants, ripping them to shreds. The blast did knock him back a bit, stopping his forward progress. But he extended himself out, grin still on his face. "You were saying?"

My jaw dropped. There was a bloody hole in the Mercury's shirt where Blake's bullet went through. Despite the fact that he was drifting further away, I can definitely see the partially healed gunshot wound. But that's really it. There aren't any wounds on him. My eyes wandered towards his limbs. His legs… His pants were in tatters, revealing the limbs underneath. Or more accurately, the lack of regular limbs. Two mechanical legs were attached where flesh would normally be. Aside from the scratched up paint and the dent where the sniper bullet and buckshot landed, it was almost as if Mercury was never shot.

He landed on the ground with a roll and continued forwards. I stared in horror as the mechanical pistons for legs pumped and strained to their limits. Every step Mercury took helped him gain ground. He has prosthetics… Oh my gods. He knew he was never going to get hurt from it in the first place. The fact that he basically has a shield to protect himself with his Stand out… That sent shivers down my spine.

"Hey!" Mercury yelled from the distance. "Good shot back there! Too bad that it didn't really matter!" Yang gritted her teeth and curled her hand into fists while Blake hissed. The boy continued, "You know, I like the fact that you guys managed to escape! Means that I get more to do than just watch you guys struggle at your bindings for gods know how long?"

A figure appeared behind the boy in gray, revealing **「** **STARBOY** **」** to us for the first time. The masculine Stand reminded me of comic book superheroes. For one thing, the Stand wore a checkered unitard alternating between light gray and dark gray tiles. Black accents outlined the muscular yet lean physique of the Stand. It wore a full head mask over its head; however, unlike the sleek and tight-fitting unitard, this mask was blocky and unrefined, like a machine. Instead of a face, **「** **STARBOY** **」** has dials and gauges for their eyes, while knobs and buttons formed the mouth and nose, respectively. Its arms had what looked to be cobwebs connecting it with the torso.

Mercury gave us another smile as he kept pace with us. "Hey, I know we're supposed to be against each other, with you trying to stop Cinder and all that. But how about we parley for a bit?"

"You mean talk?" Ruby yelled. "Why would you think we'd talk to you?"

"I don't know." Mercury gave us a shrug. "I kinda like chasing after you guys and stopping everyone in their tracks, after all. Thought I should offer you guys some way to surrender, since well… I still have this job to do. Just business, you get me?"

"What? No." Ruby frowned. "Even if we wanted to sit down and talk to you, we're not going to stop and waste time talking about whatever you want to talk about!"

"Oof. Whelp, there goes the peaceful option." The boy threw his hands up again, still keeping pace with our car. "Thanks for the excuse. So… let's stop this charade get to the fun part, shall we?" Several more strands appeared from his hands, sticking to the back of the car. My heart skipped a beat as the indicator started going down. I cleared my throat. "Hey guys, we really need to do something about this!"

"On it!" Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster. A wall of ice formed behind us not a second later. I let out a shout as the wall started rising, the back of the car rising with it. The heiress let out a gasp. "What the—"

"Weiss! Break the wall!" Yang screamed. "Break it!" The white-haired girl nodded, firing a fireball into the wall and melting the ice away right as Mercury fired his boot guns. He disappeared in a wave of steam that even washed over us. I flicked the headlight on and kept driving forwards, heart pounding in anticipation. Our speed's picking back up, but from the looks of it, the strands are still connected to the car. We emerged from the cloud of steam. He's not appearing behind us… did we get lucky and hit him with the fireball?

"Is he still back there?" I called out. He has to be planning something. Otherwise, the thread shouldn't be there in the first place. But now the question remains: what could his plan be? What could he have done to escape this situation? I blinked as I glanced at the mirror. Wait a minute… The strands are angled upwards into the skies. That makes no sense… that means that Mercury must be in the air. But he shouldn't be able to. There's no way he's in the air—

"Hey, missed me?" I can feel all of our hearts drop as Mercury appeared from the steam cloud, a grating smirk still on his face. His hands were at his shoulders, holding up a massive parachute made from his own silk. "Yeah, decided to give my legs a bit of a break. Don't worry, you haven't left me behind at all!" I let out an audible groan. Oh my gods…

"Nope!" Ruby propped Crescent Rose against the trunk of the car, firing round after round at him. Blake and Yang joined their team leader, doing everything they can to shoot at either the flying boy or the parachute carrying him. Mercury didn't even blink, swinging himself to and fro while descending towards us. Despite RWBY's best effort, the boy managed to weave through the Dust rounds and kept his pursuit. And even the shots hitting the parachute failed to do anything, just smacking against the supernatural fabric before dropping uselessly to the ground.

I bit my lip as the car started slowing down again. I need to do something and lose Mercury. My eyes flew over to Yang's forgotten scroll. We're making a bit of progress, but we're nowhere close to our destination. At this rate, we are not going to make it to Fenix Hall in time if we let Mercury continue this. Hell, it's probably going to be over if Mercury manages to stop us in our tracks. There's no way he's going to let us out of his watch if he traps us again, and well… I don't think we have the time to attempt to escape the second time through.

What to do, what to do… My eyes lit up at the sight of some of the alleyways. Most of the time, people use alleyways to park their cars and whatnot. But their narrowness… we can probably smack Mercury around and make it hard for him to use his parachute. From the looks of it, he has to stay within ten meters from us in order to add more strands. He can't possibly be more than five meters off the ground. He's definitely not clearing the second-story buildings around us. It just might work…

But can I actually pull off the maneuver? I bit my lip. I've only driven a car for a few minutes ago. I don't know any maneuvers or techniques for driving like Spruce Willis. Even if I got lucky in figuring out how to drive a car, this has to be advanced skills that only race car drivers know how to do. I can feel my palms start to get sweaty. _Can_ I pull it off?

I grabbed the emergency brakes. There's only one way to find out— Wait a minute… how did I know to grab the emergency brakes for this? I've never driven a car, but it just feels… right. Like my muscles are just doing what feels the most natural… The only time I've ever experienced being in a car was all the way back when Ruby and I fought against… **「** **CORNERSTONE.** **」**

My eyes widened. Now that I think about it… this feels a lot like how Neo would normally drive. Could it be… could it be that **「** **CORNERSTONE** **」** can possibly impart muscle memory? I don't know if there's any proof of that… but I have to bet on that. I slammed on the gas pedal, pushing the car to its absolute limits.

"Everyone, hang on!" Before anyone could respond, I yanked the emergency brakes up and jerked the wheel right. The wheels skidded across the ground, sending the car into a drift. All of team RWBY yelled and screeched, followed by the sounds of bodies slamming into each other. But the car managed to squeeze right into the alleyway. With a firm push, the emergency brakes were off again.

Behind us, I heard a loud smack, followed by an 'oof' from Mercury. The rear-view mirror revealed him spinning in the air as he attempted to orientate himself. I gripped the wheel even tighter. Not today. A sharp left pulled us out of the alleyway, followed by a right turn into another alleyway. I started getting into a pattern: weave through alleyways and smack Mercury around while still driving in the direction of Fenix Hall. It's a little annoying having the navigation app constantly update the path.

But at the same time, it's real satisfying hearing the grunts and curses from the boy smacking against walls. At this point, he basically kept himself tucked behind his legs while the rest of RWBY continued to shoot at him. No one's really made any serious moves yet. RWBY hasn't landed a solid hit on him yet, but at the same time… Mercury can't fight back against us. And well… at least we're still moving towards Cinder.

After another round of barrages, a stray bullet finally struck Mercury's hand. It was enough to send Mercury careening towards the ground. My heart started pumping watching him dipped further towards the ground. Feelings of hope surged through me. Come on, Mercury… either you abandon the parachute and give up your advantage, or you skid against the ground. We win either way. What are you going to do?

Mercury yanked his unharmed hand down, leveling the parachute. Wait, what— His boots spat buckshot at the ground, launching him into the skies and past the roofs. All the girls let out groans and cries of horror. I kept my eyes on the road, gritting my teeth. Oh, come on! Why won't he let go? I mean, this is better than before. But this is not what we wanted.

We're not going to get rid of him at this rate. We need to change the plan. And I think I have something to work with.

I turned into a straightaway, the one that lead straight towards Fenix Hall. "Everyone, I have an idea." I kept throttling the speed of the car. "We're not going to shake off Mercury while we're in the car. So this is what I'm thinking: we make a beeline for Fenix Hall. The moment we get there, you guys jump out and make a break for the building. I'll turn the car around, launch it away from the building, then jump out. That should take Mercury by surprise."

"But what about you, Jaune?" Ruby asked. "How are you going to get away from Mercury?"

A silence enveloped us, the only sound coming from the roaring engine of the car. "Don't worry about that," I finally answered, swallowing. "If it works better than I think, I'm not going to have any troubles getting to the building. But if Mercury does catch up to me… I'm going to hold him off and buy you as much time as I possibly can."

"What? You're planning on going against Mercury alone?" My fellow team leader let out a long sigh. "Jaune, he managed to restrain all of us by himself. You're going to die if you fight him by yourself!"

"I don't think so." My mind went back to when we were trapped. "Think about it. The size of his webs scale based on his target. For us, they're not much different from spider silk, if we were trapped in a lot of it. But for the car and for the Bullhead, they were thick like steel cables. You'd think he'd restrain us with the thick webbing if he could make it. But he didn't. He had to use the spider-like thread." I sighed. "I don't think it's as lopsided as we originally thought. I'm not saying it's not dangerous. But there's a chance. We can't afford to have everybody fight against Mercury. Me going alone means more people for the Stand users inside."

"Hmm…" Ruby still didn't look convinced. "I mean… I guess." She balled her fists up and shook her head. "Gods, I wished we didn't have to do this. But this is probably the best plan we have." She sighed. "Do it. Weiss, get your glyphs ready."

"Got it."

"Blake, Yang, you're going to distract Mercury while Weiss prepares the glyphs." Ruby fired another round at Mercury, which he dodged by running against the side of one of the buildings. I glanced at the navigation app once more. We should be there within a few minutes. We just need to keep driving straight and we'll be there— Wait a minute. Some distant white object is blocking the road. What in the world? What is it doing there?

I narrowed my eyes. It's metallic, and it has this dull shine from here… it looks like something Atlas would put up, but I thought there was only supposed to be barricades around the breaches. There's no way they've already started to set up another set of barricades— My eyes widened when I managed to spot a few Atlesian soldiers on top of the formation.

"Oh gods!" I yelled. "Barricade ahead!" Everybody turned to look at the approaching quarantine gate, only to let out groans and cries of their own. It's definitely one of the ones they managed to set up to isolate and wipe the Historical District free from Grimm. It's helpful to have for when we take back the city, but we can't stop for this barricade. Not with Mercury still hanging on to our car. I bit my lip. Cinder must've gotten past this barricade somewhere. Maybe she took an alternate route or something. I glanced at Yang's scroll. But again, we don't have the time to search for that opening with Mercury on our trail.

There's only one thing we _can_ do. Drive forwards. "Guys! Crazy plan, but we're going to need to jump over this barricade."

"What?" Weiss yelled. "How are we going to do that?"

I tightened my grip on the wheel. "Get your Stand out. Same thing for Blake and Yang. Ruby, hand me one of your empty magazines." Everyone's eyes started widening as they picked up the insane plan in my head. Man… the fact that we can figure out a plan like that without saying anything is just… it's a bit sad, to be honest. It's not like I care at the moment. Ruby's magazine grew heavier the moment she plopped it into my hand. We can think about that when we make it out alive.

The magazine plopped against the gas pedal, keeping it pressed down. Meanwhile, I unbuckled myself and turned around, watching **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** rip out the backing for the passenger's seat while **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** created a crude jet nozzle: purple and red Dust surrounded and contained within a cone of orange Dust. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** was out, its hand resting against the trunk of the car. As for Ruby, she broke herself down and reformed herself around the seat, creating guardrails and such out of her own body.

Ooh… I winced at the sight of our improvised work. This is going to be a tight fit. Ruby and Blake don't technically have to sit on the seat, but still… three people on one passenger seat doesn't sound like a good time. But well… it's all we got. The three Stand users who couldn't transform got into our pod. I bit my lips. I really, really hope this works.

Mercury saw what we were doing, and moved to get closer to us. But despite all his efforts, a barrage of Gambol Shroud bullets kept him back. Blake merged into the seat, keeping only her gun hand stuck out for Mercury. I waved at the Atlesians standing in front of the barricade. "Hey! Get out the way!" I repeated the words again, with similar effect. They only noticed when I yelled at them the third time, diving out the way before we could hit them.

Ruby took a deep breath. "Blake, Yang, now!"

 **「SANDE MOUNTAINS」** smacked the car down into the ground, causing it to disappear into a drawing before diving into the ground with it. It kept its speed, zooming through the ground and over the surface of the barricade. Mercury let out a shout of his own as he stopped picking up speed and drifted through the air, with only momentum carrying him.

As for the rest of us, we exploded into the air with the snap of **「ETERNAL FLAME.」** The Dust within the cone ignited, sending us flying in the air. The soldiers below us looked up and gasped at the sight of us. Even Mercury's jaw dropped at the sight of us launching ourselves in the air. My stomach churned with the takeoff. Oop— Keep it together, Jaune! You can't lose it now! Just hold on for a little bit longer. We'll be down from here soon.

Unlike me, Mercury recovered from our stunt. With a swing up, he fired his weapons into his parachute, launching him even higher up into the air. We all paled as every backflip sent him sailing towards us. Oh gods. We can't let him get us while we're still in the air.

Yang stood up, facing the approaching boy. She snatched the Ruby railing with one hand, curling her hand up with the other. With a pump of the fist, Yang sent buckshot flying into the parachute while launching us forwards. Mercury shook on impact. The parachute didn't rip, but the blows were enough to slow Mercury's forward momentum. He gritted his teeth. Before he could flip over again, Gambol Shroud barked several times, forcing him behind his legs yet again.

"Everyone!" Weiss yelled. I turned to face her. "I can see the car!" I peered down. Sure enough, we were past the barricade. The 2D image of Roman's car was a distance away from us, picking up speed now that Mercury's no longer attached to us. … Oh gods. We didn't keep that in consideration, did we?

 **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** flew down to the cone and attempted to add more Dust. It's not going to be too helpful if we actually want to get back to the car. We're going to crash attempting to land a rocket into a speeding car. And I don't think that we can make it to Fenix Hall in this thing. But what _can_ we do? Every second we spend still in the air is a second the car gets further away from us. Come on… what to do, what to do… My eyes lit up on Ruby.

"Ruby, let me borrow a finger!" She couldn't respond, but a few petals flew into my hand, reforming into the top half of her pinky. I had to fight to keep the contents of my stomach. "Blake, pull the car up!" The cherry-red sports car roared to life as it emerged from the ground. I locked my sights onto the vehicle. Focus, Jaune… I increased the density of the finger as I aimed it towards the speeding car. You don't have a lot of chances to get this right… I took in a deep breath and launched the finger forwards.

Thank gods my shot was true. Ruby's finger embedded itself into the trunk of the car. The guardrail disappeared into a shower of petals a moment later, forming a thin rope between the car and our contraption. Ruby's mouth appeared at the base of the seat. "I got it! Everybody hold on!" Before anyone could say anything else, the rope started pulsing. Like a speedy worm, Ruby pulled her body closer and closer to the car, dragging us along with her.

As soon as we were able to jump, everyone did so, flinging ourselves back into the car. And with a burst of rose petals, the passenger seat was released, tumbling away from us.

But we can't rest easy just yet. I pulled myself back into the driver's seat, throwing Ruby's magazine out before retaking control of the wheels. A glance at the rear-view mirror shows Mercury firing blast after blast into his parachute in the hopes of catching up to us. While he isn't getting close enough to hit us with his threads, and in fact, he is losing some ground, he _is_ still close enough to still be hot on our trails.

I glanced up. I can already see the flag of Vale flying high in the air. It's not going to be long until we reach Fenix Hall. But in the same vein, that also means that we couldn't shake Mercury. We're not going to lose him at this rate. But at this point, that's okay.

The sounds of Weiss's glyphs forming reached my ears. "Alright guys," I called out as we drove into the gates. "We're here! Do whatever you can to stop Cinder, I'm going to hold off Mercury as long as I can!" I skidded to a halt. "Go!" Four rings marked the launch of team RWBY into the city hall. I let out a sigh, jumping out of the car. Good luck guys.

My eyes flew up to the skies as Mercury glided into the area. Alright, Jaune. I yanked Crocea Mors out from its scabbard and popped the shield out. At the same time, I slammed my foot into the ground, cracking it and forming little pieces of rubble. They grew denser under my foot. You got this.

With a scream, I kicked them up into the air, creating a wall of flying rubble for Mercury to past through. Instead of panicking or getting knocked back, Mercury released his parachute and tucked himself in. As he passed through the wave, **「** **STARBOY** **」** appeared behind him. He flicked a thick strand at the flagpole and stuck it to the pole. My eyes widened at the sight of him swinging down towards me. He fired his boots to increase the speed. Oh gods— I widened my stance, held my shield up, and willed **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** to increase my density as fast as it possibly can.

The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang through the pavilion as Mercury landed a kick straight to my shield. Despite cracking the ground and sinking me a bit into it, he failed to knock me back. The smug smile on his face became a frown of confusion. "What—"

I swung around and jabbed him in the chest before he could finish his statement. It slid right across his ribs, sending a spray a blood over us. Crimson dripped onto concrete. I shoved him off, watching him tumble across the ground before he recovered. Gray Aura enveloped him.

"Huh… not bad. Not bad at all." Mercury nodded his head. "You're more resilient than I thought. Who knew someone infamous for sucking hard earlier in the year can do this?" A smile grew on his face as he wiped away the blood. "I know I'm supposed to keep your teammates and you away from Cinder, but screw that. Emi can take care of them, no problem. I think fighting you is going to be way more fun." He brought his Stand out again before taking a boxer's stance. "So, you ready to dance?"

Before I could give him an answer, he flung himself to my left, swinging his foot right at my head. I blocked his blow instantly, but he managed to back away from me before I can retaliate. **「** **STARBOY** **」** flew in from there, fists raised and ready to deliver a beating. Not too bad. I can take it. I moved my shield arm, only for it to move more sluggishly. Huh? What the—

The Stand bashed me right in the face before I could think about it any further. Ow! I pulled the shield closer to me right as the Stand rush started. Oh gods! I gritted my teeth, brushing the blood dripping from my nose. My body isn't responding as fast as I need it to. My eyes widened. No… Already? I looked at my shield arm. Strands of webbing stuck to me.

Oh, that's not good. Not good at all. I can't react as fast to his attacks. And Mercury's a fast fighter. It won't be long before he overwhelms me. I gritted my teeth. I need to stop him somehow. But how can I do that if he can move faster than I can react to?

My eyes went back to my equipment. Wait a minute… The strands are just around my body. There aren't any on my shield or my sword. If that's the case… my eyes widened. I don't like this idea at all. There's no way this can work. But it's the only thing I can put my hope in. I held Crocea Mors up before increasing its density. I'm not going to swing it… gravity will.

I glanced at Mercury's robotic legs. I have to take those out. Those legs are giving me the most problems, especially with how he zips around the area. If I can take them out, then I can get my chance. I only have one chance at this. If I mess this up, I don't think I'll get another one. The boy rushed at me, swinging his leg in a wide angle. I need to make this one swing count. I need to make sure I hit him no matter what.

My shield reformed into a sheath, letting Mercury's boot fly past and slam into my side with a crackle and a crunch. Agh! I wheezed air, pulling my arms towards my torso. Mercury flinched at my sudden grip. His eyes widened in shock, his grin ever so slightly wavering. I wrapped my arm tighter around his robotic limb, flashing him a grin of my own.

He grabbed at my sword hand and attempted to wrestle Crocea Mors away, but by then it was already too late. He flopped over, his density shooting up. I shoved him to the ground, and he collapsed with little effort. Whew… that was a close one. I circled around, taking care to avoid the barrel of his boot guns. He grunted, trying to push himself up. It was useless. He won't get up in time. I brought my sword up, flat first. Mercury's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon. It's over.

As I let Crocea Mors swung down, two things happened: one, his Stand flew out to catch the weapon. Mercury's hands spewed out blood as two gashes formed: one on his palm, and one close to the tips of his fingers. The other thing that happened was that Mercury's leg twisted around, popping his knee joint and revealing the gun barrel underneath. Oh gods—

I threw myself to the side, but the buckshot caught me straight through the chest, ripping through my armor and torso. My eyes widened. Oh gods… I hacked out a glob of blood as I fell to the ground. **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** disappeared, allowing my Aura to take over. It's not in danger of breaking. But something tells me that won't last for long. A pool of blood flowed into my eyesight, followed with my head growing lighter and it growing harder to breathe. That's a lot of blood. I think he got my heart and lungs. It feels like I'm drowning… If I lose consciousness right here… it's over. My eyes started to droop. Stay… awake. Come on, Aura. Hurry up…

The boy stood up, eyes wide with shock at what must've been a near-death experience for him. He stood over my body. "Well…" he finally spoke. "My gods. You got pretty close there." Mercury let out a nervous laughter. "I thought I was a goner there. But no dice. You were fun. Made me worried for my own life. I wonder if I'll feel that again." He sighed and shook his head. "Wish I could put you out of your misery. But like Cinder said, no more deaths by our hands. So I guess it's goodbye, then."

My fingers gripped my scroll and fingered a single button. I brought **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」** out again, my body already convulsing at the feeling of drowning in my own blood. Focus… I reduced the volume of the scroll, took aim, and fired. It managed to break through, lodging itself in one of its grooves.

"Hmm?" Mercury turned to look at me. "You don't have to do anything, anymore. You've failed. I'm going back in there and stopping the rest of your friends. And you won't stop me."

"Weren't you my friend, Mercury? And weren't you friends with team RWBY? They were your friends as well." I shoved a finger down my throat, vomiting blood in my lungs out onto the pavement. He winced at the sight. I grabbed my sword and stabbed it into the ground. "Don't you care if we're gone? That you have to fight us for Cinder's own goals?"

"That's the funny thing about people like me: I can't afford to care about everything I love." He rubbed his face, letting out an exasperated sigh. "It's all business. Just like you're fighting me to save what's left of Vale, I'm fighting for what Cinder wants. They are goals contrary to how we actually feel. Nothing more. It's sad that it had to end this way, but well… that's the job."

"Just the job?" At this point, I managed to pull myself upright and allowed my Aura to take over. "You are responsible for so many dead people during the attack. You're going to be responsible for the deaths Cinder will bring if she succeeds. And the people going to die are your friends!"

"And you think I don't realize that?" Mercury's grin at this point completely disappeared, becoming a growl. "Do you think I follow Cinder because I believe in her words? No! I follow her because she gives me something to do, some way to make myself useful. Before her, I didn't know whether or not I'll simply be following the motions of life, allowing myself to not care about myself. But after being with her… I don't know if I can go back to normal life. I don't know if I'll _ever_ find a reason to care! There's nothing for me!"

"There is. You just haven't found it yet." The whistles of the rocket locker became audible. Mercury noticed it immediately. He let out a yelp and dived over; however, it was too late. The metallic box slammed down hard on his legs, pinning him down to the floor. No matter how much he struggled and cursed, it was no use. He couldn't pull himself out. I staggered over to Mercury, sadness filling my heart. Either that or it was blood leaking out. I stopped right over his body. He looked into my eyes, fear dancing in his.

"Jaune…" Mercury swallowed. "I—"

I smacked him in the head, knocking him out cold. "I'm sorry. Mercury… We're not going to fall into despair. We'll come for you. I promise." I wished I had more to say to him. But I don't have time to.

I stumbled towards the entrance. It's going to take a while to get back to the others. But they're going to need me. I'm going to be there for them, no matter what. My eyes started drooping. I staggered. My vision grew dark. They… need me. My knees buckled. Keep… going… Jaune. I reached for the entrance. Keep… going…

* * *

"Did you find anyone in that room, Ruby?"

"Nope!" I slammed the door shut, rubbing the base of my chin. The inside of the building wasn't anything like I was expecting. It was just an office building with a lot of corridors. It made this place a maze to walk through, let alone search for. If that's the reason why Cinder chose this place to hide, then she made a great choice. It made searching this building a hassle, even with my Semblance. And worst of all, the first floor's a bust. We're going to need to go up if we want to find Cinder.

I could hear the sounds of feet pounding against the floor as we ran through the corridor. Cinder needs some sort of frame to activate Amber's ability, if what Qrow said was right. Maybe she's using a picture frame or a door frame to get Amber's ability to work. I pressed my lips into a fine line. I really hope Cinder is in one of the rooms. If she's on the roof… oh boy.

And that's not counting the Stand users in here. At least Emerald, Cinder, and the captured Amber has to be here. That's… probably it, now that I think about it. But still, they have the advantage in here. With how maze-like this place is, this is a trap waiting to happen. All while we're looking for Cinder and doing something to stop the ritual.

We skidded to a halt at the sight of the staircase. Sitting on the steps was Emerald, with both of her revolver scythes out. "Hey," she called out, keeping her eyes on the wall across from her.

"Emerald." I stepped forwards, my hand twitching for my gun. "We don't want to fight you. Just let us past—"

She jerked the weapon up, causing everyone to tense up. "No. I won't let you." Emerald got up to her feet, keeping her guns trained on us. "You don't understand what you're trying to stop. This will help everybody." Emerald cocked her gun. "Cinder will succeed. She will make our lives better." She stared straight at us. "And I won't let you guys stop her."

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 12/21/2018**

* * *

 **Ozpin's Bizarre Adventure - Act 4**

The library we sat in morphed around the four of us. Before I knew it, I found myself sitting in my old living room, flipping through a newspaper with a yawn. "Peace Treaty Signed at Vytal Two Years After Historic Battle!" the front page read. Ah. I remember this day. The anniversary of the Battle of Vacuo. The final battle that lead to a complete ceasefire.

I glanced at the cover image of leaders shaking hands. It was a long time coming. Vacuo might've been the end of the war, but the Grimm don't wait for anyone. Activity spikes in every Kingdom except for Vale. Aggressive Grimm activity meant no peace until each Kingdom got itself under control. After the decade-long war we fought, I'm glad that Remnant finally came back together.

"Hey," Sarah whispered to me, giving me a kiss from behind before rubbing her chin through my dark hair. I turned around. In true Sarah fashion, she switched up her hair bun yet again. This time, it's a curly messy topknot. I think it suits well just fine. In her arms was Curi, asleep with that ever-present smile on his face. Our baby boy. He let out a gurgle, waving his little fist at me before grasping for my glasses. I smiled. His eyes definitely remind me of his mother's.

I let him grab my finger instead. "Hi, Curi." He shook it a bit, cooing at the sight of it moving. "Oop! You got my finger!" I shook his hand, chuckling all the meanwhile. "You got Daddy's finger, huh? You caught Daddy, did you?" That got Curi to giggle, laughing with me. Sarah joined in, rocking our child along with me.

"Ozzy," Sarah sighed. "It's so nice, living this quiet life." Her smile dropped. "I wonder how long we'll have this for."

"Don't worry." I pulled her to my side. "If this goes well, we'll have this forever. There's only one thing we need to do to secure peace."

"I know, I know." Sarah stroked Curi's hair, eyes downtrodden. "I really hope so. Curi doesn't deserve the world we lived through."

"And he won't see a world like that again. We'll make sure of that."

Several knocks interrupted me. "Oh, it's probably the others," I said, pulling my finger away. "I'll get the door."

Two men stood in front of me when I pulled it open. The blond man gave me a quick wave. "Good morning, Osmond. It's been a long time."

"Nicholas! Jojo!" I gave both of them a quick handshake and pat on the back. "Yes, it's been far too long. When was the last time we've seen each other? The celebratory parade after the ceasefire?"

The giant of a man nodded. "I believe so. It's the same day as when you proposed to Sarah, if I remember correctly."

"That's right, that's right." I let out a long sigh. "Almost two whole years ago. Time really flies. It feels like we haven't gotten to talk in forever."

"You were on the phone with them last week," Sarah called out. "And you met up with Jojo two weeks ago."

"Those were for business! It's not quite the same!." I smiled at both of them. "But I'm sure that none of us want to stand out here and talk. Come in, come in. I'll get you all something to drink. It's way too early in the morning to be awake."

"It's ten in the morning," Sarah called out yet again.

"And I can use a pick-me-up. Something to bookend a thirty-minute drive." Jojo gave me a nod, a small smile on his face. "Do you have coffee?"

"Of course."

The two of them quickly got situated in the living room as I went behind the counter and started the coffee machine. Jojo smiled at the sight of my boy. "You have a beautiful child."

"Thank you," my wife grinned. "Curi's ten months old by now, and trust me, he's been a handful. Unlike his father, he's very active. You know, he actually—"

Talk about Curi continued until the coffee was brewed. I passed out a few cups of coffee before sitting down next to my family. "So," I started. "How have you all been?"

Nicholas sat up. "Well, remember when I was talking about that woman I met after the war? Lisbeth?" We nodded. "Well, we finally decided to tie the knot." He held up his hand, revealing a ring. "The marriage is a couple months from now, and you're all invited to the wedding ceremony."

"Oh!" Sarah adjusted Curi in her arms. "Congratulations, Nicholas! I hope the marriage lasts!" A gleam of mischief dotted her eye. "You know… if we're invited, I think it'll be fun going in my uniform—"

"Sergeant…" Nicholas rubbed the base of his nose. "Please don't do that."

Sarah grew strict. "Did I hear back talk from you, Specialist Arc?" He flinched, only getting my wife to laugh. "Just kidding, just kidding! It was just a joke—"

I turned to the other man before Sarah could say more. "Jojo, I remember you mentioning your sweetheart. How is she?"

"Good, good." The man took a sip from his mug. "When I'm not working, I'm spending all my time with Erina. After years of being separated, it only feels right to try and make all that time up."

"Have you thought about proposing to her?"

"It's…" Jojo ran his finger across the mug. "I'm not sure, yet."

"Huh?" I said. That caught everyone's attention. "Why not?"

Jojo rubbed the back of his head, blood rushing to his cheeks. "I know that I love her and I want to be with her forever. But I like to think that I'm married to the job at hand. While I allowed myself to have a relationship with her and I enjoy every moment of it, I don't want to tie the knot with her until we're sure that the Winter Mensis is dead."

The room went from jovial to somber. Ah, that's right. The reason why we all came here. I leaned forward, my face more serious. "I understand, Jojo. The Winter Mensis… has it moved?"

He shook his head. "It's still in the mountains. After checking the moon phases, I can say that it's going to emerge from its hiding place within the week to walk the continent of Vale. This is the perfect opportunity to strike. Positivity has never been better, the Grimm have never been weaker. If we don't attack now, I don't know if there'll be a chance as good as this."

We all nodded, our faces growing serious with every word he's said. "I'll call for a nanny," I said.

Nicholas pressed his lips. "I'll call Lisbeth and tell her I'll be on a business trip."

"Erina is already filled in, and she understands what I need to do." Jojo took another sip before setting the coffee down. "We'll start tonight. I don't know how out of practice you guys are with your Stands, but I'd try to get in some practice before we go. We leave in the evening." We all nodded, everyone else around me standing up.

The world morphed yet again. Before I knew it, I stared headfirst at stone. Heavy pants escaped my mouth as I pushed myself to my feet. A Boarbatusk lie dead at my feet, its head bashed in by my Stand. I cleared my throat and spat out a globule of blood. Gods… This isn't good. My hand pressed against the hole that Boarbatusk gouged out of me. We had so much stacked towards us… How can this be?

I looked up. All four of us were standing next to a giant outcrop that's more hill than rock formation, our Stands beating back the massive wave of Grimm rushing down from its peak. The blood moon floated high above us, full and solid. It gave the otherwise night sky an eerie crimson afterglow. And standing on top of this outcrop was the Winter Mensis itself. The sentient being watched over us with its bulging, malformed eyes, observing the four of us attempt to break through the Grimm avalanche in silence.

To its sides, inky black pools formed an avalanche of land Grimm that is nothing short of overwhelming. Nichola's army and Jojo's powers would carve out small dents at most before the swarm filled it back in. Not even the swarm back in the forest was this dense.

The problem wasn't the rate new Grimm were spawned at… It was the tactics. The Grimm are using them. They made a pseudo phalanx to force Nicholas into a stalemate. For Jojo, they had Nevermore and Ursai attack him in a pincer maneuver, forcing him to concentrate his powers on them instead of the Winter Mensis. And Sarah and I… even with us helping Jojo, we can't make progress. It's only a matter of time before we start slipping.

Exhaustion crept into my bones, into my mind. The others were starting to slip as well. More attacks are needed to kill the same amount of Grimm, we started missing, we aren't hitting as fast. We must be approaching our limit. All of us combined can barely hold back the horde. If one of us breaks, it's over.

I gritted my teeth. Gods… we just need an opportunity. Just a small one. Something we can use to break the stalemate and get the Winter Mensis in range of **「** **HERMIT PURPLE.** **」** I shot a glance at my friend dissolving another creature of Grimm with a well-timed punch. But if there is an opportunity, I don't know how to go at exploiting it. I still have no idea what my Stand ability is, and everyone else is occupied. We need to create that opening ourselves. Maybe… we need to take the risk.

"Jojo!" I yelled. "Use your overdrive! Everyone else will go on the offensive!"

The man nodded, eyes overspilling with pure energy. "Do what you can, Osmond." He threw himself into a pose. "My eyes resonate! This energy's enough to burn! The beat of my blood is razor sharp! Silver Moonlight Overdrive!"

I rushed forwards, immediately covering my eyes. A flash from behind me illuminated the overcrop. It was a sight, running through Grimm as they burned up making contact with Jojo's overwhelming strength. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** immediately slammed its hand through the rock and made the climb upwards, bringing me along with it. A shriek rang from above. I tried glancing in that direction. The Winter Mensis shrunk back in pain, coiling away from the blinding light burning across its skin. Perfect.

"Gotcha!" I yanked up to the surface and snatched what felt like a tentacle. "You're coming with us!" With that, I threw myself off, pulling the tentacle with me and dragging the Winter Mensis down to our level.

That was what was supposed to happen. All of a sudden, I felt the tentacle grow taut. What? Before I could even register that happened, the appendage wrapped itself around my arm.

I heard Sarah cry out, "Osmond!"

The Winter Mensis hoisted me up, throwing me down at its feet with a thud. My vision started seeing double as my head bounced off the ground. What… How— I glanced up at three images of the monster. The rest of its appendages bore deep into the stone. How did it know?

A tentacle swished up, tip sharpening and pointed at me. Or maybe it's multiple. I can't tell anymore… Behind me, I heard hands scrambling up the cliff face. I don't think they'll make it in time. I need to… My vision split in two, only to snap back to one with a sharp ache of my brain. I have to do something… **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** appeared in front of me. There are so many tentacles aimed at me. Which one go I go for? Which are real?

They dove down at me. I just have to swing! **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** threw a punch at the centermost tentacle… only to strike nothing but air. They continued onwards past my Stand, aiming straight for my chest. My eyes flew shut. Please no—

The ugly sound of penetration sounded in front of me. But I didn't feel a thing. Huh? I opened my eyes to see Sarah between me and the Winter Mensis. The spiked tentacle pierced through her heart and ripped through her back, allowing me to see her still beating heart. It slowed down with every second. And the blood… oh my gods, there was so much blood.

"Ozzy…" My wife turned to look at me, giving me a small smile. "I made it…"

I started to tremble. "Sarah…" She saved my life. But my wife… no… She collapsed to her knees. "Sarah!" I shot up to my feet.

"Get the others and run!" I stopped in my tracks, eyes wide. I have to do something. Sarah… she's not going to make it. I need to get her out of here right now, she can't die, she can't leave us! But the writing's on the wall. With the wounds she's sustained, it's a foregone conclusion. Her Aura isn't going to help her in time. Even as I watched her soul start to float out from her body, she managed to summon her Stand. "I'll make sure that this thing never leaves this place. So please, take care of Curi for me, okay?"

"Sarah, don't do this—"

Her Stand reached me in the blink of an eye, nudging me off and sending me tumbling down the hill and back to the ground. I unfortunately hit a couple of Nicholas-es who were attempting to climb up along the way, knocking them down with me. A groan escaped me when I made it back down. One of the Nicholas-es ran up to me. "Osmond!"

 **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** appeared behind me before he could get closer. I'm still seeing double, but that didn't matter to me right now. Right now, I've never felt so scared and so furious in my life. "That sick son of a—"

Jojo managed to snag my hand, forcing me to stop. I looked over to the man. He was lying on the ground, eyes fluttering but otherwise still lucid. "Osmond… what happened?"

"Sarah. I need to get up there as soon as possible, Sarah's going to die!" I yanked myself away from the man and rushed up the cliffside. Even with the other Nicholas-es climbing up and complaining as I barreled through, I didn't stop. I couldn't afford to. I just need to save Sarah, now. Please, gods. Let her be okay.

I looked up the moment I reached the top once more. Sarah's body lay there, her wound sealed up with what looked like a chunk of stone. She looked pale, which contrasted against the giant pool of blood that she laid in. Oh my gods… is she…? I rushed over to her and pressed my ear against her chest. The faintest of heartbeats could be heard. I let out a laugh of relief, tears running down my face. She's okay. Despite everything, she's okay.

"Osmond," Nicholas called out. I looked over at a few of him walking past us, kicking at white carapace. "She did it. I don't know what she did, but it looks like the Winter Mensis is dead."

"Right, right. We can worry about that later. Right now, we don't have much time." I turned back toward my wife and ran my hand down her face. Despite the fact that she's still alive, she feels so cold… I can see the veins on her face, she looked so sickly… "We need to get her medical help as soon as possible—"

"It's okay, Ozzy." My head shot back to Sarah. She let out a wet cough, groaning. "Ow…"

"Sarah!" I pulled her close to me, grasping her hair. "Don't do that to me again, I thought I lost you for a moment."

"I thought so, too." Sarah's breathing felt ragged in my embrace. "I'll be okay. I managed to seal the wound before I bled out."

"And the Winter Mensis?" Nicholas asked.

"My Stand took care of it. It won't be bothering anyone anymore." I felt her body tremble. "It's so cold…"

I grabbed her harder. "Stay with me, Sarah. We're going to get you to a hospital and get you patched up. We're going to go back to Curi and raise him, okay?" She let out a groan. "Look at me, Sarah." She opened her eyes. Is it just me, or are her eyes redder? I shivered, but ignored the feeling tickling at the back of my mind. "Let's go home, now."

She gave me a smile. "Alright."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Stand Description:** **「** **STARBOY** **」** **\- Can create strands of material similar to spider silk. Depending on the size of the target, the material can grow thicker, exponentially growing stronger. It affects the speed of which a target can move, allowing objects to speed up or slow down to a stop.**

* * *

 **Stand Inspiration: Mercury's Starboy is inspired by The Weeknd's Starboy. It's an electro-pop song released around 2016. Its title "Starboy" is actually Jamaican slang for someone seen as cool or important, even if that view's only held by their peers/loved ones. I chose this song because I feel its message of mega-stardom and its almost apathetic reaction to it feels very Mercury. Mercury's backstory as an assassin makes him only really valued in terms of his skills. Mercury follows Cinder because she gives him something to do with his skills, makes him a starboy. At the same time, Mercury doesn't really take too much stock in Cinder's goals, even as he can see it come to fruition. Only how she gives him purpose.**

* * *

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: Ah, I see you've noticed there are a lot of goodbyes in this arc, both literal and metaphorical. I'll leave it to you all to interpret. With Cinder, I definitely like the layers of gray she has in her character. It makes her really engaging to write and watch.**

 **Nolan's banter with Gwen is just wonderful. It felt so right for those kinds of characters. And Ruby picking up on Cinder's drawings was a fun scene to write as well.**

 **Guest: Mercury's at it again, smirk and all! Thanks for reading!**

 **tuskenpaw: Cinder definitely comes off as a good person with actions too radical to be comfortable with. And yeah, she does resemble Funny Valentine, at least in author mindset. Performing highly immoral acts for the betterment of society.**

 **And how Cinder contrasts with Cinder... good catch there. I won't elaborate on it, I'll just say you might be onto something.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Thank you, rabidhandsquirrl!**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Ah! Now that you say that, it is Phantom Blood! Thanks for that, and thank you for reading!**

 **Temporal Diamond: Thank you, Temporal Diamond! Yeah, I was planning on doing a pass-through for grammar once the story is done proper. Two years is a long time, and I wouldn't doubt that my writing was rougher. But thank you for your thoughts!**

 **doa570047: Yeah, I love that particular aspect of the room search scene. It does create a sense of humanity within a character that does horrible things, and I think it makes her interesting.**

 **Then her fight to basically create a hivemind is yeah, very interesting. It basically congregates the problems of everyone and makes sure that it is everyone's problem. And yeah, there are benefits to having such a system like that, as well as many drawbacks. It is a flawed idea, just like the current system. The question then becomes whether or not the drawbacks are acceptable in benefiting the people overall. Which is yeah, similar to the trolley problem. It's an interesting idea to bounce around with, and I honestly can't wait to show more regarding this.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: December 21, 2018**_


	52. Elastic Heart

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **I don't have much to announce this time around, so let's get right into the chapter!**

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 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

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Darn it… I kept a wary eye on the mint-haired girl. Every fiber in my body ordered me to do something, to grab Myrtenaster and strike. Yet every time my hand drifted towards my weapon, Emerald jerked her revolver in my direction. I pulled my hand away with gritted teeth. I think I could hit her before she can fire off a shot. But something felt off. Emerald's weapons seem more dangerous than before. I swallowed. Something bad's going to happen if we're reckless.

After all, the Headmaster was injured by a gunshot wound, one that moved faster than he could react to. We know what Mercury's Stand is, so the person who nearly killed him must have been either Emerald or Cinder. And since Emerald's the one with the gun… I let out a silent hiss. There wasn't much that we could do but stay rooted to our spots, staring into chrome green revolver barrels. We can't risk attacking, not when we have no idea how Emerald managed to shoot the Headmaster.

My partner stepped forward, holding a hand up. "Emerald…"

"Ruby." One of Emerald's guns swung toward her. "Don't. Say. A. Thing." The woman spun her cylinders, red eyes locked on our team leader. "What did you think you can say to me? That you understand me? That what I'm doing is wrong, and that I should reconsider all the effort I put into helping Cinder?" Ruby pressed her lips into a line, not saying a word.

"That's what I thought." Emerald took a deep breath in. "If you think that one rousing speech would convince me to turn away from my 'evil ways,' you're wasting my time. I'm not backing away from this, and you're not going to get any closer. Go back while you still can." She cocked the hammer back. "We can't promise that everyone will live if you continue to fight us. And when we're so close to truly being together… I don't want to deny you all of this. We can all live in peace, together, once and for all. Cinder's mistress promised that we'll be all connected."

Ruby shook her head. "We don't need Cinder's master or anyone to be connected. Aren't we friends? Maybe not the closest of friends, but still friends nevertheless?"

"Does friendship fill in the hole in my chest?" the mint-haired girl asked. "Does it make me feel wanted, feel loved? Did our friendship make me feel that I belong?" She gave Ruby an empty, unblinking stare. "No. It didn't." Ruby flinched when she heard that.

Emerald continued, "Our friendship was shallow. It meant nothing in the long-run. Maybe we shared some common interests, and maybe we had times when we would enjoy each other's company. But let's be honest with ourselves. I wasn't being friends with you because I really wanted to. No, I _had_ to talk to you and make sure that you weren't interfering with Cinder's plan, and I did that by pretending to be your friend. And besides, I was always the third wheel in the friendship anyway. You always talked to either Cinder or Mercury whenever we would hang out. If you talked to me, it was because none of them were there."

Ruby frowned. "Even if you felt that way, I don't. You're still my friend, Emerald. I care about you just as much, even if I talked to Mercury and Cinder more."

"Do you?" Emerald responded, frowning herself. "Well, if you were really my friend, if you were really _our_ friend… you would at least understand what we're doing. You'd leave us alone, and let us do this."

My partner shook her head. "I can't. I won't. Even if we're friends, what you and Mercury and Cinder are doing is wrong. We can't let Cinder summon her mistress back to Remnant. But just because we're fighting each other doesn't mean we can't make peace. I'm not going to allow you to keep feeling lonely. I'm going to make sure that you'll feel wanted with us." Ruby glanced down at the tiled floor. "Maybe I didn't do a good job before, but let us make it up to you. You don't need what Cinder has to offer in order to not feel lonely."

"You mean companionship? A home to live under, food to eat on the table, salvation from the life of a street rat? Love and respect not out of guilt, but out of genuine kindness? Can you give me that?"

Ruby reeled back. "We can—"

"It doesn't matter if you say so. No one would answer the other way if they were asked that question." Emerald swept her hair back. "And besides, I've heard more than enough."

A feminine humanoid Stand appeared behind the mint-haired girl. The Stand reminded me of depictions I had seen of what a theoretical astronaut would wear if they managed to leave Remnant, if a lot more form-fitting. One notable difference about the outfit was the holes. Most depictions of astronauts in movies or artwork have an airtight suit. But this Stand has giant holes where her heart and throat should be. Around those holes were white prongs spiraling outwards. Several other multi-pronged spirals dotted her dark, shrunken suit. On her head was a sleek space helmet with tinted glass hiding her face.

"This… is **「** **ELASTIC HEART,** **」** " Emerald started. The astronaut Stand struck a pose. It feels like the Stand's staring at us, even though I can't tell where its eyes are. But something in the air changed. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there's something different about the hallway than before. The girl continued, "This Stand alone can stop all four of you by herself. And if I step in, **「** **ELASTIC HEART** **」** can kill everyone before anyone can even blink. Let me demonstrate."

Before anyone would react, something slammed into us. Sheets of paper ripped away from cork boards and flew in our direction along with several pins. I let out a cry as I was punctured by the pins before being thrown back. The rest of the team followed closely after me.

Oh gods… must… do… something… now! My hands latched onto Myrtenaster. I slammed the weapon into the ground, stopping my momentum. Except… I wasn't landing on the ground. Whatever this energy is, it kept me in the air, just pounding against me. I grunted and grabbed the blade of my rapier. A glyph formed under my feet, and I crouched on it… only for my legs to buckle and slam me flat on my back. Only the glyph kept me in place.

What the— I glanced back at the rest of my team. Around ten meters away from Emerald, they managed to hook themselves to the ground and land on their feet. But even then, it looked as if they struggled to push forwards. My mind started turning. How is Emerald doing that? The closest way to describe this feeling is like artificial gravity. But even then, this is nothing like gravity. Whatever this force is, it's pushing almost infinitely against us.

There isn't like anything I've seen on Remnant. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ , can possibly create energy as strong and constant as this. I've seen SDC research on geothermal energy, wind-powered turbines, and solar energy and how they are more sustainable and sources of 'infinite' energy. But the energy output we get from Dust easily outpaces those alternative sources. To be able to produce a force as strong as this… it has to be beyond our current knowledge of the world. It has to be out of this world.

I paled up a moment later when I looked back up. The mint-haired girl stood up, leveling her revolver at my chest. Oh gods— I let the glyph below me crumble. With that, this mysterious energy flung me back, sending me flipping around. I let out a yelp when a second later, two Dust rounds blazed past where I used to be. And describing it as 'blazing' might be an understatement. These rounds _sped_ through the side walls, blowing a giant hole through the concrete structure before I could even register the fact that Emerald fired. What the— So fast! This isn't just bullet fast… no, this was more like light speed! No Dust bullet in existence can move at such velocities!

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled. I snapped out of my thoughts as I flew past her. Oh my gods— I tried reaching over to her, but I was already gone before Ruby could even extend her arm out. Help—

Black ribbons twirled around me. Before I knew it, the silky strands tightened up, snatching me and keeping me from flying further away. Huh? I looked over at the cat Faunus. Beads of sweat slipped down her face as she strained to hold on to her ribbon.

A glyph formed below my feet before I launched myself back to the ground. "Thanks, Blake."

"Don't mention it."

My focus went back towards the mint-haired girl and her Stand. **「** **ELASTIC HEART** **」** waved her arms back and forth, making shapes with her hands as the invisible force continued to push against us. As for Emerald herself, she had a determined glare in her eyes, letting out a long, long breath. What are we going to do? No matter what, we can't get within ten meters of Emerald. And until we figure out what could be causing this to happen, I don't think we can even step into Emerald's range without risking her killing us.

Yang let out a roar, firing off a shotgun round towards the girl. The buckshot didn't even fly a meter before coming right back at the blonde. She sidestepped the shot with a yelp, but not without a few bearings slamming into her side with a thud. "Agh!" Yellow Aura flared around her, threatening to buckle. "What the— That can't be possible," Yang gasped. "How is this happening?"

Just how, indeed? I furrowed my eyebrows. None of this makes any sense whatsoever. Think, think… Whatever this force is, it's strong enough where we can't move forward after a certain point. Wherever this point is, it's about… ten or so meters away from Emerald. So it's a bit like the event horizon of a black hole, but in reverse.

I narrowed my eyes. Hmm… Let's think about this for a moment. Black holes so far are nothing but a theory, created by noted Atlesian scientist Jasper Hawking after noticing light bending around a particularly dense gravity Dust crystal during the failed space program. According to Jasper, while it's impossible for gravity Dust to completely suck in light, theoretically it's possible to have a gravitational field that can capture light and never let go; that's what a black hole is.

So far, nobody has proven their existence. Right now, black holes are more of a science-fiction trope for space enthusiasts to fawn over. However, these space enthusiasts did propose an interesting theory: white holes. A black hole in reverse. Instead of pulling in everything it can into its mass, a white hole pushes everything out. Well, at least that's the theory. Again, at this point, it's all just science-fiction speculation.

My eyes narrowed on **「** **ELASTIC HEART.** **」** But maybe… just maybe… Maybe this is what Emerald's Stand ability is. She can create a localized white hole, with her in the center. Said white hole is strong enough to the point where nothing can walk into its range, its event horizon, to be more precise. I let out a hum. It's a really simple ability, to be honest. Something most people might scoff at. But it definitely does its job of keeping us away from the stairs and going up to catch Cinder. And with how she uses the white hole to launch her bullets at near light speeds… this thing is way more dangerous than we gave it credit for.

"Guys," I muttered under my breath. While nobody shifted in their place, I can feel my teammate's attention drift towards me. "I think I know what Emerald's Stand ability is. She can create a white hole around herself. That's how she can keep us away from her, and that's why all our shots aren't reaching her."

"Hmm…" Blake frowned for a moment, before nodding. "That… makes a lot of sense, actually. This is similar to the white holes from Cyber Ninjas of Love." That got Yang to nearly choke in laughter.

Blake shot a glare at her partner before continuing, "But then that leaves us in a bad situation. If she can keep us away from the stairway, how are we going to get everyone up to the second floor? I know I can make it past Emerald fine, but I don't trust myself to take Cinder down, not alone with my Stand ability. As for Emerald… one lucky shot on my image or a beatdown from her Stand can get me killed."

I bit my lip. Blake's right. She's the only one who can get past Emerald, but she's in no position to try anything. _Maybe_ she can try and quickly end Cinder with a lucky assassination attempt, but besides Blake's moral dilemma of murdering a person as an ex-White Fang member, we don't know what Cinder's Stand is. And if things get bad, her previous wounds might put her at enough of a disadvantage that she could die.

Gods! There has to be something we can do, something we can exploit to get us all past Emerald. But what can that be? My eyes fell upon a random corkboard. While the papers that were pinned on were ripped away, the corkboard itself and the staples embedded within were still on the wall. That doesn't make any sense. White holes are so strong, nothing can move past its event horizon. But if that's the case, wouldn't the corkboard be ripped off the wall and flung towards us? In fact, wouldn't the walls and everything within a ten-meter radius be demolished? Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ should exist or be within a white hole for long. But they're still together, still a part of the building.

Why would that be? A white hole doesn't allow it. Unless… my mind started thinking about the situation. There are only two possible explanations for this: either I'm wrong, and this Stand doesn't work like a white hole at all, or Emerald is being selective about what the white hole affects exactly.

Or maybe she's not being selective at all. I stared at the mint-haired girl, who kept her gun pointed at us but otherwise didn't make any attempt to shoot us. Her face didn't betray any emotion. What I'm thinking is that this white hole… isn't the truest essence of a white hole. Emerald's subconsciously holding back its true powers. Maybe she isn't as willing of a killer as we think she is. Or maybe it's because Cinder's somewhere on the upper floors, and going all out means that she risks ruining Cinder's plan. But whatever the reason is, she's holding back.

My Stand appeared in front of me, making a quick slash on the floor before disappearing. While its saber could barely make it past the invisible 'force field' in front of us, the crystals, on the other hand, grew past the supposed event horizon. And best of all… it didn't snap under pressure. The orange Dust crystal held. Something within the white hole… but wasn't affected by it. It all clicked right there. Oh my gods… that's it.

"Weiss?" My partner turned to look at the crystal formation in front of us, then at me. Her eyes widened. Ruby whispered, "You figured out a loophole."

I nodded. "Yeah," I said in hush tones. "We can definitely use this to get close to Emerald. But it's going to take some time. I can only move the crystals so far until Emerald figures us out. And from there, who knows?"

"Which means we need to apply pressure to Emerald somehow." Ruby glanced up at the ceiling, and I swear I can see a light bulb appear over her head. "I got it!" she whispered. "This is what we'll do. When I give you the signal, Weiss, I need you to blow a hole in the ceiling above us and set up a stability Dust crystal right in front of it. At the same time, I need Blake to make a move at Emerald. Just feint, don't actually try to attack her. I'll slip through the ceiling and search the second floor before coming down. You guys try to fight Emerald from down here."

"Why you?" Yang asked. "Blake would be just as good."

Ruby nodded. "True, Blake would be a better option. But I'm absolutely useless against Emerald. Whether it's my Semblance or my Stand, I can't do anything to get past her, let alone hurt her. You guys, on the other hand, you all can bypass her Stand ability in some way. I'm more useful using my Semblance to search the rest of the building. Plus, my Stand makes it real difficult to hurt me. If I run into Cinder, I can definitely survive whatever she happens to throw at me, at least until I can figure out something or you guys come to turn the tide."

We all stared at the girl. I mean… I guess that makes sense. This is probably the best option we have. Surprisingly, Yang was the first one to nod. "You got it." She took a wider stance, facing Emerald square on as she curled her fists. "Come on, then. I'm ready when you are."

Ruby lowered herself to the ground. "Right. Weiss?" I let **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** say it all, the Stand appearing with a flamboyant pose. Ruby took in a deep breath. "Get ready…"

In front of us, Emerald raised her eyebrows. She relaxed, took a deep breath, and shifted the revolver towards my partner. "Don't—"

"Now!" The frontier-esque Stand shot up, slashing the ceiling above with two swipes. A long, orange shard grew in front of a thin, wide patch of red and white Dust. One swing using the blunt side of the saber was all it took for the explosive material to go ablaze. The hallway quickly filled up with the smell of powdered concrete as the material submerged us in a cloud of dust.

Ruby didn't even waste a second, breaking herself up into individual limbs that her Stand **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** flung into the breach with reckless abandon. Gunfire cracked through the air, several bullets flew wantonly through the smoke. I let out a hiss when one round skimmed me, the shot nearly knocking me to the ground. But if Ruby was hit by Emerald's blind firing, she didn't say anything, disappearing to the second floor.

A force slammed into me right after that, sending me tumbling to the ground. I heard Yang let out a cry of her own, followed by a dull 'thump' to the ground. What the— I turned around towards the staircase. Emerald was walking forwards at a snail's pace. Sweat dripped down her face just to take a few baby steps. But bit by bit, she was pushing away the cloud of dust that was our cover. I gritted my teeth. On one hand, this is annoying. But on the other hand, this might make it easier for Blake to get close. Well, assuming that she already merged into the wall or floor or something. I curled myself up into a ball. I'm just going to have to keep taking this until Blake gives us our opening.

And give it she did, as the Faunus girl swam through the walls making a beeline for Emerald. She held the corkboard in her hands. The mint-haired girl flinched back, turning her aim towards Blake. "What the—" Before Emerald could fire, Blake pulled the giant corkboard out to the surface, covering her image with the object. Several bullets punctured through the material a moment later. Was Blake preventing her image on the floor from being shot? Is she splitting her body between the two surfaces, making it harder for Emerald to hit? I can't really tell from where I am, but whatever she's doing, it's keeping her alive.

My turn. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** returned yet again with a flourish, creating an orange Dust crystal wall cutting horizontally across the corridor maybe a meter into the event horizon. Well… more of two side by side wall segments with one crystal connecting the two. Both Yang and I ran behind the cover as soon as it sprouted up. The crystal rattled, almost as if it was going to shatter under the pressure. But try as **「** **ELASTIC HEART** **」** might, the wall stayed secure. We might've only made it a meter closer… But we proved that we can move up. We can get in range.

"Okay, okay…" I pressed my foot against the crystal bridging the two walls, watching as it started breaking down. "Yang, what's the range of your Stand?"

"Oh gods, what was it…" Yang let out a sigh. "Two or so meters? Although I don't know how much of use that is with Emerald's Stand pushing us back."

"Two meters is definitely enough." The crystal wall protecting us from Emerald's bullet wrath was getting smaller… I moved to the side. "We're going to keep doing this until we reach two meters. Then I'll make a batch of concussion Dust to disorientate Emerald, then you and Blake rush in to beat her down."

"Hopefully. It's not a bad plan," Yang nodded, wincing as another bullet slammed into the crystal wall, creating a crack. "Although we're going to have to figure out the gunfire situation eventually. I'm pretty sure that Emerald's going to shoot through that open pathway as soon as the crystal completely breaks down."

I nodded. "Yeah…" I let out a hum. "Wait a minute… I don't really know for sure, but you know how your Stand ability is spontaneous combustion?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it possible for you to ignite the air?" I asked.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "It's definitely possible… But why do you ask?"

"I'm getting there." I raised my hand. "Is it possible for you to have something that already spontaneously combusted to cause other things to spontaneously combust? Like a chain reaction of sorts."

The blonde girl shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. All I know for sure is that whatever my Stand and I touch, we can get something to light on fire. As for having things that we touch light other things on fire… I've never tried it, but it's definitely worth a shot—"

At that moment, the jittering of the crystals stopped. What? I turned to look at Yang, who looked just as mystified as I did. We peered out of the hole I made. The white hole… stopped. I stepped out from my wall and walked in. Just like that, the white hole disappeared. That's strange. What changed? What could've happened that caused Emerald to stop?

Wait a minute… Where _is_ Emerald? I scanned the area, only for my search to be found fruitless. What the— My eyes widened.

"Yang, she's gone!"

"What?" The girl ran through the corridor, searching for any signs of the mint-haired girl. "Holy— No way! How did she get away from us?" She stepped forwards. "That should be impossible, she couldn't walk that fast while her Stand was activated! There's no way she could've disappeared on us!"

Yeah… She couldn't have possibly gone far. There's three of us watching Emerald, after all. Even with Yang and I staying behind cover for most of the time, there was still Blake keeping an eye out for her. And as far as we know, Blake is still alive. At the very least she should know if Emerald tried to go anywhere.

"Blake?" I called out. The corkboard lifted up a few degrees. Yellow eyes popped out from underneath the plank. I let out a sigh. "Thank gods you're still alive. Do you know what's going on?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I did hear her running off the moment she dropped the white hole, but it was all muffled from under here. I couldn't tell where she went." Blake blinked. "But she couldn't have gone too far. I definitely heard her stop. She didn't run away." I could definitely hear the hidden meaning beneath that: Emerald doesn't want us making our way to Cinder. She's still doing everything she can to stop us from rejoining with our team leader.

"Aha! Gotcha!" Buckshot rang out, catching both Blake and my attention. We looked over to Yang, who had her fist stretched out towards a nearby door, which was shattered into pieces. "Weiss, Blake! I figured it out! She switched to her Semblance to hide from us!" She ran over to the door. "Her Semblance must be some kind of invisibility or something, because I managed to catch her walk into this room! She must've messed up her cloaking, because I managed to catch her flickering as she opened that door!"

I raised my eyebrow. "Door? She never opened the door. You just shot at it, and it exploded into a ton of shards."

"What are you on about? The door's clearly open." Yang gestured over to it. "See? Now hurry up, we have to go after her before she escapes through the window or something."

Blake let out a confused hum. "Yang? Weiss is right. The door's open because you blew it to pieces. Nobody actually opened it. And plus, I've never heard anyone move towards the door, let alone open it up. There's no way Emerald is over there."

"But… that's impossible," the blonde girl gasped. "I saw her, clear as day! She faded out from her invisibility Semblance right then and there! I'm not making this up, I saw her!"

As Yang continued to rant and rave about what she saw, I narrowed my eyebrows. That's definitely weird… why would Yang say such a thing? Is she seeing things or something? We were all looking in the direction of the door. Well, I meant me. Blake was and is still under the corkboard. I should've noticed something, Blake would've definitely heard something, so Yang has to be seeing things.

I narrowed my eyes. Seeing things? That definitely sounds like another Stand ability. Could there be a second Stand user among us, messing with our heads? That shouldn't be possible. Again, Blake would've noticed and said something about it right after the white hole disappeared. I hummed with displeasure. That means that somehow, they managed to get a second person within the area, and none of us noticed a thing. This isn't a fun problem to tackle. Where could Emerald and this second Stand user be?

A glint of metal caught my attention. What the— I glanced over to the side. A thin, revolver barrel appeared behind one of the pillars, pointing towards the blonde girl. What the— "Yang, behind you!" I jabbed a finger at the mint-haired girl. "Call back your Stand!"

She twisted around. "Huh? Weiss, I don't see anyone—" Yang never finished that question as the invisible force smacked me back behind the wall.

* * *

The moment Weiss called out to Yang, I didn't hesitate. I merged the cork board back into the floor before throwing my torso back out to the surface. My eyes flickered over to my partner, then to where Weiss was pointing. Sure enough, I could see Emerald's arm extended out from behind the pillar. What the— So _that's_ where she is! But how in the world did she stay there without Yang noticing—

A sudden burst of energy slammed against me. Thankfully, being partially submerged meant that I didn't get knocked back. Unfortunately, the force placed a ton of strain on my back. I bit my lip, attempting to swallow the howl sitting in my mouth. Agh! I drove one of my hands into the floor and threw it forwards, righting my back. Ah… Beads of sweat slipped down my face. It hurts… Ruby did a good job healing my injury. I don't think I would've survived that otherwise.

But I can't worry about that right now. I started unraveling the ribbon around Gambol Shroud from underneath the floor as Yang slammed against the wall opposite of Emerald. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** snatched it and made its way over to my partner. "Yang, catch!"

Yang just barely had enough time to snatch the ribbon before **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** swung down, dragging Yang along with her. A bullet blasted through the concrete wall not a moment later, just barely missing the cowlick on my partner's head. I could see absolute relief on Yang's face. But before my partner could wrap her hand around my ribbon, another blast of energy blasted her away from it, sending her falling away from Emerald and me and back towards the crystal wall Weiss was hiding behind.

I turned back towards Emerald, only to yelp. The revolver barrel was aimed right at me. Again I pulled the cork board up, merging just my hands into the item. Several bullets punched through the porous material around my image. Gods… it's a good thing I'm sandwiching myself between these two. I don't want to know what would happen if Emerald managed to land a shot on my painted body.

My bow twitched. I closed my eyes and focused. From the sounds of it, Yang managed to pull herself back behind the wall.

"Yang, are you okay?" Weiss's voice was no louder than a hushed whisper. Thankfully I can hear them just fine.

"Yeah… yeah." My partner let out a frustrated growl as she, too whispered. "What in the world just happened there? You were right, Emerald _was_ behind me. But I can't understand how she hid herself from me, but not from you." The girl paused for a moment. "I was so, so sure that it was an invisibility Semblance…"

"It's not. But I think I know just what kind of Semblance Emerald has." Weiss took a deep breath. "She's using illusions. She can change our perceptions of the real world. That's how you managed to miss her."

"Yeah. But that brings us to another question. How are we going to get past Emerald, then? If she can keep us away using her Stand, then trick us into walking into her range before launching us back as a trap, well… we can't do much about that, right?"

"Well thankfully she can only use it on one person at a time. We just have to put ourselves in a situation where no matter which angle we're looking at, we'll always be looking at her."

"Right. Well…"

I wanted to throw in some input of my own. I really, really did. But it's not possible from where I am. All I can do is listen and hope that Yang and Weiss figure out a plan I can act on. I heard the sounds of small, tiny footsteps. Let's hope that they come up with something fast. Before I could think about what I was doing, I pulled the cork board back into the floor and observed. Emerald's not moving from her spot behind the pillar. If anything, she backed herself behind the pillar even more. But the weirder thing is how she was holding her weapons—

My eyes widened. I dove back down yet again, this time swimming towards a different pillar before pulling myself up its side. One revolver was pointed at us, almost like blind fire. But the other revolver… Emerald was using the blade as a mirror. So that's what she's planning. I don't know why she didn't shoot at me as I was moving places. But if we come any closer for whatever reason, she's going to shoot. If we go up through the breach hole that Weiss made earlier, she'll shoot us. If we managed to escape, she'll run up to the second floor, and it'll be the exact same situation, except Ruby will get dragged in as well.

She might be trapped here… but we're just as trapped. No one's can go anywhere. And we can't afford to sit around and wait. We need to do something right here, right now. Let's just hope that Yang and Weiss come up with something.

And from the looks of how they stuck their heads out, they must've figured something out. Weiss managed to catch my eye first. She started by pointing at me, then she mimed the motion of unwrapping something, followed by pointing at something in her hand. Me, unwrap, hand? I narrowed my eyes. Why can't she just whisper what she needs? I have perfectly fine ears— Oh! I raised my ribbon and cork board.

The heiress nodded furiously, followed by gesturing towards her. She… wants me to give it to them? Alright. I started towards her, only for Weiss to hold her hand out while shaking her head. Huh? What now? She pointed behind her before repeating the gesture towards her. What in the world is Weiss talking about? She wants me to bring the items, but behind me? Or does she mean give it to my Stand and let **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** bring it to them? I did so, allowing my Stand to take the items. She gave me the thumbs up. I guess that's what she wants.

Yang snatched both the ribbon and the cork board before handing it to Weiss. With that, the two of them backed up behind a crystal wall. Just far enough that Emerald couldn't see what they were doing, but they still made a point to show me what they were doing exactly.

Weiss started by using her Stand to slice at the board. A giant orange Dust crystal patch grew over the surface, similar to the material on the walls. It's noticeably thicker in the front. Meanwhile, Yang pressed a cupped hand against the material. The corkboard turned into flames where the tips of her fingers and wrist met the wood. She then pulled her hand through the opening, creating almost a sort of a shield.

My eyes widened when the two of them wrapped my ribbon around their forearms. So that's what they're doing. I nodded. I think I get it. I'm following what they're thinking. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** returned back to me, grabbing the ribbon from under the ground. Wait for them to give me the signal…

I yanked hard alongside my Stand the moment they stepped out into the open. The move quickly propelled them through the hallway. Several shots flew towards them, but the bullets mainly hit the front of the Dust crystal shield. Despite the several cracks that formed within the structure, it was still holding. Wow. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** dove underground and started towards Emerald, dragging the rest of my teammates along with her. As for me… I'm going to wait for a moment. I'll get my time soon enough. I pulled my head out from the pillar and looked ahead.

Yang and Weiss continued towards Emerald, who let out a gasp of surprise at the sight of them seemingly breaking through her white hole. Weiss's Stand ran its saber across the ground, forming a long line of orange Dust. Before long, **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** flew forwards, swinging her fists right at Emerald. "ORA!" the stand cried.

"ARI!" For once, **「** **ELASTIC HEART** **」** responded with punches of her own. Even with the white hole pushing against everyone, I can _feel_ the shockwaves of Stand fist meeting Stand fist. The spectacle of two Stands punching against each other, trying to break through each other's defenses is nothing short of a spectacle.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA—"

"ARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARIARI—"

But no matter what Yang did, she couldn't break through the defenses of **「** **ELASTIC HEART.** **」** Before long, the force of the white hole took effect again, this time pushing both Weiss and Yang past Emerald and away from the fight. They managed to turn before Emerald could shoot, but they're definitely getting further away by the second. All Weiss could do was slash at the ground several more times with her Stand.

The mint-haired girl took another breath. The white hole slowed for just a second before coming back in full force. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped. Emerald eyed the two growing orange crystal walls to her sides. They formed the general shape of a funnel, the narrow end pointing towards us. "Hmm? What the?" she said. Emerald tried firing a couple of rounds at the structure. No matter what she did to them, they would crack, but never break. Wait a minute… can it be? I stepped out from the pillar. I couldn't feel the white hole pushing me away. A smile grew on my face.

So this was Weiss's plan all along. We were worried about Emerald turning off her Stand and hiding away before we notice, so we funneled her into a corner. No matter what she does now, we can absolutely be sure of where she is. She can't run, she can't hide, she can't use her Semblance to trick all three of us into believing that she managed to escape. All she can do is fight back. And I have the feeling that Weiss has something up her sleeve that can help us with that.

We approached the open end in question. "Stay back!" Several light-speed bullets flew out from the opening. They didn't really do much aside from hit the stairs, puncturing and blasting the steps into pieces. I bit my lip. We have to do something!

I started towards the opening, only for Weiss to hold her hand up. I stopped. What? What is she doing? She gestured to me, pointing at the corkboard Yang held. The crystal patch that was on the improvised shield was now a combination of orange, yellow, and white. While that was happening, Yang pulled out her aviator shades and placed them on. Oh! My eyes widened. So that's what they're planning. I nodded, pressing myself against the wall. Yang held up her hand, counting down from three.

The moment the third finger went down, Yang threw herself out and through the opening, pointing the corkboard face first. The sounds of gunfire rang through the air, slamming against the improvised shield Yang held up. Moments later, a bright flash— Ah! I shielded my eyes, blinking several times as brightness swallowed up the darkness. Several light spots floated across my sight. Ooh, that's bright. Agh—

"Blake, let's go!" Yang grabbed my hand and pressed it against the corkboard. "We don't have much time to do this!" Despite the dancing spots, I nodded my head, forcing myself into the board. "You're up!"

Yang flung both the corkboard and me at Emerald. Thankfully, there wasn't any force pushing against us whatsoever. Before I knew it, I was halfway towards Emerald. She was still rubbing her eyes, blood dripping out from her ears. Looks like she's still unaware. I balled up my fists. Any time now…

 **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** shot out from the projectile right as it got within two meters of her, landing a solid blow against the the girl's jaw. She stumbled back, blood dripping out from her mouth all the while. I leaped out myself, grabbing Emerald by the arm. Both my Stand and I moved in tandem, our hands ripping her revolvers away and tossing them towards Weiss and Yang. My partner was already making her way towards us, but the heiress took the time to take the weapons and toss them as far away as possible.

Emerald couldn't even let out a yelp when I wrapped my ribbon around both of her arms, tying them behind her back before I merged the other end into the floor. Try as she might, Emerald wasn't going anywhere, and she's not going to hurt us.

There's only one thing left to do. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** balled her fists up. Let's be quick about this. Emerald had just enough time to blink and gasp before the fist of **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** crashed into her face, knocking her out cold.

"Blake," Yang started, walking towards me. She looked a bit unsure. "Is she knocked out?"

I glanced over her. Aside from her breathing, it didn't seem like she was conscious in any way. I nodded. "Definitely." Rope, rope… Something to replace Gambol Shroud's ribbon… Shoelace usually works, but nobody here has shoes with them… My eyes fell upon the belt that doubled as her holster. Alright. That can do. I quickly unbuckled that off her, stripping away the leather holsters in question before starting to tie it around her wrists and legs. I let out a grunt. I can definitely see why you normally don't try to tie things with a belt.

My partner let out a whistle. "Wow. Just when I thought you couldn't get any more perverted, you unbuckle a helpless girl and bind her—"

"Unless you have any better ideas for what I can use, can you please not?" I grabbed one end of the belt by the teeth, yanking hard.

"Yeah, sorry." Yang rubbed the back of her neck. "Was just trying to lighten the mood a bit."

I shrugged, pulling the last loop tight. "Well, she's tied up." I let out a sigh, grabbing my aching torso. "I think I'm going to need a breather. That took a lot out of me."

"That goes for everyone," Yang said. She and Weiss sat down as well. "We could use a minute." She turned to look at the unconscious Emerald. "And then, we can figure out what to do with her."

* * *

Nothing… nothing… Frustration started to grow as I rushed down the second floor with my Semblance. No matter which room I search, I just can't find Cinder anywhere! I pressed my lips into a thin line. Every second we spend searching for her, that's another second she has to summon Salem. I can't waste anymore time! Where could she be?

"Are you okay?" I jerked back. What was that? I looked around. There was nobody in sight. Who said that?

"I could be better," someone else responded. What? I turned towards the voice. Two ghostly figures were next to a wall, one sitting down, one standing up. The one standing up, she was giving something to the other ghost, like a bowl or something. "Thank you, Celosia. It means a lot that you give someone like me a bit of kindness." Huh? What is this?

"It's not a problem," the other ghost responded. "We're a community. We look out for each other. You don't have to suffer any longer, because I am here." I tried moving, but my body won't respond to my thoughts. It just did its own thing.

I blinked. The two of them disappeared. What in the world? Why did that happen? There was no one there. I know that no one was there, but I saw it anyways. I tried moving my body again. It was like it had a mind of its own, continuing onwards. But something seems familiar about all this. Even if I don't have control of my body, it's moving as if I made those choices myself, that I've made those choices before. It almost feels like deja vu. Like I've done this before, and this is a memory… I shook my head. No, that can't be.

Wait, what? I lifted my arms up. I have control again. Real, proper control. That's so weird. What happened back there? Could this be the result of Cinder? I bit my lip. She must be getting closer to summoning Salem than I thought. I need to hurry up. I kept going, feeling a bead of sweat slip down my face. I just really, really hope that I can find her before it's too late.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 1/4/2019**

* * *

 **Ozpin's Bizarre Adventure - Act 5**

With the blink of an eye, the world shifted again, this time taking me to my bedroom. "Take it easy," I said as I covered Sarah in a blanket and pulled the curtains over beams of sunlight. She didn't respond, letting out a soft sigh. Her chest rose and fell steadily. I glanced over at the crib next to us. Curi for once was curled up, not making a sound. Thank the gods for that, at least. I gave my wife a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back in just a moment."

I spotted Jojo standing on my front porch, staring out into the afternoon sky. Despite the calm composure, there was the slightest hint of fidgeting of his finger. He turned to look at me. "Is Sarah going to be okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm actually surprised how fast her Aura fixed her up." A tense sigh escaped me. "It's almost like she was never injured. She's still really pale, though. Lethargic, too. I might eventually bring her to get a blood transfusion. Tomorrow, though. All I want to do is sleep." I joined my friend at his side. "Where's Nicholas?"

"Already in the guest room, trying to get some sleep for the trip back." Jojo tapped his finger against the balister. "Either that, or he's getting some alone time talking to his fiance. Whichever. As for me, I'm planning on going home soon." The two of us nodded, looking at a faint image of the moon starting to splinter up.

"Osmond." Jojo let out a sigh, grabbing something from his pocket. "What do you think?"

"Think about what?"

"About my plan for Erina." He opened his hand, revealing a small box covered in felt. "Do you think that she's going to accept?"

I smiled. "After hearing how much you two love each other, I wouldn't doubt it." I let **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** drift over my lawn, occasionally pulling out a blade of grass. "You said how she prefers the smaller, more earnest things, right? I'm sure she'd love the little plan you have for her. And I think it'll work out fine."

The man nodded. "Thank you, Osmond." We stood around, staring at the afternoon sun drifting towards evening. "You know, I was thinking about changing my surname if I got married."

I turned to look at him. "You do?"

"Yes. I've debated it with myself and talked with Erina about it. And well… I think it's about time I properly laid my family name to rest." He looked out into the distance. "My family has always been caught up with the fight against the Grimm. Back during our golden days and right now. But now that the Winter Mensis is dead, now that your Huntsmen Academies are starting up to kill what's left of the Grimm, well… I think the Joestar's time in the sun has passed once again. I don't want my children and descendants to take on the Joestar burden to fight." He turned to look at me. "You understand that, right?"

"I do. You're trying to give your children a clean slate, where they don't have to learn or bear the burden the Joestars have, right?"

"That's one way of putting it." Jojo rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a chuckle. "It's not like I'm going to try and hide everything. I still intend on teaching my children the power of the Silver Eyes. That's something that can't afford to be lost. But my family's history of heroism and their eventual fall… I want that to die with me. I don't want my children to be heroes for the sake of being heroes, or for the sake of reforming the family name, or living up to some past legacy. I want them to do what they want for their future or for themselves."

"Hmm." I nodded. "That makes sense. Whose surname are you planning on taking? Erina's?"

"I'm thinking either that, or both of us changing our surnames to match the color naming trend everybody's been up about. We both think 'Rose' is a good surname. In reference to both my favorite fairy tale and the beauty and love the rose symbolizes. That doesn't sound too bad." He shrugged. "But then again, it's too soon to say, especially since I haven't proposed yet."

"Right, right. Well, one step at a time, right?" He nodded. I crossed my arms. "You're as ready as you could be. Go for it." I patted him in the back. "May the gods give you fortune, and I'll see you again, Jojo."

"Thank you. Goodbye, Osmond."

I waved goodbye to Jojo and walked back inside, making a straight beeline for my bedroom. Curi still slept in his crib, his breathing slow and methodical. And then there was Sarah. Currently, she was curled up into a ball in our bed, a small smile on her face. I smiled. It's cute how she does that.

A quick change of clothes later, I slipped under the sheets and wrapped my arms around her. She turned around, her face in my chest before opening her eyes. There's no doubt about it, her eyes were definitely getting redder. Maybe we should head to a doctor and see if it's some sort of infection. "Hi, Ozzy," she murmured into my clothes, letting out a yawn.

"Hi." I gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't worry about me, you should keep sleeping."

"I don't know about that. I don't want to sleep when you're here with me." She wrapped her arms around me as well. "Plus, the voices have been keeping me up."

"Oh?" I ran my hand down her arm. "I didn't realize that Jojo and I were being loud. I'm sorry about that—"

"No no, not you two. I didn't even know you two were talking. This one's different." I nodded, continuing to comfort her. "Every time I close my eyes, it… feels like I can see and hear the entire world at once. It's like staring at a wall of TVs, each set to a different channel and playing at once. But I'm not seeing it through the eyes of Remnans. No, it feels like I'm staring at the world through Grimm eyes."

I let out a shiver. That's… interesting. "A dream, maybe?" I suggested.

"No, not like that. A lot more than that." Sarah let out a sigh. "It feels… real. Every time I close my eyes, I can see everything the Grimm are doing, hear everything the Grimm are doing. And well… there's this odd peaceful feeling looking through the eyes of a Grimm. They don't fight amongst each other. If anything, they occasionally help each other in times of need. They roam among the land, not hurting anything until they hunger. But it's not like our kind of hungry, where they need to eat to survive. No, it's more… emotional." She let out a sigh. "They— and I feel a constant… longing."

"Longing? What could you be longing for?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I just understand that that feeling of longing isn't coming from my heart. No, it's coming from the visions. It feels like the Grimm have a pit that eats at them. Emotionless. Purposeless. Empty. And it's like— the Grimm were trying to find something to fill that pit in." She let out a whine. "It almost as if they want to have a soul and feel _something_ , for just a moment."

"That's interesting," I yawned, giving her another kiss, this time on the forehead.

"Osmond, I want you to take me seriously. I really mean it. It feels so real and— and what if that's actually true? That Grimm are only killing us because they want to feel?"

"That's ridiculous, Sarah. Nobody understands how the Grimm work, let alone whether or not they feel emotion. They're not like soldiers in the battlefield. We shouldn't give them any thought, especially not when their days are numbered now." I stroked her cheek once more. "I think all of the fighting and traveling has worn you out. It's definitely worn me out. So, why don't we sleep on that, and talk about it in the morning?"

She nodded, frowning all the while. "Alright. Good night, Osmond." She pulled her way out of my grasp. I turned around, allowing each other to press up against each other's backs. Just like old times. Although she still feels cold to the touch. Maybe it's her low blood levels causing that. And as I allowed sleep to claim me on this lazy afternoon, I picked up a few last words from Sarah: "What if… we combine the best of both Grimm and Remnans?"

My eyes opened again, revealing pitch black. Was it night time already? I shivered, shuffling myself backward. Huh… where in the world is Sarah? Wait. I snapped myself upright. Sarah was gone. I turned to the crib. Curi is gone as well. What the— My chest started filling with a sickly feeling. Where'd they go?

Somebody knocked on my door. Nicholas popped his head in, the not so young man in a prim two-piece suit. "Oh, you're up. I was just popping in to say goodbye—"

I jerked towards him. "Did you see Sarah and Curi around the house?"

Nicholas blinked, flinching. "What? No, I thought they were supposed to be in here with you. Why?"

"They're gone. They just… disappeared."

"What?" A suitcase hit the floor. "There's no way. I was awake for the past two hours, I would've heard them walking around."

This isn't good. Not good at all. "Stay here," I ordered, rushing over to the phone and dialing in a number.

A familiar voice picked up. "Hello?"

"Jojo," I whispered.

"Ah! I didn't expect you to call so late at night!" Jojo exclaimed.

"Who is that, dear?" a female voice said in the background.

"It's Osmond, Erina. Don't worry, it shouldn't be long. I'll join you again soon." Jojo cleared his throat. "You called at a bad time. Erina and I were… in the middle of enjoying each other's company. I wanted to save the news until the morning, but Erina said yes! We're going to get married!"

"Congrats," I stammered. "I'm sorry about the rushed reaction, but I have more urgent matters at hand. Sarah and Curi are gone."

The voice on the other end of the line grew silent. "Gone?"

"It's like they disappeared. I can't find them anywhere in the house, and I'm scared of what might happen to them. Please, get over here. I'm actually a little scared."

"Alright. I'll be over there as soon as I can."

It didn't take long for the three of us to meet up. I gave the giant a camera. "Jojo?"

He nodded, smashing it. A photo popped out, revealing a picture of a familiar bunker. Nicholas gasped. "That's… that's our base of operations back during the Great War. Why there?"

"I don't know, but the fact that she decided to wander that far scares me." I stared ahead, glancing into the night sky. "Jojo, do you mind if you drive us there?" He shook his head. I nodded. "Let's go, then."

Every minute I sat in Jojo's car watching the trees pass by, my stomach churned. I don't understand how Sarah managed to get out of the house without Nicholas or I noticing. And why the bunker? Why so far? What got Sarah to be like this? I gripped my cane tighter. There's only one way to know.

We leaped out the moment Jojo shut off the engine. All these years in the wild have not been kind to the bunker. Already we can see a lot of plant growth on the concrete, and the structure looked filthy. We were supposed to take everything valuable out of this place within the month and let this place be forgotten. I glanced around. There were still some residual work lights lying around, but without any electricity, they just stayed off, keeping us all in the dark.

All, except for a single light within the bunker. The soft rumbles of a Dust generator caught my attention. I gestured to the others, pointing at the light before heading towards it. They nodded, following close behind.

As we approached the light, I could hear the sounds of crying. That's… that's Curi. "Hush there," a female voice called out. "Don't cry, don't cry. Mommy's going to help you become better real soon." And that's… Sarah. But Curi isn't sick. He's as healthy as he's ever been. What in the world? "Curi… starting with you, I'm going to fix us all. Osmond will understand once I show him what I've learned." I heard the sounds of something splattering, and the sounds of crying stopped.

"Curi!" I rushed towards the light, Nicholas and Jojo behind me failing to stop me.

We broke into the plaza area, where a figure stood, a child in hand. A giant bloodstain covered the woman's white dress, giving her a grim visage. It was as if staring at a ghost, or a demon who decided to haunt this place.

My eyes flew over to my child. Curi… he isn't the beautiful baby boy that he used to be. Instead, his pale skin had turned black, with white accents that reminded me of his original skin color. His eyes were now a vibrant red, glowing with malice. Spiked teeth were already growing out from his jaw. He looked more monstrous than human at this point. It held the Arrow in its hands. The one we stored in the bunker. Sarah cradled the deformed monster, her face full of glee at the sight. "It works… it works! I'm connected to you!" She pulled the child to her chest. "Don't worry, I'll always be here for you."

I couldn't help but notice the voluminous bun she wore today. I've only remembered a single day when Sarah bothered to tie her bun that way: our wedding day. And even then, she let it get frazzled before the wedding vows. She hated having orderly hair. But there she stood, maintaining a pristine bun for what had to have been several hours.

"My gods…" The words slipped out of my mouth. "Sarah?"

She turned around to face me, her eyes widening in surprise. "Osmond! Oh my gods, you need to see this—"

"I don't want to hear a single word of it," I shot back with a chilling tone, causing her to flinch. "What did you do to our son?"

"What did _I_ do? I made him better." A smile grew on her increasingly sickening face. "I combined the best parts of both Grimm and Remnan to fix us both. Osmond, don't you get it?" She started to approach me. "This is how we solve the Grimm problem and the risk of another Remnan war! By merging together, we can escape the cycle of violence once and for all—" **「BLACK BEATLES」** shot forwards, swinging its fist right into her stomach. She coughed out black ichor as she staggered back. "I should've realized it sooner," I started, staring down at the monster. "When you defeated the Winter Mensis, I thought it was strange that only the carapace was left. Even more so considering that it didn't dissolve at all. But it's clear what happened." I stared down the new form of the Winter Mensis. "What did you do to my wife?" I yelled.

"Osmond, it's me! I _am_ Sarah, and I always will be! I made a mistake, and the Winter Mensis merged with me! But it's not in control! I am!" The monster tried to plead with me. "You have to believe me!"

"Believe the words of a sentient Grimm? One who must have centuries worth of experience learning about Remnans? One who ordered the deaths of so many of our loved ones? What about my parents? Your family? Jojo's family? All our friends in the military? They all died by your hand, _monster._ And worst of all, you committed a crime that I won't forgive you for. You corrupted my family." I tightened my hand into a fist. "And I don't know how much of Sarah is still in there, but I'm sick of you parading her body around!"

The monster teared up, black liquid running down her face. "Osmond…"

I steeled my heart. Please gods… if you're up there, give me the strength to kill what was left of my family. "Don't try, _Salem._ " I don't know what possessed me to chose that name. It was the name of a mythological witch that possessed women to do unspeakable acts. However, it just… fits. Sarah wouldn't do this. That… thing, is not Sarah. I turned around. "Jojo!" In an instant, the man leaped out, eyes glowing, **「** **HERMIT PURPLE** **」** wrapped around his arm and charged up. Salem threw herself to the side, but not before Jojo glanced her in the shoulder.

"Agh!" The monster jutted around, the silver lightning arcs licking her skin. Just like the Winter Mensis, it's better at resisting the effects of the Silver Eyes. When it looked up, I saw nothing but glowing eyes of fear and malice. "Jojo! You must understand, right? That's what you've always wanted in life—"

"Not if that meant sacrificing our humanity," he responded, backing away from Salem. "I don't know what happened to you, Sarah, or what you managed to do to your baby boy. But it'll be okay. We'll remove the Grimm within the two of you and turn you back to normal." His eyes glowed.

"No!" Grabbing the child in its hands, the beast dashed forwards in a blink of an eye, throwing its fist through Jojo's chest.

Everyone went silent at the loud squelch. Jojo let out a gasp, staring at the arm through his chest. Salem initially had a terrified look on her face, but it slowly morphed into a determined, vicious look. "That's right. Your eyes can destroy the new world I'll build. You're going to be nothing but a hindrance. Jojo…" She shoved her hand even further through his body. "I'm sorry, but your death will bring about a better world."

I felt my temper reach a boiling point. "Salem!" I rushed towards the monster, **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** materializing behind me. I felt my grief and fury slosh through my body as I confronted the monster who took over my wife.

It gripped the child closer to its neck. "Osmond, you need to understand—"

"Enough! I won't let you kill any more people! **「** **BLACK BEATLES!** **」** " I felt the world turn grayer around me. Everyone started moving slower. My heart took longer to beat. My body froze into place. It was as if time completely stopped for the world, including me.

But even if I can't move, I can feel my will transcend time. One second has passed. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** appeared in front of me, fists upraised and with only one goal in mind: destroy the monster that corrupted my family and killed Jojo.

"TIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIK—" **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** punched in time with the clicks of a pocket watch, smashing in Salem's face. Two seconds have passed. She didn't budge in place. The Stand kept up its barrage, never letting up for a second. Three seconds have passed. This monster will pay for what it's done to my family!

Four seconds have passed. The world returned to color, instantly launching Salem into the ground. The skin around her hands and neck ripped away from her body as she dropped the Grimm child. Several craters formed over her torso. The concrete we stood on cracked. I walked over to Salem, my blood boiling and my Stand rearing a fist back. This monster… I won't forgive what this thing has done.

"Osmond!" I looked over at Nicholas, who pulled open the latch of the bunker to reveal some desolate wasteland. "Throw her in!"

Salem tried to mutter something, reaching for my arm as I grabbed her and yanked her toward the hatch. She didn't say anything coherent. Even if she did, they fell on deaf ears. Before she could say anything else, I lobbed her through to portal to her fate. The last thing I ever saw from that monster was a look of betrayal before Nicholas slammed the hatch door, sealing it away once and for all.

The two of us stood silent as everything went back to normal. Nicholas turned to me before blinking. "Whoa, Osmond. Your hair." Huh? I held my bangs out. They've turned white. And my body… something feels different. Lighter, almost. It's like something just… stopped, removed from time. But I just can't put my finger on it. I looked over at where Curi should be, only to see that he and Salem's skin were missing. Only the Arrow lay there. I gritted my teeth. It hurts too much to call him by his real name. I'll call him 'Cupid' instead. It'll be easier for me. I hope.

"Osmond… Nicholas."

"Jojo!" The two of us rushed over to the man. He didn't look good, with the hole in his chest going straight through his heart. He's not going to live for much longer. Jojo coughed out blood. His eyes were already glazing up. I grabbed his shoulders. "Stay with us, Jojo. We'll get you something to bind your wounds—"

"Too… late. It's… over." A stream of tears slid down my face. No… He grabbed my hand, staring straight into my own eyes with one last determined look. "Never… forget…" His head slumped back before he could finish.

"Jojo?" I shook him. He didn't respond. "Jojo!" I shook him again. Then again. And again, hoping something would happen. But Jojo didn't say anything. I can see it in dimmed eyes. "No…"

A hand grabbed my shoulder: Nicholas's. "Osmond…" I looked up to see tears sliding down his face as well. "I want to grieve as much as you do. But we need to something, now." Nicholas held up the Arrow. "What do we do with this?"

I took it, staring at its ornate design. All of this trouble… was due to this. I snapped the shaft in half, then threw it on the ground, denting its edge. Nicholas reeled back. "Osmond?"

"Throw it in the sea."

"What?"

"You heard Jojo. 'Never forget.' I realize it now… us getting our Stands is the reason for all this. For Sarah merging with the Winter Mensis, for Jojo dying, for my family being destroyed." I started shaking. "We need to throw away that Arrow somewhere no one will ever find it, so that another situation like this can never happen again. We already took out the Winter Mensis. We just need to create a world that can face the Grimm without the help of the Stands." I closed my eyes. "Don't worry, Jojo. I won't forget."

My eyes opened again, this time for real. I'm back in the hospital. I sat up, rubbing my head. Seventy-nine years… I should be dead a long time ago, with Nicholas and the others. But I'm not. I just… kept going. Before, I didn't know why that was the case, and simply accepted it. But now… now I understand. My job isn't done yet. Not as long as Salem exists. I have to keep fighting, keep existing, keep remembering my mistakes, so that no one repeats it.

But one thing stuck out in my mind: Jojo's proposed surname. Rose. It was such a minor detail before, I never even paid it any thought. But now that I think about it… that's Ruby's surname. Is it just a coincidence? A lot of families changed their surnames after the Great War. But the fact that Ruby had silver eyes… that can't be a coincidence. Right?

I glanced down at the linen over me. I didn't stay in touch with Erina after Jojo's funeral. It was too painful to look at her in the face knowing that I indirectly got Jojo killed. Did she ever change her surname to honor her fiance? I don't think I'll ever know. Everyone who could've known is dead. But if Ruby really is related to Jojo… I shook my head. It doesn't matter. She has taken up Jojo's legacy regardless. I just hope she doesn't share his fate.

"Ozpin." Glynda walked in at that moment with a scroll in her hands. "Mr. Porfirio and Ms. Darcy came back. You might want to see this."

I guess that thought will have to be on hold. I took the scroll and looked through the contents before jumping right out of bed. "Is the Bullhead they're using still running?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Keep it running. I'll be going in, myself."

"What? But Ozpin, your wounds—"

"Have already healed up." I started getting myself dressed. "This is something I need to do alone. Don't tell the other students. I refuse to have anyone else be dragged in." With suit on and cane in hand, I started down the hallway, a familiar sensation growing in my chest. It's time for me to fix my mistakes.

 **=OZPIN BA END=**

* * *

 **Stand Description:**

 **「KING & LIONHEART」 - User can rip a hole in time-space through the action of opening something, allowing them access to alternate universes. Can bring out versions of themselves from their respective universes, allowing them to create an army of themselves to fight alongside the user. The root user cannot travel across dimensions, as they must always stay within the "root" universe. However, other individuals can travel through these portals.**

 **「HERMIT PURPLE」 - Gives the user the ability of divination, allowing them to discover information using TVs, cameras, or any medium that can be used to form an image. Can also transfer the power of the Silver Eyes through it, making them a deadly Grimm slayer.**

 **「BLACK BEATLES」 - User can stop the passage of time completely, stopping even the user. Only the Stand and the user's consciousness through the eyes of the Stand will be able to act within stopped time. The time duration is up to four seconds.**

 **「ELASTIC HEART」 - Acts as a near perfect white hole, where no one can enter their range ever. The sheer amount of energy pushing out from the center allows them to use the ability similar to a railgun, launching projectiles at ridiculous speeds. The duration of the white hole lasts for as long as she can exhale.**

* * *

 **Stand Inspiration:**

 **Nicholas Arc's King & Lionheart is inspired by the band Of Monsters and Men's "King and Lionheart." It's an alternative rock song released in 2013. I chose this song because of its themes of loyalty and bravery in the face of responsibility and danger. **

**Ozpin's Black Beatles is inspired by Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles." It's a trap rap song released in 2016. I initially chose this one because this song is associated with the Mannequin Challenge. So back in 2016, there was this trend where people would pose as mannequins, and a cameraperson would walk around, as if in stopped time. Then I looked into the lyrics, and the chorus is very "Ozpin," as raunchy as it is. It aptly describes the backstory I gave Ozpin on my own, and decided to double down on the reference.**

 **Emerald Sustrai's Elastic Heart is inspired by Sia's Elastic Heart. It's a pop-song released in 2013. The overall message of the song is about someone wary about falling in love and caring about other people, which is apt for Emerald. While there aren't any romantic connotations, there is still that wariness. It's someone putting up a front that they can be on their own, which makes them ironically more lonely.**

* * *

 **Oo, boy. That was a lot of Stand stuff to talk about. That's going to be the last the Stand abilities and inspiration will be this long. So with that done, let's get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: Honestly, I'd say the Starboy fight was the most fun fight to write. The actual fight is something unusual, it forces all the characters to use their Stands in unique ways to get away, Terminator Mercury is nothing short of horrifying, and the brawl between Jaune and Mercury just oozes with creativity. Funny enough, I actually don't consider this my favorite fight of the arc. You'll just have to keep reading to find out which is my favorite one. Thanks for reading!**

 **tuskenpaw: I mean, that's the question now: the Winter Mensis is gone, but how much of Sarah is left as a result? And with what happened after that, I don't blame Ozpin for feeling so bad about what happened. Thanks for reading!**

 **Guest: Definitely. Two fights in a row for the month of December. Thanks for reading!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Got it right on the head about Sarah. There's more I want to say about this, but I think I'll save that for the next retrospective. Thanks for reading!**

 **Ruby's Knight: No worries about that, Ruby's Knight. Also, I got the error you mentioned and corrected it.**

 **As for the comparisons between canon and this story, I'm surprised myself how close the comparisons are. I'm chalking it up to good timing more than anything else, but it's cool seeing the parallels between the reveals. Thanks for betaing for me!**

 **endme: I'm humbled that you think that. I'm not much for comparing my interpretation of Cinder with the show's interpretation since there is still a significant amount of story left for RWBY, while I'm just about ready to wrap up my own fic. But thank you for the compliment, and thank you for reading!**

 **GunsmokeBlackfinger: Never underestimate the power of facial surgery. That is the scariest Stand to fight against, for sure. Thanks for reading!**

 **doa570047: No kidding. I fear the day Jaune and Mercury can combine their Stands together. Like with how I have Jaune's ability, it can overcome the limitations of Mercury's strand size. Super thicc strands, here we go! And again, the car-chase fight: easily the most fun fight I got to write this arc.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update! Happy holidays and have a happy new year!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: January 4, 2019**_


	53. Close to You

**Hello everybody! Welcome to the first chapter of the year!**

 **Casual reminder that the side stories are canon and are important to read. Other than that, there's nothing else for me to say, so let's get right into the chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight_**

* * *

I let out a long sigh. "So now what?"

Weiss and Blake turned to look at me as we stood over Emerald's unconscious body. "Huh?" Weiss asked. "What do you mean?"

"With Emerald." I shrugged. "I haven't seen a single movement out of her from the moment we knocked her out. To be honest, I'm tempted to just leave her here and pray she doesn't attack us from behind. But at the same time, it's just… I kinda don't want to just leave her here. I'm not even worried about a surprise attack, but it just doesn't feel right, you know?"

"I mean… I guess." Blake shrugged. She rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't think it'll matter, though. She'll be fine, even with the wounds from my Stand. I made sure that every injury could be healed up with Aura. She'll just be very weak afterwards. She won't be permanently scarred."

Her hand reached for her torso. "But there is a small part of me that wonders otherwise. Something that's bothered me since my White Fang days. That I _have_ scarred her in a deeper way. That I should care more for the people we hurt. Maybe we shouldn't leave her behind." She shook her head. "We can't focus on that now. I think she'll be fine. We can worry about her later, after we've saved the world."

My lips were pressed in a thin line. "I guess…" I shook my head before standing up. "I guess I'm just letting my thoughts get the better of me. You're right, Blake. We should be catching up to Ruby before she finds Cinder." I gestured to the stairwell. "Come on. We can catch up to Ruby in no time—"

"Wait…"

Huh? Was that… the sound of someone rasping? The three of us turned around to see someone limping towards us. Who in the world is walking towards us? We narrowed our eyes. That seems pretty odd… this area should be evacuated by now. Unless… I tensed up. There are only two people we left behind at the entrance. The person coming towards us has to be Mercury or—

"It's Jaune," Blake declared, her head nodded. "He made it." That got everyone around us to sigh and relax. He managed to deal with Mercury. Unless Cinder has more Stand users, we should be in the clear. Nobody else to fight against. Only Cinder and the Amber girl left. It's only a matter of time before we end Cinder's reign of terror.

As the boy came closer, our smiles started to fade out. We covered our faces. Oh my gods… Jaune did not look good. For one, several tiny bullet wounds, dealt by buckshot by the looks of it, had torn through his outfit, revealing the skin underneath. Blood still gushed down his torso, almost like a waterfall. Then there was the sheer amount of bruises over his body. I swear, he was more purple-blue than pale at this point.

His body was surrounded by his pale white Aura, but at this point we could see the cracks slipping across the barrier. The bullet holes constricted, but they refused to close up for good. And his face— it was contorted with pain. His eyes were dull, almost not registering anything around him. If we didn't know better, we would've thought he was a zombie. How long has he been walking over to us in this state? This isn't good. Something's wrong.

But despite all the warning signs, the boy kept going. He spotted us not a moment later. His eyes shimmered in recognition, and he managed to crack a smile, giving us a wave. "H-hey." He collapsed to the floor a second later.

"Jaune!" The three of us rushed over to him. "Jaune! What happened?"

"Well, let's just say Mercury managed to get a lucky shot on me." The blonde boy chuckled before hacking up blood. We backed up at the sight. "Sorry," he continued. "But he got me good. My heart's barely holding together, and it feels like I'm drowning with the amount of internal bleeding in my lungs."

"Well, what are we doing, then?" I called **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** out. "Let's make it easier on your Aura." I snapped my fingers, creating a flame in my hands.

The moment he saw the fire in my hands, Jaune turned pale. "Yang, no! Don't do this to me! No again!"

"Again?" I brought my flaming hand towards him. "Do what?"

"That! Don't get any closer!" I stopped. "Please don't cauterize the wound," Jaune said, backing away from me. "There has to be another way. Anything but that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Jaune, this is the easiest way to plug up your wounds without using Aura. Why not?"

"It's… well…" Jaune bit his lip and looked away. "It's pretty hard to explain, considering that you weren't there to see it—"

Weiss stepped in at that moment. "Right, that time. Yang, remember that day when we were training in the arena, then you blanked out and woke up all tied up?" I let out a hum and nodded. "We fought a Stand user that day. Long story short, Jaune managed to defeat the user, but he received several bullet wounds that his Aura couldn't handle. And well… in order to seal up his wounds before he died…" The heiress looked away. "I… might've heated up my sword and used it to seal up his wounds."

Jaune jerked his head in a nod, continuing to back up. "I'm not going to do it again. You can't make me. I've promised myself that I won't try that again." He tried to stand up. "There's got to be a first-aid kit, maybe even one with Aura boosters somewhere. It's not like we're in an open campus, we're in a building! We can afford to—"

"Nope, I'm going to stop you right there," I sighed, grabbing the boy and pulling him back down to the ground. "You're real close to dying, and all you're worrying about right now is whether or not your wounds get cauterized?"

"Yes!"

"Then sorry about this. This won't hurt you. Probably." I slapped him in the chest, lighting him on fire. Jaune shrieked and started to convulse.

"Agh! Ahh— Wait a minute." The boy's eyes widened in surprise, his rapid movements slowing to a halt. "It's not hurting. I'm on fire, but I don't feel a thing. Just… cozy. Why doesn't it hurt?"

I gave him a shrug. "I don't know. It's just a byproduct of my Stand ability. Apparently, it doesn't hurt anyone I want to heal. It's a bit weird how it's selective on who feels the burn, but hey. I'm not going to complain about it." With the snap of my fingers, the flames dissipated. Ugly scar tissue now filled in where the bullet holes were before. Already it started peeling away to unbroken skin as Jaune's Aura washed over him, flickering but more stable now. The bruises on his body started to fade away as well. "How do you feel?"

He took in a deep breath with a lot of effort before coughing up another round of blood. "It's kinda hard to breathe. And my heart's beating like crazy." He cleared his throat. "But after letting out that cough, I don't feel like I'm drowning anymore. So… there's that, at least."

"Yeah, it's definitely better than nothing." I dusted my hands. "Now your body should be able to take care of itself. Can you still walk?"

He nodded. "I might need a minute or two for the scar tissue inside my body to heal up, but I think that I can fight once that's taken care of."

"Hey, that's a relief!" I let out a sigh and wiped my brow. "But I don't think we have time to wait. How about this: you can wait here and watch Emerald until you're good. We'll head upstairs first and try to meet up with Ruby."

His eyes widened. "Wait, she's upstairs by herself?"

"It was the only choice that made any sense," Blake said. "She's the one with the best chance at surviving whatever Stand ability Cinder has, and she's the only person who couldn't really do anything about Emerald's Stand." She let out a resigned sigh. "Nobody really wanted to split up, but it was the only decent choice considering we don't even know the amount of time we have left."

"Yeah…" Jaune lowered his head. "Yeah…" Everybody stood there silent. "Go ahead," he finally sighed. "Go find Ruby. I'll catch up with you guys soon enough—"

"Don't… don't do it." Huh? We turned around to see Emerald stirring from her position. "Whatever you do… don't go up those stairs—"

"And what?" I shot back. "Allow Cinder to summon some monster that will kill everyone in the world? Do you really think we're going to let her do that without a fight?"

"Of course not." The mint-haired girl tried to pull herself up as **「** **ELASTIC HEART** **」** appeared behind her head. "But listen. I'm not going to let you ruin—"

"Don't move another inch," Weiss ordered, her own Stand appearing and drawing its saber.

"Or what?"

"Look at what you're laying on."

Emerald did, only to gasp when she saw the patch of red, white, and blue Dust she rested on. "What the—"

"That's right. That's a one to one ratio of fire and ice Dust you're lying on, with a helping of concussive Dust to amplify its effects. More than enough to permanently take you out of commission." Weiss glanced down to another small patch of fire Dust right next to her feet. It connected all the way back to the Dust vein Emerald rested on. "We placed you there just in case you managed to wake up before we left. If you get up, I'll blow it up. If you try to attack with your Stand, I'll blow it up. And don't think you can push me or my Stand away from this patch." **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** lowered its saber until its edge just barely cleared the tip of the tallest Dust crystal. "I will hit it."

That got the wounded girl to grit her teeth. "Please… what you're doing, it's not right. Tell me, what do you think is going to happen when you stop Cinder?"

Huh? What kind of question is that? "We save the world, of course," I answered.

"Maybe you do. But tell me, what do you think is going to happen after all that? What is going to happen to Vale once they eliminate the Grimm in the city? What's going to happen to the people once they emerge from their shelters and attempt to rebuild?" Emerald gritted her teeth. "Everything will go back to normal. Powerful, corrupt men will twist the event to benefit them before continuing on with their corrupt careers. The Huntsmen will continue fighting the Grimm and dying. Villages outside the Kingdom will still live in fear of the Grimm. Certain groups inside the walls are still going to suffer. And nobody will care."

She held a trembling hand up to her face. "Hell, after the destruction we caused, so many more people will be worse off. Dead loved ones, destroyed homes, lost jobs, expensive medical bills. By saving the world, you're putting more people on the streets. In the long run, you're just enabling more suffering. Maybe the Council might throw up some welfare program to gain favor with the people, but the moment they can guarantee their security, they won't care. They'll abandon the people that need them the most. The status quo will end up even worse."

"But Cinder's the reason why we're in this situation in the first place!" I shot out, surprising everybody else. "She got the White Fang to bomb Vale! She's the one who brought in the Grimm, she got so many people hurt! You're the reason why so many people are suffering right now!" I can feel my eyes grow red with anger. "You talk like everyone's going to get screwed over if we save the world from Cinder, but they wouldn't be in this situation if Cinder hadn't done this at all!"

"We had to make small sacrifices for the greater good." Emerald curled her fist up. "They weren't going to matter once Cinder succeeds. It's only if we fail, then everybody will face the consequences of our actions. We owe it to them to finish this, Yang. We can't let their sacrifices go to waste."

"Go to waste? I can't even— You shouldn't even be sacrificing other people's lives in the first place!" I rubbed my forehead. "What kind of excuse is this? Playing with other people's lives, treating them like they're disposable, all in the hopes of achieving a greater goal? Only a monster would do that!"

"And what, you think that what we have right now is better?" The girl spat to the side. "I wouldn't expect a person like you to get it."

"Get what? What is there to get? Committing these acts of terrorism isn't an acceptable thing to do for the betterment of anyone—"

"And what do you honestly suggest? That people try to talk about their problems in the hopes that the whole world's going to care enough to listen and help out?" The mint-haired girl sneered at me. "This is exactly what I mean by the fact that you don't get it. You don't understand the pain, the hardships people like me had to face."

Emerald gave me a frightening glare. "You don't understand how humiliating it is to beg on the streets, hoping that some random passerby will take pity on some tiny, lonely girl. You don't understand the hunger and desperation that leads to a person becoming a criminal. You don't understand the outrage when the society that was supposed to protect and help you instead tosses you to the curb and leaves you there to die. All because you chose to continue living instead of following the rules, when it was their job to help you out!"

I can see nothing but pure fury dancing in her eyes. "And when we cross lines to make life better for everyone, in you come, sitting on your moral high horse, beating us down, treating us like nothing more than creatures of Grimm, demeaning us and claiming that _we_ are the bad guys. That we are evil for trying to change a system that doesn't care if we're alone, that we need help. No, you'd rather not care. Because letting people in and helping out with their problems only matter when it's easy, when it's relatable, when it matters."

"And what do you think we're doing?" I responded. "We're trying to save everyone, at the risk of our own lives. You destroy people's lives in the hopes that they'll have a better next life. Maybe the poor and other groups don't have the respect they deserve right now, but we're not sacrificing people to make everything fair for everyone. And maybe us Huntsmen can't help with the problem, but we can take steps to eventually get them the help they need."

"Eventually. That's the key thing. That's what they all say. 'It'll come. Just be patient.' Do you really expect people like me to be patient when we don't even have days left? Well-off people can afford to wait. They can afford to think ahead and take their time. Time is a luxury that poor people, marginalized people don't have." She turned to look at Blake. "You should know better than anyone else." Based on how Blake looked away, Emerald made her point more than clear.

"… And you know that you all will be the ones getting shafted the most?"

That got everyone to pause. "… What?"

Emerald looked up at us again, but this time it was sad, almost pitying. "Tell me, what the hell are you guys going to do once this is all over? Let me guess, you're going to try and pretend that nothing ever happened? Hide your powers for the rest of your life, living a lonely life as a Huntress separated from other Huntresses? You'll have to live with that reality for the rest of your lives, that no matter who you talk to, they'll never truly understand what you're going through." I pressed my lip into a fine line.

She continued, "You're fighting for a system that will throw you under the carpet once the danger rolls over. Your existence will be buried away in order to hide your secret. People will peg you as insane if you try to explain it. You'll probably be watched by the Councils, never to leave their sight because you are dangerous? Do you think you can live like that for the rest of your lives?"

Everybody stood silent at that. "That's what I thought," Emerald sighed. "No one's that selfless. We might've inflicted these Stand powers on you in our hopes to find the one we needed. Maybe we caused a lot of pain for everyone. Maybe we destroyed Vale. But it wouldn't matter once we succeed. It won't matter once everyone really understands what we go through."

To our surprise, she started tearing up. "Cinder… she gets it. She understands. She doesn't try to trick us or use us, but she really, genuinely wants to make our lives better. And I understand her as well." She swallowed. "What she wants, she wants for everyone. She would throw her life away to make our lives better. I wish there were more people like her."

We all stared at the sight of her tearing up. This… this is… I don't really know. I glanced at everybody else. They also had uncomfortable looks on their faces. Jaune in particular balled his fists up. His wounds were more or less healed up now.

"Emerald…" he started.

"Don't bother," Emerald shot back. "The worst kind of sympathy is fake sympathy. I don't want your empty words. I've had more than enough of those in my life."

"I won't, then." Jaune stood up. "I'll just make a promise. You don't have to believe it. It's not for you." That got the girl's attention.

"What?"

"I might be only one person," he continued. "And one person can't change the world by themselves. But I won't forget the pain you feel inside. I won't let you or anyone I meet feel alone or lost. I promise that I will help to build a world where we won't leave others to wallow in their loneliness, to turn to desperation. I promise to not be the problem that got you here in the first place."

Emerald said nothing, looking down at the floor for a moment before looking away. "Empty words. They mean nothing to me."

"But they mean something to me. It'll be my purpose, the thing that drives me even after this is all over. My life to make other lives better. Just watch." With that, he started up the stairs.

I looked down at Emerald myself. "I refuse to let Cinder's dream come true. But at the same time, I refuse to let your nightmare come true, either. We'll fight both. That's just who we are." And with that, I followed Jaune up the stairs. Weiss and Blake quickly followed. Emerald made no attempt to stop us.

"Jaune," I started after catching up to him. "Wow. I didn't really expect that from you. Where did that come from?"

"It's something I was thinking about after listening to both Mercury and Emerald." The blond boy sighed. "They believe in Cinder, that what she's doing is right. She's giving them something that the Kingdoms couldn't give them. We have every right to be angry at what they've done, but as much as they deserve to pay for the destruction that they caused… We need to change as well. This won't go back to normal. We might be saving the world, but the Kingdoms have failed them if they wanted to change the system this badly. We have to learn from this, grow from this. Fix the system so that no one will want to do this again."

"Huh…" I rubbed my chin. "Maybe we do."

We continued upwards. Something did bother me about what Jaune said. Cinder gave them something that they needed, and not only that, convinced them that she is on their side. I want to say that Cinder's a sociopath or something, but… maybe there's more to it than we think. I bit my lip. Why does Cinder care?

* * *

There's something beautiful about reaching your destination after a long journey. I continued up the stairs, pushing a bound Amber forwards towards her ultimate fate. It can be hard, it can be boring, and it wears down on you after a long enough time. Conviction does not replace the tiredness you feel when traveling a long path. But there's there's some sense of satisfaction that comes from overcoming everything and finally attaining your goal.

"Amber, dearie," I started, bursting through the roof doors and into a cloudy Remnant night. What an appropriate place to bring back Salem. It is here where the Kingdom of Vale was born. What better place to bring about a new era than here? I gently pushed her to a kneeling position. "We're here."

She didn't respond, simply letting out a whimper underneath her gag. I stared out into the horizon, staring at the dim glow of the Remnant moon through the clouds. It's the only thing that's actually lighting up the night sky at this point in time. And with how cloudy it is outside, I can't really tell what stage the moon is in right now.

I sighed. It's such a strange celestial object. Depending on what phase it's it, it's either a whole figure or broken up into pieces. That's not the reality of the moon, of course. It doesn't actually break apart and reform, but perspective can certainly change that. No one knows how and why it does that. With what we understand about gravity, something like that should be impossible. But it does anyway.

In an almost twisted sense, the fact that it appears to break apart and reunite is almost reflective of our own cycle of destruction. There are some moments when it's clear we're broken, and there are some moments when it looks like we're fixed back together. But regardless of the state we appear to be in, there's no denying that like the moon, the Kingdoms and Remnans are fundamentally broken. No matter what each individual does, there's no denying that our society will just break again, over and over and bringing pain.

Tonight, that cycle will end. No longer will we be broken, but united and strong. We'll all be reborn, not just pretending to be fixed, but a truly whole community. No more pain. No more selfishness. No more loneliness, or listlessness; no longer will individuals will suffer. Tonight, we correct the ultimate injustice that Remnans have inflicted on ourselves. Tonight, we become one.

I turned around and stared at the bound kneeling girl. "You, my dear Amber, will be the one who will bring Remnans up and away from our greatest weaknesses." I walked over to her and grabbed a loose end of the sarashi wrap and closed my eyes. The pale white woman I've seen so long ago… She's given me her hands and her voice to help me free her. The 'wrap' started glowing warm in my fingers. I ask for this one last favor: speak to me. Tell me how to free you, Salem.

Several images started to form in my head, the memories taken straight from Amber's head. A ring on a tanned left hand. Some kind of closed shape. A circle, square, pentagon: it doesn't matter, as long as it's closed up. Both hands pressed against the border and deep, complete focus on where the opening should be. Normally it has to be places that can be imagined vividly. Locations Amber's been in before, all imagined in fine detail. Normally it's impossible to imagine other dimensions to that extent. But Salem can get around that without any major issues.

I opened my eyes again and took the time to unwrap just Amber's mouth. "I know that you're still listening, Amber," I started. "We both know how to use your powers. It won't take me long to force you to use your powers, and it will end badly for you." I knelt down right in front of her. "I'm giving you one last chance to do this without any more pain. No matter what, you will be doing this. The only choice you have in the matter is whether or not you go with it willingly." I extended my hand, even though I know she can't possibly see it. "Please. Make the right choice."

The woman swallowed, taking her precious time to lick her lips and clear her throat. I sat and continued to wait. Finally, she spoke. "So… so no matter what I choose, the same thing's going to happen, right?"

"Yes."

"No matter my answer, I will be using my Stand ability to accomplish your goals?"

"Mmhm."

"If that's the case…" Amber swallowed again. "If the 'right choice' according to you means that I will go along with your plans… then you already know my answer."

My eyes lowered. "I see. And there's no way I'm going to convince you otherwise, huh?" The woman kept her silence. I nodded my head. "I'm sorry, then." I started wrapping the 'sarashi' over her mouth again, forcing her to gag. "Even I find it cruel that I have to take away your free will. But it's necessary for the greater good. I wished I didn't have to go this far, Amber." It didn't take long before the gag was back in place. "I only hope that if you survive long enough to see the end, that you can forgive me for what I've done."

She didn't respond, but I can definitely make out dark, oily tears running down her face. Let's begin, then. I took her hand. On her middle finger was a powdery yet solid chalk ring. So this is the form of **「** **SWEET DREAMS.** **」** Who know that a Stand so simple can open up a whole new world of opportunities? I formed a simple dust knife and sliced off her binds. With what's going into her, I don't think she's going to resist.

I pulled her up to her knees. "Come, let's draw this circle out." She immediately resisted, doing everything to pull away from me. My other hand grabbed her ear and jerked it down. The sounds of struggle were quickly replaced with whimpers of pain and continued gagging.

"I do not take pleasure in this, you know," I said as I started walking forwards. As for the girl herself, she couldn't do anything but follow along, dragging the chalk across the ground. "You might think that I'm treating you like a dog, like someone less than human. And I definitely understand why you feel that way." I stared forwards. "But trust me, I don't enjoy doing this to you. I am not a monster, after all. But this is absolutely necessary if Remnans want to continue onwards."

The time quickly stretched to minutes. Even with me trying to coax Amber along as best as I can, she still put up quite the resistance. "Amber." I let out a hum. "Do you mind if you listen to me just… speak my mind?" She let out a muffled sound, but I couldn't tell what she said. "I'm going to assume you said 'yes.'" I took in a deep breath. "Do you ever wonder what could've changed if a few things went differently in your life? I have."

Another hum escaped my mouth as we continued walking. "When I look back on my past, well… I'm not very proud." I paused for a moment to think my thoughts out. "I've done a lot of things that looking back, were extremely naive and stupid. And bad people took advantage of my naivety and did some awful, awful things. Not for any good reason, mind you. Just because they could. Just because they refused to understand like I tried to do for them." I stared into the distance. "That was when I realized that we are fundamentally broken. That no matter what we try to do, we're just going to keep getting hurt by people who don't try."

At this point, maybe half the circle was done. I continued, "Ever since I started on this personal quest, I've always wondered: what kind of person would I be if I didn't learn this truth? Would I continue to live in my dumb naivety as I became an adult? Would I just have it shattered by some other event? Would I grow up to become a bad person, forgetting the good in me and doing bad things to other people just because?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Not knowing what might've happened if things turned down differently is always interesting to think about, you know?"

"And I know what you might be thinking. 'Isn't what I'm doing just as bad?'" I nodded my head. "Maybe… but I'm not doing it out of hatred or some narrow-minded thinking. I'm not like the others, who don't really care about whether or not people die. Oh, but I already explained this to you during the car ride, didn't I?" I nodded my head. "Yes, yes. I definitely remember having this conversation with you before. I don't think it's worth repeating, then. So—"

" _Whee! Faster, faster!_ " What the— Where did that voice come from? I looked around. There was nobody in sight. That sounded like a small child, a girl from the sounds of it. But… that can't be possible. Why would a child be here, in the middle of a Grimm-infested zone, and in an important government building, nevertheless… having fun as if nothing ever happened? The voice called out again, " _Come on, push faster! The wagon can go faster!_ "

To my left. I shot up, letting go of Amber's head in an instant. "Don't go anywhere," I ordered. I started towards the direction of the voices. Not only is there a kid just playing around here… there's another person? What are they doing? Don't they know that the moment they run into a creature of Grimm, they're not only going to die, but they'll also never see the future that everybody is heading towards. I won't let them die here. The people who died before this… they were absolutely necessary sacrifices to get to this point. But somebody dying here to the Grimm would be dying for nothing. I can't let that happen.

" _Go, go! Whee!_ " My Stand appeared behind me right as I peered over the ledge to see… no one. What the— I did a double take. There was nobody in sight. I don't see the girl or whoever is with her. Where in the world did they go? They said that they had a wagon or something, but I didn't hear it at all. It was just the girl's voice. But I can't find her anywhere.

Is this an illusion by Emerald? But she believes in my cause. There's no way they managed to convince her to switch sides. A trick of the mind? Could it be that Ruby and her friends already found me? I turned back towards the door. If they were there, they were doing a good job hiding from me. I closed my eyes and focused. No one's Aura is there. It's just me. I walked back to Amber. What was that about?

A minute or so passed in relative silence. During that period, we made a significant amount of progress. At this point, the circle's just about finished. I let go of her the moment she connected the chalk lines. It's such a simple shape. Just a two-meter wide circle on the ground. But with that simple circle, we can free Remnans from the shackle of our horribleness. "We're so close to being done, Amber," I said, admiring the formation. "There's only one last thing to do." I grabbed her hands, pressing them against the line before grabbing her head. "This is the most painful part. What you're going to see is going to push you to the brink of death."

Amber let out a muffled protest, but again, I couldn't make out a single word she was saying. I shut my eyes. "Just… hold on." I squeezed the back of her neck.

In an instant, she started convulsing. The 'wrap' tightened over her head and started secreting black fluid that was surely going into her body. A sticky, web-like film started spreading over her face. Despite all her efforts, she couldn't move her hands away from the line.

But the thing that got to me the most… was the scream. It sounded like the combination of a gurgle and a screech of terror. I don't want to think of all the memories Salem could be sending to Amber's head right now. The world that Salem's trapped in isn't something any normal person would feel comfortable to see. And that information bombarded Amber at once. I bit my cheeks. It has to happen, ignore the screams. This is for justice. I need to believe that, now more than ever.

While Amber let out her muffled scream for help, her Stand finally started to do their job. Tiny rock golems appeared over her chalky hands before crawling onto the chalk line and slowly filling it in. The woman jerked down for a moment before righting herself. But her body trembled the entire time.

My eyes narrowed. This isn't good. Can her mind and body take the strain of imagining and forming a connection between dimensions? From the memories I've viewed, Amber's only tried it with places she's been before. And even then, that's a significant strain on her mind. If it turns out that she can't handle creating an interdimensional portal—

I shook my head. There's no way the worst case situation will happen. The memories say otherwise. It is possible. She can, and she will open that portal. After all, this isn't in my hands anymore. I brought Amber to the place Salem wanted. It's now in her hands to bring herself back. And there's no way that Salem is going to waste her only shot at returning to the real world.

By this point, the circle had completely been filled in with the chalk markings. Inch by inch, the residue changed colors, from its pale white to a more deep red. Details started being fleshed out, depicting a rocky, misshapen world covered by a dim red haze. Rock formations impossible even with gravity Dust formed the valley of death I stared at today. Purple-black crystals jutted out of the ground in numerous amounts, making the area look sinister. The scene looked nothing short of apocalyptic.

And standing in the center of it all was an extremely pale woman. She wore her hair in a bun with prongs of hair that reminded me of the legs of a spider, or maybe more like an octopus. The robe she wore draped all the way down to her feet, hiding her entire body. Only her head could be seen. The woman that stood in this image might not look too assuming, but it's her power that will bring about the change this world desperately needs.

As the details became more and more refined, I noticed the dark red veins that ran across her face, the diamond bindi on her forehead, dark red eyes that feel comforting like a mother, yet exudes power and ambition unparalleled by anyone. She smiled.

" _At long last…_ " the woman whispered in my head. I shivered. Every single word was packed with confidence, even when separated by an entire dimension. " _It's so nice to see the night skies of Vale after eighty long years._ " Her eyes flickered in my direction. " _Thank you for everything you've done. You'll be rewarded very soon. But now—_ "

The image in the circle suddenly changed, switching over to a simple beach in Vacuo. Huh? What the— I turned to look at Amber. Instead of the weak shaking I saw earlier, now she held firm, curling her fingers to the point where I can see blood smearing underneath her fingertips. No… that's impossible! How's she resisting the images in her head?

One of her hands managed to pull away from the circle, yanking the gag around her mouth. "Ah refoose!" She garbled as she coughed out the inky fluid out her mouth. "I'm not bringing her back!" She made to throw herself through the portal.

I gritted my teeth. "No! You're not going to ruin this! Not after we've spent so long preparing for this day! Not after the many sacrifices needed to bring us here! I will not let the lives of the dead be in vain!" I marched over to the girl and grabbed the wrapping around her, just barely stopping her from escaping from me. "Open her prison!"

"No!"

A squeeze of the wrap caused the binds to squeeze around Amber's eyes. What followed was a howl of pain like no one can ever imagine. It rang through the air, a screech of pure agony. She convulsed in my arms, almost like she was having a seizure. I held firm.

The gag went over her mouth again, covering up any further cries of pain. And her hand were pushed back against the circle as Salem's fluid entered Amber again. The image in the circle changed again, but this time, it wasn't either the desolate wasteland or the beach. No, this time it's an image of Forever Fall.

I squeezed the wrap again. Another muffled scream. Another convulsion. The image changed to a landmark in Vale. No matter how many times I squeezed and forced my will on her, she made sure to never change it back to the place where Salem is. "Why do you keep resisting?" I asked. "You cannot resist change! It will happen, and the entire world has to unite if we are to continue onwards! Why do you insist on resisting?" A drop of sweat slipped down my face. At this rate, she's not going to survive the experience! Unless… My eyes widened. "No…"

My grip tightened. No… Not after everything we've gone through. She is _not_ going to take her own life just to stop us! I have to stop this somehow… but I don't have anything to do that. What can I do? How do I stop this plan from collapsing—

" _Let me, child._ " My eyes widened. That's… Salem. That's right… she's still in control of the wraps. I have to just trust her with that. That she can turn the situation around and get herself out from her prison. I just need to believe that she'll do it. She wants what I want just as much as I do. There's no way that she's going to let that all go now that's she's so close.

And as for me, I just have to prepare for the moment when Ruby breaks through that door— Wait a minute. How do I know that? I tried looking behind me, but my body wouldn't respond. I can feel the ominous feeling… I know she's running towards me right now… but I can't do anything. Why? Is it fear? Doubt? While they both flow through my body currently, it's not stopping my body from letting go of the wrapping and standing up. But it won't listen the moment I want to turn around. Why is that? And how do I know that Ruby will be the one that will come through the door alone?

* * *

Sweat ran down my face as I sprinted through the corridors with reckless abandon, leaving traces of my Semblance behind me. There's no doubt about it. That was somebody screaming from above. It's either from the third floor somewhere or the roof. But my instincts are telling me the roof. No, I _know_ it's the roof. Why I know that, I have no idea. But that's just where I'm going. That would've been nice to know before I searched through the entire second floor, but now's not the time to think back on all this stuff. The fact that there's screaming in the first place means that Cinder's ritual thing is starting now.

We absolutely have no time left. I threw myself onto the stairs the moment I reached them, continuing to run as fast as I possibly can. Cinder could succeed any minute now, and I have to do _something_ to stop it before she can succeed—

I stopped the moment I made it up the stairs. What the— My eyes widened in surprise. The third floor's… ashy. Everything in the area was covered in a layer of soot. The floor, the walls, the furniture, the plants, they all had a thick layer of ash sitting on top. A fire? I didn't smell smoke earlier. It would've been noticeable the moment we walked into the building, no, the moment we arrived. There's no way this is real. It can't possibly be.

My eyes flickered to the right before I let out a gasp. "No! Dad!" I rushed over to the collapsed body. Like everything else, he, too was covered in soot. He had his arms stretched out, almost if shielding something or someone. His entire body was gray with soot. I couldn't find a single bit of color within. What is he doing here? Why would he be here? I thought he was guarding one of the shelters—

I looked up a moment later, only to gasp again. It's not just Dad. Uncle Qrow, everyone I knew from Signal, Bori, Deery, Persi, Glade: all of them and so many others are in this hallway, all covered in soot. All lying on the ground. All unmoving.

A tear slipped down my eye as I tried grabbing Dad's head. Tried being the key point here. The moment I touched it, he crumbled into ashes. No… No! I tried scooping up anything that remained, but I didn't grab a single thing. He disappeared into the ground, becoming one with the ashes. That single tear threatened to become a torrent. It can't be… Dad, please. You can't be dead. None of you can be dead. I can't— I don't know what I would do if you all were dead. Just please—

I turned around - and found the hallway behind me clean as a whistle. My eyes widened, tears forgotten. What the— how can this happen? That… can't be right. I walked through that area earlier. It was sooty. But… but there's no way that it can clean itself up that quickly, even with my Semblance. The gears in my head started to turn. But then again, I didn't feel anything when I tried touching the ashes. I just couldn't grab them for some reason.

Wait a minute… Is this another hallucination? I stood up. Another memory… My head started to ache. But no matter how much I wanted to, my body refused to let me grab my head. That's right… this… this never happened before. Before, I ran straight through. I tripped over something and shed a tear. My body started picking up the pace again. And then, I continued onwards. The ashes around me were never a thing.

But that's seeing into the future. That's impossible. I shouldn't know exactly what I'm going to do. It's like deja vu, but way scarier. This isn't something that I dreamt up before. No, it feels like I've actually _lived_ through it before.

Something's definitely not right. Why in the world am I just going through the motions? Why do I remember the motions before? Why can't I influence the future, and why am I seeing these hallucination memory things? The Headmaster himself told us what Salem can do. This cannot be her Stand's ability… can it? Is it Cinder's? There's no way that she wouldn't try to use it earlier, though.

But I keep going. I have to. I started running up the last flight of stairs. Right where Cinder will be. My mind felt like it was twisting itself, trying to figure out what I'm currently experiencing. What if… what if this is trying to tell me something? Something about my fate that I'm not aware of yet? That I'm not experiencing the present? It seems ridiculous, but I feel like I'm currently living through the past. Like life is flashing through my eyes. Except… I'm only aware that it's happening now.

As I scaled the stairs, more questions appeared in my mind. How do I explain the voices and memories I've never lived? Why am I only realizing this just now? If this really is a flashback… what is my fate, then? Am I going to die? How am I going to die? If I know that I'm reaching the end, what happens to me against Cinder?

The door grew closer and closer as I reached the top. I don't know if I can answer those questions right now. The only way I'll know… is if I keep moving forward. I steeled myself. Whatever happens during this fight… I need to know what happens in the end.

I burst through the door, panting at the exertion. The scene in front of me was not pretty. Amber had some kind of… thing wrapped around her head, and it's spewing out some disgusting black fluid. She's currently kneeling around a circle that had an image of some kind of mountain. She's trying to resist this. That's what my future memories say. They're quiet about whether she succeeds or not, but she bought me time to get up here.

And that leaves me looking at the other person. Cinder. The one who started it all. She hunched over the other person's body, her hand clenched into a fist. She was tense, almost as if she herself didn't know what was going to happen.

She turned to look at me. And there, our eyes met.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 1/18/2018**

* * *

 **Cinder's Bizarre Adventure - Act 1**

Do you believe in destiny? That's a question posed by a lot of people as they grow up and think about how the world works. Some people say that they do, and go with the flow. Others don't, and live on believing they control their fate. As for me, I fully believe in destiny. I saw it unfold in front of my own eyes at the young age of fifteen. Destiny made me Cinder.

I found myself sitting in a little garden, drawing yet another picture of a beautiful water fountain. My hand moved with a snap, layering the waves as they flowed up the waterfall, against gravity's wishes. They didn't stop, moving from the ripples to the leaves and plant life around the fountain. Flowers bloomed with a stroke of my hand, bushes planted themselves into the scene with each and every layer to the piece. The rawness of the scene in front of me imprinted itself onto the pages.

The pencil dropped into its pouch, its tip worn to a nub. I blinked. My drawing pad rested on my lap, revealing the recreated water foundation on its smooth surface. Even though it was nothing more than a sketch, I smiled. Not bad. I flipped back, peering at several portraits and landscape drawings made in the past eight years. The details within each image faded away, grew coarser, sloppy, less emotional until I reached the first doodle, to my first attempt at the fountain. I nodded my head. It's a lot better than when I first started. I'm getting closer to capturing its true beauty.

With a quick hum, I leaped to my feet and started for home. The garden shrunk away from me, revealing the town of Fotia. Compared to the city of Mistral, it's unremarkable at best. The streets would spew dust whenever someone walked through it. Simple Mistralian architecture that didn't exude the expected cultural beauty our Kingdom was known for. Only the garden really had art comparable to the capital. But despite all that, it was still home. My home.

"Ah!" A raspy voice spoke up. "Good evening, young Celosia!" I turned towards the voice. A ragged old man sat next to a store. He had several pink patches over his skin, and his fingers were shortened stubs. His face remained stiff and rock-like. His body was starting to waste away. My eyes softened. He looked so frail. A bowl sat in front of him, partially filled with lien. _Need lien for food and family,_ the sign behind the bowl read. Still, he gave me a weak smile as his beaver tail slapped against the ground.

How long has it been since somebody referred to me by my old name? It really was so long ago, wasn't it? I smiled back, walking towards the old man and bowing. "Good evening to you too, Mr. Kyanos. How's your family?"

"They still write to me back from Mistral," he answered. "They're trying to make do, but they can't really do much without me there." He looked at his hands and feet, shaking. "If only I— I could be there for my wife and children, and not here."

I gave him a nod. "Right…" I rifled through my pockets and deposited a lien chip. "But don't worry, Mr. Kyanos. Everyone's hoping for your eventual recovery and return to Mistral."

He smiled, giving me a deep bow in return. "Thank you, Celosia. You're a kindhearted child. Don't let anyone take that away from you, okay?"

I nodded. "Farewell, then." I continued on my way. On that dusty pathway, I started spotting another person sitting on the ground, sick and wasting away as well. Then another. It came to a point where there was a person in front of every building, some human, mainly Faunus. The looks on their aging faces were nothing short of miserable.

Now, the town of Fotia is an unusual one. Most villages outside the capital walls were usually made by colonists or the wealthy, hoping for a better life out of the walls. However, most of the people here didn't move here to make a better life or something like that. No, the truth about Fotia… is that we're a quarantine town.

My eyelids fell a bit as I greeted each person on the road. In the Mistralian language, this town is _katharízontas tin póli_ , a place to contain the sick back when epidemics ravished the continent of Anima. To an extent, it still does. Now… it's also used to contain the poor and the elderly. Here is where people like us get our second chance. Here, we purify ourselves, grow stronger as people and rediscover what it means to be a true Mistralian. And when we have proven ourselves, we might be able to reconnect with the city and start over. That's the idea, at least.

"Oh! Hello there, Celosia!" I looked over to see a middle-aged woman waving from inside a building. Green brown hair draped over a scaly neck. She smiled. "You look wonderful today! Only fifteen, and you're blooming as beautiful as your namesake!"

I looked through the building windows. It was filled to the brim with the elderly. They took up every bit of space both inside and outside, where they would stare off into space. Some of them might be reminiscing, trying to find a memory to bring a shimmer back to their milky, foggy eyes. Others might have lost themselves in their minds. But they all sat around, just… waiting for their judgment. There's no way of telling which is which.

Still, I smiled, approaching the woman. "Artemis! It's great to see you! How's everyone in the nursing home?"

"Doing good as usual. They loved the drawings you brought in, even those who can't exactly make out the details anymore. It definitely brought some spirit to the more aware residents." The woman looked down for a moment, sadness in her eyes before perking back up. "They can use some company. Do you happen to be free today?"

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head. "Dad wants me back home as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow sounds lovely." The woman did her best to keep up a smile. "The other residents will love having you back. But I shouldn't be holding you up for long. Have a good day, Celosia! Give your father my thanks for the beautiful vases!"

I grinned, skipping through the streets as I waved goodbye to Artemis. These people need all the hope they can get. I can't imagine what it would be like to be here not out of your own will, facing their personal challenges alone. They don't deserve to be here, and yet here they are. I held my chin up high. But if I can help them through their struggles, if I can just make it a little easier on the rest of them, then I'll do it. After all, there's nothing that makes me happier than putting smiles on everybody's faces.

The sound of a crying child stopped me in my tracks. Huh? I looked to my left. That's coming from the edge of town, somewhere in the plains. I raised an eyebrow. Why would there be a baby over there? I started towards the sound, passing by a blonde girl, a black-haired girl, and their dog on a wagon as I walked out of town and into grassy plains. The crying's getting louder alongside laughing teenagers.

"Hah! Look at this thing!"

"Freak!"

"What kind of monster is this thing?"

I found a group of teenagers a couple years older than me kicking something on the ground. A tiny screech escaped from the wild grass.

My blood boiled in an instant. "Hey!" I strode over to the boys, throwing my art supplies to the side before curling my fists. "What do you think you're doing?"

They looked up, taking on a smirk. "Oh hey, Celosia," one of them chuckled. "You're just in time. Take a look at this ugly little thing— urg!" He flew back a second later, spit flying into the air. A tooth flew out from his mouth. The others turned to look at me, my fist stretched where the boy used to be.

"Hey, what the hell—"

I dashed over. The second boy collapsed to the ground a second later, curling up with a solid gut punch. A sandal to the face sent him sprawling on the floor, blood from his nose spewing onto the ground. He let out a wet cough.

The rest of the boys finally realized what's going on and stormed around me, roars shaking the grass we stood in. "You're not going to get away with this, you—"

"Shut up," I said. Another boy cried in pain with a straight sucker punch to the eye. "You're monsters for hurting innocent things!" I walked forwards, taking on boy after boy. "What makes you better than the person lying on the ground?" One boy fell to an overhead swing. "Nothing. Do you really think that doing something like this will allow you to return to Mistral?" One boy's ribs cracked under my knuckles. "Do you think hurting something weaker than you will purify your body and soul?"

I grabbed and shoved the last boy onto his butt. He let out a whimper at the sight of me. I shot him a glare of pure anger. "Get out of here. You're not worth my time." He frowned, almost as if about to say something. I raised my fist again. He nodded and ran, the rest of his friends following close behind. I dusted my hands, picking my art supplies back up. My anger was gone, dissipating into the air. Well, that's that. Now, who's in here?

I pulled away some wild grass to see… a baby. But this baby's unusual. For one, it has inky black skin, almost like what a creature of Grimm should look like. But it was surrounded by a ton of weird items. A pair of white gloves and what looks like bandages covered the child, hiding all of its private parts. They look like high-quality pieces of clothing. It must be something made in the city or something like that. City folk tend to have the machinery to make all this.

The baby stopped crying at the sight of me, revealing bright, crimson eyes. It started cooing, waving an arrowhead— wait, the baby has a weapon!

"No no no!" I snatched the item out of the child's grasp. "You shouldn't be playing with this!" The child started crying immediately, beating its hands on the ground before attempting to reach for the weapon in my hand. "This isn't a toy, okay?" I pointed to the weapon. "This will hurt you!"

Still, the baby cried. A pang of guilt formed a lump within my throat. Should I just give the arrow back? No, that would be irresponsible. I stored it away. "Don't worry, I'll find you another toy. Uh, uh…" I searched around the area. What kind of toy _can_ I give to the baby? I don't have any on me right now. Hmm… I can probably ask my Dad to make something?

My eyes fell on the weapon itself. There wasn't much of it left, just the arrowhead and its shaft maybe the size of my fist. It glistened in the afternoon sky, its bronze surface unmarred by anything. The only thing that makes it less pleasant to look at is the fact that its edge was dented. It was as if someone deliberately tried to destroy it, or at least make it safer to handle. But weapons always have the potential to harm. They just need to be held by the wrong person. And this arrow's tip is still pointy. Why would a child have something like this?

I glanced over the child once more before my eyes lit on the gloves. Wait… maybe… I snatched them and slipped them on. They fit tight. And they felt really warm for some reason. But at that moment, the baby stopped crying, instead looking at me with an almost curious look. Hmm… Maybe these gloves remind him of his mom? It definitely makes taking care of the child easier.

"Okay, then. Up you go." I picked up the child, rocking him a bit. He didn't protest. "Let's get you back to my home. I'll take care of you."

 **=TBC=**

* * *

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **Guest: Well, you should know who Celosia is now. As for the other question, that's my secret to keep... for like a few chapters at most. You'll find out.**

 **metacllica: Oh man, there's so much you've talked about in your review. But I'll touch upon the ghosts thing. We've actually seen ghosts before in this story with Fox and Coco meeting Jojo. So ghosts are definitely a real thing. But surprises are surprises, after all. All I'll say is that as of this chapter, there is just enough information to piece out what's going on. I wonder if someone can figure it out.**

 **tuskenpaw: Oh, Ozpin's story is very tragic. You can say that it was a complete loss. Concerning Sarah, I'm glad you feel that way. To what extent Sarah's actions were her decision and what was the Grimm in her, I wanted people to decide for themselves. And it's nice to know someone is thinking about it.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Ozpin coming over is hype for sure. Thanks for reading!**

 **GunsmokeBlackfinger: Well, it's also because I like Black Beatles and I think it's a solid song, but yeah. Pop culture is a beautiful thing sometimes. Thanks for reading!**

 **doa570047: I like to think Emerald does circular breathing. You know, the sax technique where you can blow while breathing in at the same time. But watermelon lungs are funnier, that's for sure.**

 **Trust me, I was pretty shocked myself when I had this chapter sitting in my backlog and the show revealed how Salem turned into a Grimm and how she eventually turned against the world. Hell, there was even the child murder part of the situation. I write my chapters six months ahead of the intended release date, so I did not expect a lot of what I write to share similarities to canon. Also, I like how you realized the fridge horror of what Yang and Blake did. *quietly plays Always Sunny in Philadelphia theme***

 **I'll hold off on the Grimm discussion for now, but as for the superpositioning ability Ozpin/Osmond has, I will confirm that it is his Semblance. In fact, I believe he uses it in Act 2 of his Bizarre Adventure before he gets his Stand. Although I will say it would be a wonderful reference to Araki forgot.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 **Next Chapter Update: January 18, 2019**


	54. Dark Horse

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **Don't have much to say right now aside that next chapter's going to have a retrospective, so watch out for that. Also another thing, an important thing happened on my beta's end, and they aren't available to help out with this chapter. I apologize if it's rough. Otherwise, let's get right into the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

* * *

Well… this is it, isn't it? After all this time spent searching for the Cupid, all the Stand users we had to fight through, all the suffering Vale had to take, I'm finally at the end. I'm face to face with the person who started it all.

I glared straight into Cinder's eyes. I never thought I would have to confront her. Not like this, and especially not after all the time we spent together as classmates. At the edge of my vision, a grim landscape surrounded us. But after everything she's done to hurt everyone… it's about time that Cinder finally got what's coming to her. Now's the time to bring an end to all of this madness.

"Cinder,"

"Ruby." She raised her hands up, putting on a smile. "It's nice to see you again! I'm glad that you're still alive. After I last saw you, I was hoping that you managed to make it out okay. How's your team? Your friends? Your family? Are they doing well? I wouldn't want them to miss what we have in store for the future—"

"Why?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean why?"

"What's the point in all of this?" My eyes flickered over to the woman on her hands and knees. She looked nothing short of miserable, still shrieking in pain as chalk drawings of scenery appeared and disappeared from the circle. Every fiber of my being wants to run over and free her. But I have to get past Cinder, first. I glanced back at the black-haired woman. "Why hurt all those people, ruin so many lives? Why bother with it all in the first place?"

"I thought I explained it pretty well, Ruby. I'm bringing justice and equality to all of Remnant. And if you still don't understand, then I'll run this metaphor one more time." Cinder stuck her hands out. "The vase is cracked. It's ugly, broken. We cannot keep it anymore. It's time we replaced it."

I clenched my fists. "And you think that a cracked 'vase' is enough justification to shatter it before getting it replaced?"

"Have you not seen what's happened in recent history? Do you really think that this society's worth saving, after all the problems it has?" Cinder threw a hand out towards me. "We can make it better. We _will_ make it better. Everyone will be happier." I stayed silent. The grin on Cinder's face started to fade away. "What, did you really prefer the terrible world we had then? One where Faunus are still treated like second-rate citizens, one where the poor are shoved out of sight or thrown out of the Kingdoms to become Grimm food? Do you really think that the ugly cracks in society aren't enough to make it not worth saving?"

I let out a sigh. "Maybe it was cracked before, but it could still hold up on its own. People could fix it, and they were, even if it took a long time to do so. You broke it before it had the chance to be fixed. You didn't give them a chance to redeem themselves."

"Well, maybe the old system of redemption isn't good enough anymore." The woman stared at me with an almost pained look on her face. "So… does this mean that you're not going to give up on this doomed world?"

I shook my head. "And I guess that means you're not going to give up this path of destruction?"

She shook her head as well. We both stared at each other in silence. "I guess this is it, then," Cinder sighed. "That… really sucks. I was hoping that you would understand me. You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. And well… I honestly thought that you would at least understand where I'm coming from."

"I'm nothing like you," I whispered back. "I don't kill people for the sake of a greater goal."

"Oh, do you?" Cinder raised her fists up. "Even if that meant allowing me to bring forth a new era of Remnant history?"

"I won't let that happen, either." I pulled out Crescent Rose. "I'll do both. I will stop you from attaining your goals, but I won't kill you, either."

"Hmph! Naive." Cinder's Stand appeared behind her. It's a feminine humanoid Stand wearing a full-body harness, similar to climbing harnesses we would occasionally wear when we needed to descend a mountain. The harness was worn over a form-fitting scarlet doublet with orange-yellow trimming. In its hand was what looked like a glassblower tube, and it had a glowing orange glass bubble on the tip, ready to be molded as necessary.

The Stand ran her finger across her wide-brimmed hat, which looked like a combination of a fedora and a bycocket. "This…" Cinder started, "Is my Stand, **「** **DARK HORSE.** **」** With her power, I will dispense justice upon this world and rebuild it, no matter the cost." The woman stared into my eyes. "And although you don't understand right now, I will save you from the mess that is this world."

"I don't need saving." My own Stand appeared behind me. "Meet **「** **RED LIKE ROSES.** **」** Although your Cupid gave her to me, she and I only fight to protect the ones we love. We will do everything in our power to keep this world alive and rebuild it to be stronger, regardless of its faults." I stared back into Cinder's eyes. "We won't let any more people die to your ideas of salvation."

I swear, at that very moment, the clouds cleared up just a little, revealing a small part of the moon. A hint of its light shone down on us, two duelists fighting for the sake of the world it watches over. I don't remember which part of the lunar cycle the moon is supposed to be in right now, but it definitely gives me that feeling of the final climax. Moon high in the sky, it's just reaching midnight, and the only thing now is to fight for whether the sun comes back up or we'll stay in eternal darkness. The fight is on. The winner controls the fate of the world.

Except… it isn't exactly the climactic fight you'd expect. I can't afford to fight. My eyes flickered back to the bound woman. The muffled screeches churned my stomach. The ritual must've started a minute or so ago, when I first heard the scream. But from what Russel told me, it doesn't take that long for Amber to open a portal. The fact that the imagery is flickering in the chalk circle must mean one thing: Amber's trying to resist opening the portal to Salem. Even if there's something forcing her to use her Stand ability, she's buying us just a little time to stop the ritual. This can still be turned around with a lot of luck.

What I need to do… is to get to her and either pull her away from the circle or cut away whatever is forcing her to use her Stand power. I don't need to hurt Cinder or beat her into submission, although that might be something I might have to do. I just need to get Amber and run off somewhere where Cinder can't get her. Then it's only a matter of time until we will catch Cinder, since her whole plan relies on Amber to work.

However… that goes the same way for Cinder. She doesn't need to fight me in a one-on-one battle or even win. She just needs to hold me and the rest of my team off long enough for Amber to finally break and open the right portal. And if this monster she's summoning is as powerful as the Headmaster claims, well… There's no doubt we're all going to die. Cinder just has to stall, while I need to break through and change the tide of battle.

I gritted my teeth. My Stand, while versatile, can only do so much in terms of attacking. And well… Cinder's Stand is still a complete mystery to me. There's only one thing I can do right now that will immediately help me: I have to find out what Cinder's Stand can do. I have to make a 'mistake' and force her to reveal her hand early.

Rose disappeared behind me and I shot forwards, by body carried by my Semblance. Come on… let's see what you can do, Cinder. In an instant, her **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** appeared in front of me, wielding its glassblower scepter like a baseball bat. And… now! With a jump, I rematerialized Rose, who swept her cape back. She brought her arms up to meet the opposing Stand. Both floated toward each other, ready to strike each other in a clash—

—only for **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** to dive to the side, swinging its scepter at me instead. I wouldn't expect anything less. I let my body break up where the scepter made contact, keeping me flying towards Amber. Her scepter slammed against the ground with a thud.

My eyes narrowed at Cinder as I fired Crescent Rose, launching me even faster through the air. Come on, Cinder. I know you're not going to let me stop this plan. What are you planning for me? What can your Stand do exactly?

Then all of a sudden, I slammed into something solid. Cinder stopped getting closer. I let out a groan. Huh? What the— Why did I stop? I looked down. As far as I can see, I just completely stopped in mid-air. I fell to my feet. But that made no sense. I know for a fact that I landed on something. But something invisible?

A roar escaped from in behind me. Cinder's Stand, no doubt. Rose darted back, punching back a swing from **「** **DARK HORSE.** **」** Fist met scepter, each blow sending our hairs flying, our clothes whipping around, my cape fluttering. Each punch Rose threw flew faster than I can see, yet **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** managed to hold her own. Every punch Rose made was deflected with a fast swing of the scepter. In terms of speed and strength, they are just about equal. The two of them can easily stay stuck in a stalemate. But that isn't enough to turn the tides of this fight. A stalemate is not going to get me closer to stopping Cinder.

As the slugfest behind me raged on, my mind raced to solve the puzzle Cinder has unintentionally given me. Invisible walls… invisible walls… My eyes flickered to the ground. There is a bit of warping on the surface of the roof, although that is not an easy detail to find when you're in a hurry. In fact, where the wall would normally be, the ground's slightly more glossy than everything around it.

I ran my hand down its side. This material feels familiar. It reminds me of staring through a window— The scepter. I let out a hum. It's not an actual scepter, but a glassblowing tube. Glassblowing… Does that have anything to do with Cinder's Stand?

Hmm… I don't have much time, so I'm going to go off on a whim here: I think Cinder can make and mold glass. No, not make glass… Transform other items into glass. Wait… it might be a part of both. It explains the invisible wall in front of me, the warping on the ground, the slight discoloration. I think Cinder can convert objects into glass, and then mold them into any shape and property as she sees fit. I nodded my head. That's probably a good enough explanation to work with until she somehow proves me wrong. But for some reason… I feel like I'm right on the money, even if I'm just guessing.

But if this is glass… I brought Crescent Rose's barrel toward the invisible wall. Then I can shoot it! Cracks formed on the wall the moment I pulled the trigger, followed by the complete collapse of the wall, like… well like glass shattering. But alright! My spirits soared as I walked through. I think that definitely confirms it. Cinder has a glass-forming Stand ability. I'm one step closer to stopping Cinder!

I bit the inside of the cheek. Oh, I just realized. Glass, at least in my mind is a pretty useful defensive ability. Which means… she probably already set up a maze of sorts to bog me down! I quickly searched the ground, looking for any slight changes in discoloration. I couldn't spot anything different. Huh? I furrowed my brow. Why is that? My eyes narrowed. Wait. The glass wall only appeared when the glowing orange glass scepter top hit something. And Rose is currently keeping **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** occupied. So… that means Cinder can't make another glass wall. She has to use the scepter to perform this glass transformation.

Well, I mean… that definitely makes it a lot easier to watch what she's doing. I glanced back at the fistfight between the two Stands. Just pay attention to where **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** happens to be at the current moment, and it shouldn't be hard to figure out what she's doing exactly. And if I know that, I can get closer to freeing Amber.

At that moment, **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** faded away, causing Rose to whiff her final punch. Huh? What? I jerked my head over to Cinder, who threw what looked like powdered Dust into the air. It glowed orange, clumping together into shard-like embers as if fresh from the furnaces. The flames danced through the air, forming into a glass bow as they landed in the woman's hand.

"Is that really all you have?" Cinder asked. "So that is your Stand ability… I expected it, but I still feel disappointed. I honestly don't believe that someone with powers like you managed to do so much to hinder my plans." Her Stand reappeared, scepter upraised to the skies.

"I didn't do them alone," I shot back, Rose leaving the area for now. "I might be alone right now, but everybody's doing everything they can to stop your plan from succeeding."

"And you're all fools for doing so." Several arrows solidified in Cinder's hands as she pulled the bowstring back. "You can't protect a world that allows so much evil to persist."

I rushed forwards once more, making a straight beeline for Amber. Several glowing glass arrows flew past me, not really hitting me or doing any kind of damage. Rose flew out, fist upraised and already soaring towards Cinder. A scepter appeared in front of the other girl. Perfect.

At that moment, Rose opened her hands, grabbing the scepter in question and Cinder's Stand by the collar. Cinder gasped a moment later, clawing at her neck. Her Stand struggled in Rose's grasp. No matter what she did, she couldn't break free. Well, that's good for me. I kept my eyes on the bound girl. Cinder hasn't made any moves in Amber's direction yet. Just a little bit more, then. Behind me, Rose held back **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** from yet another attack. I just need to avoid a couple more shots, and then I'll have Amber—

A scream escaped from me a second later as I slammed head first into what felt like another glass wall. Ow! Huh? I narrowed my eyes. The light glare is more obvious here than last time. Another wall? But that's impossible. How in the world did Cinder form another wall here? I didn't even see her hit this part with her scepter! The only answer I can really think of is that Cinder thought of building a wall around Amber before I came up here. Which means that the original wall might've been a trick, or maybe a simple one to make me underestimate her abilities.

Well, no matter. I brought Crescent Rose up to the glass, racking in another cartridge. All I have to do is aim up high and break the glass that way to free Amber—

I let out a gasp as searing pain registered on my side. Ow, what the— I twisted myself around and grasped the wound. Something cylindrical brushed against my fingers. Wait a minute… did Cinder… shoot me? I grasped the shaft and yanked it out. My hands revealed that yeah, I was hit with one of her arrows. Luckily, it's just one of Cinder's glass arrows. I don't want to know what would happen if a Stand user was hit with an Arrow twice.

Still, I stared at the bloody item in my hands. Heat is coming out from the arrowhead. Fire… Oh gods, she's trying to light me on fire. Did she already figure out one way to fight against me? I threw the arrow away. The fact that she's trying to light me on fire is troubling. Without Aura, it's only a matter of time until she manages to take me out. Agh… If Rose wasn't occupied with keeping **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** from forming any new glass structures, I could probably punch those arrows out from the air.

But since that's not an option… I placed my hand against the side of the wall and started running around Amber, using the glass as a guide. Cinder narrowed her eyes, her brow furrowing as every shot she made bounced off against the glass wall she formed around Amber. Yes! It's perfect! I pressed my baby's barrel against the wall. Let's free you from this prison, Amber!

Crescent Rose barked, spitting out a hot projectile that rammed into the glass wall. However, unlike before, the glass didn't shatter into giant pieces before falling. No, the wall caught the button. Thousands of tiny cracks formed across the structure, obscuring Amber and Cinder. It looked like it had shattered into tiny little pieces. But despite that, the structure held. Huh? I pushed against it. It didn't collapse. What the— It didn't work like this before. How in the world did the wall block the bullet this time around?

I backed up, my mind running through the problem. Thicker glass? No, it looks just as thick as last time. Maybe the material that was turned into glass plays a part in how strong it is? No, that's not right, either. I glanced at the base. It's from the roof, same as the last one. Same, but different…

Wait… maybe she can change the property of the glass? If I remember weapons construction class, depending on how you make the glass, you can change its properties and use them in different ways. Like to create bulletproof glass, you would layer glass with some kind of polycarbonate. By binding them together, you make a material that can resist bullet penetration and therefore, destruction. I muttered a curse under my breath. Smart. Real smart, hiding just how much you can do with your ability, Cinder. I'll keep that in mind going forward.

But even bulletproof glass isn't impenetrable. I switched out my standard rounds to something more combustive. One quick glance didn't reveal a lot, considering that the cracked glass made it hard to see through. I'm going to have to work fast, then. Heat up the glass to extremely high temperatures, then cool it off with an ice round. That should force the glass to break— Wait a minute, why isn't Rose punching anything?

Cinder appeared out from behind the cracked glass right at that moment, making a beeline towards me. Oh gods! I jerked Crescent Rose towards the two, but before I could get a shot out, **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** slammed its scepter into the ground. And out from the ground sprouted… pink wool? The material twirled around, spinning a bramble wall in front of me.

I raised my eyes in confusion as the wool quickly grew between me and Cinder. How and why did Cinder choose to create this? Is it even glass? If not, I might need to rethink what Cinder's Stand ability might be, because I don't know what in the world she just created—

The wool started shrinking, the material twisting itself together at several points. Oh my gods, what is going on— Right then, it shot several glowing needle-thin glass shards at me, almost as fast as a machine gun. I found myself staring down a wall of destruction coming right at me. Oh gods! I created several holes in my body, allowing the shards to fly through me before I rebuilt myself. What in the world is that? I started to back away from the wool and consequently, the wall. That makes absolutely no sense. Wool… tightening itself into solid chunks of glass? Is there even such a substance? Can somebody turn glass into a material just like cotton or wool?

"Fiberglass insulation," Cinder called out from behind her weapon. "People also call it glass wool. People figured out how to create strands of glass so thin that they act more like cloth than glass. They're most often used to keep houses insulated. However, considering that it's glass, I can easily twist glass wool back into its original state. Don't you think that's impressive, Ruby?"

I gritted my teeth, keeping my silence as I thought through my options. What to do, what to do… I mean, I could try to break through the pink wall in front of me and go straight for Cinder. After all, it _is_ wool. It couldn't be that harmful. But considering that Cinder's the one behind it… I wouldn't want to take a chance and get trapped somehow. Maybe I can use wind Dust to blow it away? But considering that it's glass wool and that it's probably attached to the floor, I might not get anywhere. Plus after considering the fact that I might need this fire Dust for Amber's wall… yeah, that'll probably not work.

The wool started twisting itself again. Well, I just have to dodge through the next volley. I can think through how to get past this thing later. Or maybe… I think I know what to do. With a nod, I ran forwards and through the barrage of glass shards, allowing my body to break apart where a shard would hit me. While the shards that hit me weren't any longer than a fingernail, Cinder definitely made this wave of shards dense. So many holes appeared over my body. I started to sag forwards, my bones getting close to collapsing to my own body weight. I gritted my teeth. Keep holding on…

I fired into the ground the moment the glass shards stopped flying. Soaring through the air, I spotted Cinder behind her glass wool wall, eyes wide in surprise at what I did. Well, that apparently caught her by surprise. Let's do that again. I swung Crescent Rose's barrel to face the woman and fired a flaming fireball in her direction. Then again. And yet again.

 **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** twirled her scepter around, bouncing each volley up into the air. The woman gritted her teeth. "Did you really think that you can hit me from this distance?" Cinder yelled from afar.

"Who said I was trying to hit you?"

"What?" Cinder let out a gasp a moment later. I let loose a grin as I looked down. The bound girl knelt right under me, still struggling to hold it all in. Cinder wasn't my target. Amber is.

I pointed my gun towards the roof. I don't think Cinder had the foresight to actually put a mini-roof over her glass wall. But just in case that did happen… I fired several rounds at the area. Sure enough, each of the flaming bullets slammed into something solid, cracking the glass but not breaking it.

 **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** soared towards me yet again. She pulled back her scepter, its end aimed right for me. Not this time. Rose intercepted the Stand in black, throwing a barrage of punches and forcing her back. All Cinder could do is watch as I fell.

I landed on the glass roof. Alright. That's probably more than enough to heat the glass up. I started switching to ice rounds. One shot from this, and the roof should go crumbling down— Wait a minute. That's strange… why can't I feel the heat? I locked the magazine into place. I fired an entire magazine of fire rounds into the roof… shouldn't I feel the heat coming off of the glass or see it glowing orange by now? The only reason why it wouldn't be doing this is… oh gods. Can Cinder keep the temperature of the glass constant?

The sounds of something contracting caught my attention. Oh gods… I threw myself off the glass tower, narrowly dodging another round of glass needles. I can only break through the glass through brute strength… but I also can't break through the glass even with bullets. Well, what am I supposed to do, then? How in the world am I going to brute force my way through the tower?

I held my hands up before realizing the holes in my body were still there. Oh yeah. I can't believe I forgot to recall my rose petals. Let's do that now. I felt nothing respond. My eyes widened. What the— Why aren't my petals returning to me? What's going on?

"So, you're starting to realize," Cinder called out, stepping past the wool wall. The pink, fluffy material went back into the ground. "Why did you think that I allowed you to try all your stunts? Why did you think I stayed behind my wall, content to just shoot you with the wool instead of my arrows?" She pointed in my direction. "Take a look behind you."

I did, and a gasp escaped my chest. Behind me was a glass sphere. No, it was more like a jar with a flat bottom, about the size of my forearm. And inside that jar were my petals. My eyes widened. The petals pressed against the sides of the jar, trying to find some sort of way out. But no matter where they went, they couldn't find an exit. And that's because there is no exit. It's a completely sealed jar. Oh gods… she separated a part of me from my body. That means no reforming, no Aura, no recovery.

It's like fighting **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」** all over again. I can't let her separate my body parts. The moment I run out of body mass to do something, I've lost. I rushed over to the canister, bringing Rose with me. I have to break through this thing somehow. Having parts of me separated cannot happen, no matter what.

If only I knew how to… I ran behind the canister, just barely dodging another glass arrow. If I'm guessing right, then Cinder must've used bulletproof glass to seal my body in. Now it's mainly figuring out how to break through this thing. I can't use heat. Bullets are obviously off the table. Maybe Rose has the force to break through, but at the same time, considering that this type of glass took several fifty caliber rounds at point-blank range, I'd probably not try anything until I figure out the guaranteed way to break through.

Think, Ruby, think! How do typical glass breakers work? Okay… so they tend to be pointed, but dull… they tend to be built out of some superhard material… they focus every bit of kinetic energy down to a single point. That is usually what causes the glass to break. Bullets can't penetrate glass because the lead-Dust fusion is meant to flatten on impact. But if we had some kind of pointed object…

That's probably it. If I sacrifice a little bit more of my body to form some pointed 'brass knuckles' for Rose, then we should be able to break through the glass in no time! I just have to be aware that I'm basically sacrificing a bone to create this. But I don't want to take out one of my femurs or a part of my skull to do so. No, I have to use something up. I gritted my teeth. What can I— Oh wait. My teeth! That's it!

I opened my mouth and allowed my molars to break up along with my clavicles. The insides of my mouth immediately felt gummier. I licked the empty space where my teeth were. Ugh… I shivered. It felt so wrong. But whatever it takes to break through and get my body back.

Before long, Rose raised her new weapon up. A bone 'brass knuckles' with a merged teeth spike. With this, there's no way we can't break through! As if my Stand was listening to my thoughts, she swung her fist into the canister. And sure enough, the spike went straight through, forming cracks all over the surface of the glass. Yes! Alright! Now we just have to pull out and…

Well, there are good news and bad news regarding that. The moment Rose pulled her fist back, the sphere fell apart. At the same time… there's another smaller sphere inside holding all my petals. I narrowed my eyes. Alright, then. Rose punched it again. It broke again, and revealed yet another sphere. What? What is this? How is Cinder nestling spheres inside the canister without me noticing? And how far do I have to go just to get my body parts back?

I jumped to the side, dodging another arrow. Or should I? It's slowly dawning on me that this might be futile. This glass canister… it might very well be another trap. But not one to hurt me. One to distract me. I've forgotten: I need to get Amber out of there, regardless of my condition. Maybe I'll have a better chance escaping if my body was whole, but what I need to do first and foremost is break the ritual. Nothing else matters if I can't even do that. I turned myself around. That got Cinder's attention, considering how she immediately nocked another arrow at the sight. I'm just going to have to go for it, regardless of the price. Achieve the goal first. Nothing else matters if you can't even get that.

Cinder let loose her arrow, and with that, I broke into a sprint. Rose appeared in front of me, punching the arrow out of the air before lifting her arms up in defense. This is definitely going to be a lot more difficult, considering I don't have my Semblance to work with. I aimed my weapon and fired at Cinder's feet. Nothing but good blocking and return fire to keep me alive.

We repeated this pattern over and over. She let loose an arrow. Rose steps in to block it. I return fire, forming an ice barrier in front of the woman. Cinder steps past the barrier and fires again, and repeat that over and over again. Every shot I make, every arrow I duck under, it brought me closer to Amber. And as my ice wall grew bigger, Cinder spent more time getting around it. That's all I need. More time. Behind me, Cinder let out a shout, already making her way towards me. Hopefully I bought enough time for myself.

 **「DARK HORSE」** appeared in front of me as I got close to Amber's glass prison, scepter raised up to smite me. Rose, thank the gods for her, rushed in at that moment, grabbing the scepter and pushed back, doing everything in her power to push through and ram the spike up the opposing Stand. They didn't get anywhere. I'm probably not going to use Rose to break through the wall.  
But that's okay. I extended Crescent Rose right before her blade pops out, revealing another tooth spike on the flat end of it. I probably can't swing as hard as Rose, but with leverage on my side, I don't think that'll matter to the glass. I let out a yell as I threw my biggest swing.

 _Clang._ The woman stepped between me and the wall, catching Crescent Rose with her bow. Now both user and Stand are in deadlock, each pushing as hard as they can to break through.

"Let… me… though!" I yelled.

"No!" Cinder screamed back. She pushed forwards. A groan escaped me along with my body as I felt my flesh start to fail me. I can't give up now, I have to break through. Even when my body's failing me, I need to do something. I can't fail now, please—

A surprising sound caught the two of us off guard. It was a mechanical sound, a whir of an engine. There wasn't supposed to be another vehicle for miles around. But I laughed a laugh of relief. I'd never expected to hear that lovely sound. The sound of a Bullhead bringing the backup I asked for.

* * *

I honestly didn't believe that I would make it in time after hearing back from Mr. Porfirio and Ms. Darcy. By the way they told me the information, I'd thought that it would already be too late, and _she_ will be freed from the prison I put her into all those years ago. But looking outside, it seems like that wasn't the case. I let out a sigh of relief. It's just Ms. Rose, Cinder, and Amber on the roof right now. Thank the gods for this. We can turn this around.

"Headmaster Ozpin, sir." The pilot cleared her throat, bringing my attention back to the ship. "Are you sure you want to go in hot?"

I nodded, bringing my cane up and pushing my glasses up. "I wouldn't have it any other way. The usual Huntsmen drop procedure, if you don't mind. Once I'm out of the Bullhead, I recommend flying around the Historical District afterward until I call for pickup, alright?"

"Alright then, boss man. Opening side doors now. Happy Hunting, sir."

The wind whipped my face moments later, the door opening to reveal the cloudy night sky. I didn't give myself the time to admire the view, though. My eyes fell closed, my body already falling out the Bullhead. I felt something whiz past me. Whether that was just the wind or some kind of projectile, I don't know. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** appeared in front of me.

" _Sir?_ "

"Like always," I said, keeping my eyes closed. "I know you'll protect me. Let it happen."

BOOMTICKTICKTICKTICK

The surrounding air stopped pushing against me, the sound of the world went silent for a second. That's all I needed. Sound came back to me not a moment later. The cold air stung my cheeks. I opened my eyes. I'm safe on the roof. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** did it again.

I pulled myself upright, regarding the three women. My student and our adversary were both locked into a stalemate, neither of them able to overpower the other. As for their Stands, it's the same situation. No one is budging from their place. And Amber… it looks like she got a portal open, but not to the dimension Nicholas trapped her all those years ago. Even now, she's trying to resist Salem's will. I let out a sigh. All of this trouble with the Stand Arrow, all this fighting and destruction generations after I was through with it… I let this happen. And it's my duty to fix this mistake.

"Good evening," I said out loud. The two women didn't respond back. Cinder had a look of surprise, her eyes flickering around as the situation dawned on her. Ms. Rose, on the other hand, had the biggest grin on her face. Even when she was full of puncture wounds, missing teeth, body barely standing upright, she still manages to illuminate the light in the dark. It's a smile of relief that I want to protect, for her and the rest of the world.

I started forwards, tapping the ground with my cane as I continued, "I apologize for interrupting this fight, but I think we had quite enough trouble for a lifetime." My eyes locked on the woman that let all of this happen. "Cinder Fall, as the Headmaster of Beacon and a representative of Vale, I hereby put you under arrest for acts of terrorism and conspiracy against the state. I suggest you surrender quietly."

"No." She shoved Ms. Rose to the ground and drew her bow. "I'm not going back on my word now. And I'm not going to let you stop me!"

" **「** **BLACK BEATLES,** **」** " I whispered. My Stand materialized behind me. Cinder let loose her arrow. "The World!"

BOOMTICKTICKTICKTICK

The world turned gray around me. The arrow flying through the air slowed down, bit by bit, until it froze half a meter away from my face. Ms. Rose, Cinder, Amber: they all froze in place, locked in place as the gears of time stopped turning. Before I could blink, the world finished freezing in place, becoming monotone in the process. Time has stopped.

Soon enough, I felt my body lock up in place. No amount of effort is going to free me from my own Stand's grip on time. So, the symptoms have begun, huh? It's an unfortunate circumstance of this power. Even now, my own body can't break the rules of time. Only my will can change anything in this frozen world.

One second has passed. As if on perfect timing, the world started fading into the darkness. When even light can't move, no one can see the world they live in. That's one unusual quirk about stopping time. Moving through it provides a bit of clarity, but not nearly enough. But attempting to stop time means losing how little clarity one has. My Stand floated in front of me, revealing itself in its full glory. " _Sir,_ " it started. " _What do you want me to do?_ " Defend me, **「** **BLACK BEATLES.** **」** Block the arrow and bring me closer to everyone.

Right as the world faded into darkness, I regained my sight. No… that's not the right way to describe it. I didn't regain my sight in stopped time. I'm looking at the world through my Stand. I looked at my Stand's pale hands. I'm nothing more than an observer. Two seconds have passed. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** didn't waste a moment, snatching the arrow in front of my face before throwing it at Cinder. Three seconds has passed. Not much time left. Pale arms turned around, grabbed my body, and lobbed it towards the other frozen individuals.

Four seconds has passed. Time resumes.

I snapped back to my body with a sharp breath. Color returned to the world. The look of desperation on Cinder's face was now replaced with confusion and shock, throwing herself to the side. Not like it helped much: her arrow still slashed through the side of her face, sending blood spewing everywhere. I landed a moment later, not two meters away from everyone.

"Ms. Rose," I called out, stretching my neck as I stood up. "Tell me, what are we dealing with?"

She blinked in surprise. It didn't take her long to shake herself out of it, though. "Glass," she responded. "She can turn things into glass and manipulate its properties. I don't know to what extent, but she has a lot of control over it."

"I see…" I let out a long sigh. "Do what you need to and get Amber, Ms. Rose." I flicked my cane up and held it like a baton. "I'll deal with Cinder." My student nodded, breaking away from Cinder and approaching the glass wall.

Cinder took a step towards the retreating girl. My cane stopped in front of the woman not a moment later. "And where are you going?" I asked, holding my weapon to her neck. She tsked.

" **「** **DARK HORSE!** **」** " Her Stand smacked the glass wall. Moments later, the wall turned opaque. That's frosted glass… but why turn the wall into that? What is she trying to hide from us? **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** didn't care all too much. It struck **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** straight in the jaw. Cinder's head whipped back a moment later, amber eyes wide. She staggered back alongside her Stand.

"I don't know what you're trying to do here," I started. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** floated in front of me, arms raised like a boxer. "But I'm not going to let you bring back Salem." Cinder said nothing, just gritting her teeth and spitting out a globule of blood.

Glass shattered behind me, followed by a gasp of confusion. "What?" Ruby said. I looked back. The wall shattered, alright. But as the pieces fell, it revealed what was behind it: another frosted glass wall. So that's what Cinder's trying to do… she's just stalling by nestling walls within walls. She's hoping that we won't be able to beat her and break through the wall in time. My Stand curled its fists up. I guess I'll just go all out, then.

"Ms. Rose, keep it up," I said. "I'll join you once I'm done with Cinder."

"Oh, no you don't!" Cinder let out a hiss as her Stand flew towards me. Another ring of shattering glass filled the air. "I won't—"

" **「** **BLACK BEATLES,** **」** The World!"

BOOMTICKTICKTICKTICK

The world stopped once more. My Stand floated towards the approaching woman, fists curled up. Knock her out, **「** **BLACK BEATLES.** **」**

"TIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIK—"

And before anything can start, it was over. A fountain of blood spewed out of Cinder's mouth as time resumed, sending her flying into her own glass wall. She let out weak gasps; her fingers ran over the craters on her body. There's no time for a prolonged fight. It's gone far enough. Yet another glass wall shattered, covering Cinder with glass shards. They cut into her body, sticking out from her skin in a grisly fashion. She's not calling back her Stand? What's going on?

"I got it!" With one final swing, Ms. Rose smashed through the final glass wall. It's not like it matters anyway. Cinder's done for. With Cinder on the ground bleeding, I turned to look at my student when the surrounding air turned cold. My breath hitched. No… this can't be… Are we already too late?

The sounds of a door bursting open sounded behind us, followed by the sounds of pants. The rest of the team RWBY, as well as Mr. Arc. "Ruby!" Ms. Xiao-Long called out. "Thank gods, we made it! Are you okay—"

They let out a gasp as they took in the view. "Wait, Headmaster?" Ms. Schnee asked. "When did you get here?"

"Cinder's on the ground," Ms. Belladonna called out.

Mr. Arc sounded out: "What in the world is going on, here? Guys, what happened?"

The sounds of glass falling answered his question aptly. We all stared as the glass wall fell. Amber… she was lying on the ground, unmoving. Her body was contorted in terror. She was so close to being saved… But we were just a little too late. As for the portal… it was closed. It didn't display anything, anymore. It's just a chalk circle now.

But the true terror came from staring at the new figure that stood there. She wore a long, draped robe that covered everything except for her neck and head. Her hair was tied into a fancy, voluminous bun I last seen her wear. My eyes kept going to her neck, though. The last time I've seen her all those years ago, every part of her skin was ash white. This time around, the skin around her neck was gone, revealing pulsing muscles that made me want to gag. But no matter how much I wanted to look away, I couldn't tear my eyes from this woman. I can't look away at the monster that was my former wife and partner.

I felt myself shake as the moon was covered by a nearby cloud, glowing red underneath. I can't believe it. After everything we've done to prevent this from happening, we've failed. The horrors of the past have finally come out to destroy us once and for all. The mistakes of my generation… no, my mistakes… they have come to destroy the current one.

 _ **⇐TO BE CONTINUED= 2/1/2019**_

* * *

 **Cinder's Bizarre Adventure - Act 2**

"What's going to happen to the child, Dad?"

We stood in my bedroom. Well, technically it was our living room. It only became my bedroom once I pulled the screen separator out, but I digress. The afternoon sun dipped in the sky, sinking toward the ground. An amber glow illuminated the sheets of paper on the wall, showcasing watercolors of portraits. One for everyone in town. Ugly, beautiful, old, young, sickly, healthy, still here, and gone: it didn't matter. They all still lived on my wall.

The baby was in my old baby blanket, with no care in the world. Underneath the wrapping was the pieces of cloth it had when I found it and the arrow. It's weird. Most of the time, he acted friendly toward us. But the moment we made any movement for the weapon, he goes into a rage. No matter how hard we try, we just couldn't pry the arrow out of his hands. Ultimately, we just wrapped a piece of cloth over the arrowhead and kept it with the child.

My Dad shrugged, wiping his brow as the two of us looked down at the baby cooing on my bed. "I'm not sure. We might be able to take care of the child for a couple of days, but I don't think I can support the two of you on glass work alone. And if he was in the plains by himself, I don't think his mother will be returning for him. Gods know what happened to her so close to Fotia."

He pressed his lips into a thin line before shrugging again. "The only thing I can think of right now is giving him away. Maybe somebody in town might want to adopt a child, even if…" His face grimaced. "Even if he looks like… that."

"There has to be someone willing to take care of him," I said, nodding my head. "He's a baby, after all. I don't think anyone would turn one down."

Dad nodded. "Yeah. I hope so." He turned to me. "I'm too busy with work to do that, but could you go into town and ask around? I'll join you once I finish up a couple of requests."

"Sure thing, Dad. I'll do that right now." I started for the door.

"Celosia… wait. I need to talk to you about something." I stopped before my hand touched the door handle. "I've heard from the Flores, the Lunas, and the Chaus about what you did their boys and their friends." He crossed his arms. "I'm surprised, everyone is. Nobody expected any of this from you. I don't even know what to say, just… I'm disappointed in you."

"What?" I balled my fists up. "What do you mean?"

"Don't try to play dumb. They were complaining to me about how their sons were bruised up and bloody. One of them had to rush over to a dentist before they lost a tooth forever. Another one had a black eye so bad that his parents feared their son would get an eye infection. Many of them had fractured bones and needed to get stitches. And their parents all told the same story." He shot a glare at me. "You beat those boys to an inch of their lives. You could've killed them in cold blood."

"They were tormenting the baby." I turned around to face my Dad. "What was I supposed to do, let them continue on doing that? Let them kill the child?"

He shook his head. "That's not what I mean. If anything, I'm proud that you stood up when they were doing bad. You were right in telling them to shove it for beating a baby." He leaned against the leg of my bed. "No, I'm disappointed in how quickly you decided to use violence to stop the situation."

My eyes widened. Huh? He turned to play with the baby. "You could've done so many things to stop those boys," Dad continued. "You could've confronted them by yourself or with an adult, talked them out of it, rushed in and take the baby to safety. With how people see you, I expected you'd do that much. But you didn't choose any of those options. You chose to stoop down to their level and hurt them."

I scoffed. "Well, how else were they going to stop? They were acting dishonorably, and I made them pay for that. I made them stop once and for all. I gave them justice. That's the Mistrali way."

He shook his head. "Maybe that's our way, but violent justice is not our means. Not anymore." Dad looked out of the window. "Do you remember what they teach you in school? The Mistrali tribes united under the banner of peace so that we don't need to spill blood for honor and justice. Spilled blood, regardless of intention creates resentment, and resentment feeds a vicious cycle that will only end with the Grimm overtaking us all. Blood cannot pay off anyone's mistakes, only make new mistakes others will want to cash out on."

"Society, and the unity holding it together is built on peace. We hold each other accountable for our mistakes, and we work to move past them and grow together as a people." My Dad walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I want you to understand: I am not saying you should give up violence forever. That is an unrealistic goal, especially with us living within Grimm territory. But violence cannot be our justice. It should only be a shield to protect you and the people you love from harm when every other option has failed."

"But I did fight to protect! I fought to protect the baby!"

"That's the reason you fought. But you fought to harm. Do I have to remind you what you did to them?" I stayed quiet. Dad continued, "When you fight to protect, that goes for everyone. Even to those you are fighting. You should not have to hurt anyone to protect someone else. If you have to, you shouldn't aim to destroy them without remorse. To do so is to spill blood, and blood only gets people angry."

Dad sighed. "If you must fight, then fight to protect. But once the threat is over, once your enemy can no longer fight back, you must put down the club and offer the olive branch. You must let your enemy become your friend again. That is our means: the means to support the Mistrali way."

He stared into my eyes, and I stared back into amber pupils. "Promise me this, Celosia. When you go into town, if you find those boys, you must apologize to them. Take whatever they have to say at heart. Even if they just want to yell at you, let them yell and speak their mind. You have hurt them, and they have every right to hate. Understand that they won't forgive you at first. But offer them peace and make it up to them long enough, and old wounds will heal. And from now on, do not fight to hurt. Fight only to protect others."

"Sure," I said.

"I want to hear it. Properly."

"Fine, fine." I rolled my eyes. "I promise to apologize to the boys I beat up, and that I won't try to hurt anyone as bad as I did."

"That's better." He pressed the back of his hand against my cheek. It felt affectionate and warm. I nestled against it. "Celosia. I know you're a good person, and you want to do good things. You just need to channel that willpower in better ways." He gave me a playful pinch on the cheek and got an embarrassed groan out of me. Dad sighed, picking up the child and putting him in my hands. "But I've kept you long enough. Be good to the others, okay?"

"Okay." I walked over to the door. "Bye, Dad. I'll see you later!"

The two of us left my home and walked down the streets. A cute pair of kids passed me, one of them sleeping in a wagon, the other walking with a tired but determined look in her eyes. I paid them no mind.

The next hour was a blur: a series of asking and knocking, followed by constant letdown. I never saw anyone smile or give me a nod. Sometimes, their frown was preceded by looking into a run-down home. Other times, that frown followed the sight of the child. Whatever the case, no one had any place for the child. With every shake of their head, my heart sank deeper down my torso. No one can provide hope for this baby. Not even me.

I sighed, walking away from the most recent rejection. "It's not going too well, huh?" I pulled the baby tighter to my chest as I looked into the twilight sky. "It's getting late. We can continue tomorrow."

 _Ding. Ding._ I looked up. Huh? That's… another arrival? That's strange. They usually come during the beginning of the month… it's only the thirteenth. Why would there be another group of newcomers this early?

Still, I found myself running towards the sound, the child still in my hands. No matter the day, it's important to greet those coming in! Knowing that there's a friendly face greeting them does wonders in making coming to Fotia a little more bearable, until the day when they can return home to their friends and family.

There was already a crowd forming around the abandoned landing pad: the only place where one can watch the airships land. That's when I spotted them: the Ironsides. Several aircraft soared through the air; contrary to their name, they weren't actually made of iron, but wood. They reminded me of the story of Laputa. A civilization that lived exclusively in the air. There's something beautiful in bringing a bit of fantasy into reality.

Everyone in the crowd let out sounds of awe as the Ironside doors opened up, revealing seated Mistralian soldiers, staring out at us with an almost suspicious glare. That's strange… Newcomers to the town aren't usually escorted by the military. In fact, I don't see a single ship that actually contains anyone who is _na plénontai_ , to be cleansed. What's the military doing here in our town?

"Make way! Make way!" The moment they made contact with the ground, they streamed out onto the airfield, marching into different groups where they stood on watch. Before long, they lined themselves up into organized files, standing to attention. They stood quiet, regarding the crowd with cold eyes.

The last person to come out was a strange one. Unlike the other soldiers, who wore a bright yet plain looking uniform, this person had a bright Mistralian riding jacket made of silk, adorned with golden loops that went on to infinity. Combined with sleek silk pants, and he looks more fit for a fashion walkway than military work. The closest comparison I can make would be Huntsmen and their typical outfits, but I don't think he's a Huntsman. Too serious-looking for that.

He stepped out from the airship, taking a deep breath. "Ah… This smell… I am not nostalgic for this. Let's get this search over with." Addressing the crowd, he started, "People of Fotia! We are here on behalf of the Mistralian Council! We have suspicions that White Fang members have infiltrated the area, and we are here to investigate this claim! Return to your homes and remain there until our investigation is complete!"

That got a lot of the crowd muttering. The majority of the people here are Faunus. They all started to turn pale and get nervous, and I'm inclined to agree with them. The crowd started to dissipate. It's dangerous to be here. I should just return home for the day and continue to search for someone to adopt tomorrow—

"You! Girl!" I stopped in place. "Turn around." I did, looking up to see the man towering over me. The stone-faced man glanced down, spotting the child in my hands. "What in the gods' name is that child?"

I looked around, biting my lip. What do I say, what do I say… "I found him in the plains alone."

"The plains, you say?" He raised an eyebrow. "A monster like that? That thing looks like the product of a woman taken advantage of by a creature of Grimm."

"Hey!" I pulled the child close to me. "That's not a way to treat a child."

"Why not? I'm only saying as I see it." He brought his lower lip up. "If you know what's best for you, you'd follow its mother's advice and abandon it to die. That thing is not going to live a happy life, especially looking like that."

"What? No! He deserves a chance, no matter how he looks! He just needs a place to grow up!" I held the child up. "Look at him! Do you think someone like him can hurt so many people?"

The baby let out a gurgle, pulling its hands out from the blanket I wrapped it around and revealing the arrow in its hands. "What the— Hey, how did this get unwrapped?" I whispered, nudging the weapon back into the blanket and away from sight. But what's done was done.

This officer clicked his tongue, his eyes widening at the sight of the weapon. "Is that…" He snatched the baby's arm and yanked it out from the blanket. Despite the cries of the child and my protests, he revealed the bronzed arrow once again. "Oh my gods," the man whispered under his breath. "I can't believe it. For it to come here out of all places…"

"Hey, what's your problem?" I smacked the man's hand away, pulling the baby and the arrow away from him. "One minute ago you want me to abandon the boy. Now you care about him?"

"The situation has changed." He took a deep breath. "Child… give me that baby."

The child whimpered. I pulled him closer to me. "Why should I?"

"The reason isn't too important for you, but it is important. Give the child to me." He extended an arm. "In fact, I don't even need the child. If you want to keep him, then go ahead. I just want the arrow."

"Huh? This?" I lifted the child's hand up. "I mean, you can have it. But the thing is, he's a little possessive of the thing—"

"I don't care." The man grabbed the shaft of the weapon. "I just need this!" The baby started crying, trying its best to keep its hold on the arrow. And surprisingly, he had a pretty firm grip. The man grunted, beads dripping down his face as everyone watched the struggle.

"Stop!" I held the baby tight and shoved the man. "Don't be so rough—" A smack sounded in the air.

I gasped in surprise, letting go of the baby. I brought my hand to my cheek. Across from me, the man had an outstretched hand. His other hand held the arrow. And hanging on to the end of it was the child. Oh my gods… That man… he slapped me. Confusion flared into rage. I curled my fist up. That son of a— does he think he can get away with treating me and the kid like this? I gritted my teeth. My stance widened. I'll show him—

 _Don't._ My Dad's words stopped me. I growled. I can feel pure fury course through my body, calling out to strike this man down. The only thing holding me back was a promise. But that was enough. I gave the man my deepest glare. There's nothing I want more than put him in his place for his actions. But like Dad said. Don't hurt anyone. I looked at the soldiers behind the officer, who started to get antsy. Don't get anyone else hurt.

It didn't really matter. The child screeched, swinging itself up to the man's face. Before anyone could react, the baby reached for the man's face, revealing claws on his hands.

"Agh!" The officer let go, both hands covering up a face streaming with blood. The baby started falling. Oh gods—

"Gotcha!" I snatched the baby out from the air, wrapping him back in his sheets before backing up. In response to that, he gurgled. Almost as if he didn't just maul someone's face. I pulled him closer to me, my heart pounding faster. This is not good. There's no way we can get out of this now.

The officer touched his eye, pulling away to reveal blood. "That baby… that's no ordinary child. It shouldn't be that strong… this thing, it might be affected. And I can't let the curse of the fantasma velos spread."

With that, he yanked out a pistol, causing the entire crowd to scream in terror.

"Sir!" One of the soldiers screamed.

"Ready yourselves, soldiers! This can get ugly!" After a bit of hesitation, the army did what they were told. Once they were locked and loaded, he started towards us. "Girl. If you know what's good for you, drop the baby."

I pulled the baby closer to me. "No! Are you really going to shoot a child?"

"That child is not to be trifled with." He brought the weapon up. "You can't understand the dangers this thing can cause if it gets free."

"But he's just a kid!"

"And I refuse to let this 'child' bring about the deaths of many more!" He gestured to the baby. "Take a good look at it. Do you think it's normal for a child to be as dark as a creature of Grimm? To have sharp teeth, glowing red eyes, carrying a weapon and having the strength to nearly twist my arm off?"

"That doesn't mean that you can just kill him!" I widened my stance, puffing my chest out. "I won't let you kill him. If you want to kill him, you have to kill me first."

That got him to stop in place. And there we stood, me looking down the barrel of the gun, cradling the child in my arms. Behind the officer, the army looked nervous as their own weapons pointed towards us. Behind me, the Faunus population of Fotia, growing emboldened at the sight of one of us being threatened. It was a stalemate. The officer started bringing his gun down to his holster.

The child wiggled within my arms. I started stroking its head. "Don't worry, little guy. There's nothing to be worried about—" Before I could finish my sentence, the baby let out a wail, bringing the arrow up into the air. The officer brought his weapon back up. "No!"

I twisted myself around, pulling the baby close to my chest right as a gunshot rang out. The right side of my torso went numb right then and there. Something wet started spewing out right above my right boob. Huh? I looked down to see a rapidly expanding splotch of blood soaking into my clothes. What? My head started feeling dizzy. I felt my knees buckling. How—

My body dropped to the floor. Something jabbed me in the shoulder, not like I could do anything about it. I felt like my lung's collapsing while I'm drowning. The baby… is the baby fine? I looked down. Right to my side. I didn't land on it. Whew. But that arrow… it's inside me. So that's what poked me.

Cries of grief and anger registered in my ears before I hacked out blood. Huh? I looked behind me. Mr. Kyanos… he managed to rush forwards and hack the officer's head off before he got gunned down by the soldiers. Somebody spoke out in the sounds of chaos. "White Fang! They're here! Engage anyone who doesn't comply, there could be White Fang right under our noses!"

More gunshots rang out, followed by cries of terror. I can't really focus on them. My eyes started drooping. So… sleepy… Somebody rushed over to me, someone in white. A nurse, I think? She tried turning my head towards her. She was saying something, but I can't hear what she's saying over the sounds of gunfire. She let go. I closed my eyes, hoping this was all a dream.

What I'm seeing isn't real… right?

 **=TBC=**

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 **Stand Description:**

 **「** **DARK HORSE** **」 -** **The user can transform any non-living object they touch into glass/a material equivalent to glass. They can then warp or put on certain properties based on what type of glass they want to have made.**

* * *

 **Song Reference:**

 **Cinder's Dark Horse is inspired by the band Kidneythieves's Dark Horse. It's an industrial song released in 2010. Now, surface level wise, Dark Horse has lyrics that oppose Cinder's characterization and what you guys know about her past. However, I didn't choose this song for its literal meaning. I chose this song because it conveys the underdog status she is in. It's a song about running away from a bad life and fighting to keep some semblance of idealism in a world that is crushing it to powder. It's about having something to keep you going forwards, and not letting go. That is the ideal Cinder lives by. Whether that is her reality or her actions, I'll leave it to you guys to decide.**

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 **So for next chapter's retrospective, I'll be talking about thinking of Starboy, Elastic Heart, and Dark Horse. There's more I want to talk about what happens next chapter, but I think that's better saved for the final retrospective. With that said, let's get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: The reality of what happens to Stand users after a fight is a thing I'm surprised Jojo never really touched on. I mean granted, Jojo would get bogged down in that kind of explanation, and the SWF hands-wave it quite well, but I like the idea that there has to be a place for Stand users after the Part is done. Somewhere to make sure they are accounted for, and will not attack the world once more.**

 **And the time justification, I really like that line. It feels raw, bitter, real. Both Yang and Emerald are right. Time does eventually lead to change, but it's also true that there are some who are in no position to wait. It's a very real issue between activism and gov't change. What is the right balance between the two that will best help people? That's not an easy question to answer, and it always changes. We just hope that we work it out.**

 **And the theory of time-looping. I'm going to reveal what's going on actually next chapter, but I find time-looping interesting. Being unable to act on your own accord, simply reliving past memories over and over again, becoming aware only to realize you're trapped - it really hits hard.**

 **Guest: Oh, it's going to get a little worse. Thank you for reading!**

 **tuskenpaw: I'm glad you noticed the children. You know, I thought for a moment that no one might catch it. It's a little important. But thanks for reading!**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Oh, you'll find out in the next chapter, rabidhandsquirrl. Thanks for reading!**

 **doa570047: Definitely. I didn't even intend to talk about class divides and all that, but there's definitely a point in empathy between the fortunate and unfortunate. It's very easy to not care about others, and I mean genuine sympathy, not saying that something sucks and moving on with your life. I'm guilty of doing that myself. But the dread of the future, of feeling abandoned by society, I feel that it's truer in today's society than people will admit.**

 **And funny coincidence: I actually just started watching Wakfu. Haven't gotten far, but the motivation of the villain is interesting. Something inherently selfish, where the villain will break so many moral codes and hurt people, but they hope their success means their sins are wiped away when they bring about a better reality. I think those kinds of villains should be bigger in fiction now. Someone you logically/emotionally agree with, but you can't accept it because their methods are more harmful than beneficial. I like seeing the humanity in monsters, and I hope to see more of them.**

 **Ultimate Kuuga: Oh, yeah. This has officially gotten real. Thank you for reading!**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 **Next Chapter Update: February 1, 2019**


	55. Glitter and Gold - Part 1

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **So, tomorrow's my birthday. 20 years, with 1/10th of that being on this story. There's something interesting about that, that I spent that much time on this story. Also, Volume 6 ended last week. I absolutely loved it. It might not be as exciting as other volume finales, but it feels so cohesive, and it makes me excited for V7 when it comes out.**

 **In actual news regarding this fic, there's going to be a retrospective today, so if that interests you, definitely check it out. Also, casual reminder that all the sidestories are important to the plot. Please make sure you read them. Also, this fic hit 60k views! This intro is already long, so I won't say too much. Thank you all for that. But with all that said, let's get right into the chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight_**

* * *

This feels like a bad dream. There's a part of me that wishes that what I'm seeing in front of me isn't real, that I'm still in my hospital bed, imagining the worst case scenario. I wish that part of me wasn't so, so wrong. I can't deny what I'm seeing in front of me now. A crimson moon glowed behind the clouds, enshrouding us in its glare. My dream turned nightmare has come back to haunt us all.

I watched in horror as Salem floated towards Amber, the only sound made being the tumble of glass brushed against the dark robe over her. No one dared taking a step towards the monster. I turned to look at the children. Team RWBY and Mr. Arc shook in place, eyes wide open. Sweat slipped down their brows. Ms. Rose grasped her cape, shivering at the sight of the monster in front of us. I clenched my fist. Gods help us all.

The pale woman kneeled down next to Amber, keeping a stone-cold face on the entire time. Even in the midst of our fear, she didn't pay us any mind, focusing on unwrapping the blinds around Amber's face. I held back a gasp. Her hands and neck were just exposed muscle tissue.

Everyone let out a gasp. Amber's eyes were completely rolled up, showing nothing but sclera and darkened veins. They didn't as so much as twitch. Black fluid dripped out from every orifice on her face, creating a puddle on the ground. She made no attempt to pull herself out from it.

"What a shame." Everyone glanced at the human Grimm. The muscle fibers on her hands twitched and contracted as she wrapped the binds around her neck. It fused to her body at first contact, reforming back to skin. "You came so close to seeing the new world we'll create. If only you had held on for a few more seconds." With the binding done, the pale woman stroked Amber's paling skin. "But you've done it. You made so many dreams come true. Cinder's dream, my dream… It's sad you couldn't see what I had in store for you next. Sleep then, child. Even if you can't experience our rebirth, you have brought it to us all."

She jerked up to her feet at that very moment, causing everyone to flinch back. "Osmond… it's been far too long. How long has it been now, eighty years?"

The children turned towards me. "Osmond?" Ms. Rose asked.

"Seventy-eight." I stiffened up, brushing the girl's comment aside. "Salem."

"Honestly, I did not expect you to stay alive for so long," the monster cooed, rubbing the front of her neck. "That should make you… roughly one hundred and twelve years old, if I remember correctly." I flinched back hearing that. One-hundred and twelve… I really _did_ live that long, did I? Salem gave me a smile. "I see I'm right on the mark. Say what you want about my messy habits, but I have a pretty firm grasp on dates. Speaking of grasping—"

She beckoned to us. Ms. Xiao-Long jerked back a second later, eyes widening when her belt pouch started shaking. What the— It popped open, revealing the pair of gloves. They wiggled and squirmed like baby birds freshly hatched. Before Ms. Xiao-Long could as much as shriek, they crawled out of the pouch and plopped on the floor. She and I turned pale. So this entire time, the gloves were really— I've never put it together.

The pair crawled across the ground, skittering on the tips of their fingers. Salem leaned down and allowed them to crawl over her exposed hand muscles. And the moment they did, the gloves shrank and fused to her body, reforming skin broken off so many years ago.

The monster ran a finger down the back of her hand. "Ah… still smooth as the day they left me." Salem rubbed her hands together. "It's good to finally have skin back on my hands. Trust me, not having skin gets… irritating." Dark ooze started dripping from her palms. "And I see that seventy-eight years of isolation hasn't stopped me from doing this." Everyone watched the ichor puddle drip to the floor.

I can feel the tension in the air. Everyone tensed up. Ms. Rose's eyes had this look of desperate fear, one ordering her to rush in. The rest of my students had that same look in their eyes. But no one moved. No one dared to run in out of fear of finding out what Salem's Stand ability is. And knowing what she just created on the floor, they definitely made the right call. They did not want to see what happens after this.

The black puddle bubbled and frothed, shrinking a bit as a claw pulled itself out from its surface. Then another claw, then a maw. Inky droplets splattered over the ground with every body part sprouting out from the pool. Its eyes, dull when it first came out, glowed red with malice. Before we knew it, a Beowolf finally pulled itself from the puddle with a sickening splat. It shook itself off before letting out a howl that rang deep. Unlike most creatures of Grimm, this thing had no bone plating to speak of.

Salem started towards Cinder, the Beowolf following closely behind. "Salem…" The girl tried pulling herself up, only to flop back down to the floor with a agonized cry. Despite that and all the pain she looked like she was in, the black-haired woman gave a weak smile. "You're here."

"Of course I am, child." The monster kneeled next to her. "I made that promise to you seven years ago, didn't I? You bring me back, and I'll help you rebuild the world the way it should be."

"Yes, of course," Cinder gasped. "And I brought you back."

"That you did, child. That, you did." The black-haired woman let out a wet cough, spewing a bit of blood on Salem's robe. Cinder pulled her hand away, revealing a smear of crimson. Salem let out a hum. "You don't have much time left, do you?"

"I have enough time to see you unify the world." Cinder pressed her hand against the floor, breaking into a sweat just to sit upright. "That's… all I really want to see in the first place. There's nothing I wanted more."

"Oh, don't you worry, child. You'll be part of the new world." Salem grabbed Cinder's chin. "In fact, you'll be the first one to ascend."

"Thank you." Cinder smiled. "Thank you— hrrk!" Her eyes widened in shock. Everyone else let out cries of shock and disgust. Cinder looked down. Salem's arm went straight through the black haired girl's chest. Out from her back, Salem's hand appeared, grasping chunks of what might've been a heart. The Beowolf was sandwiched between Cinder and Salem, with Salem's arm penetrating through its head. Both blood and ichor swam down Salem's arm and body, mixing into a foul viscous fluid.

A fountain of blood started to escape Cinder's mouth. She flopped over, turning pale as her lifeblood dripped out of her. I could make out a ghost starting to separate from the woman's body. "Salem… It's so cold…" Her eyes started drooping. "I'm so cold…"

"This here, my child, is the beginning of your salvation. It'll be over, soon. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD!** **」** " A feminine humanoid Stand appeared. It was perfectly split down the middle, with each side taking on drastically different colors. The Stand's right side is white as snow, while its left side is black as ink. Around its head was a heart-shaped crown worn like a crown of thorns over a monochrome set of dreadlocks. A snake stuck out from the front of the crown. As for the Stand itself, it wore a flowing dress reminiscent of ancient Vacuoan pharaohs with girded up loins.

My heart twisted and thumped out a sob. Sarah's Stand… it looks exactly the same as the day Sarah got it. She's still in there somewhere in Salem. I did everything to hold back long forgotten tears. But I have to act. I have to kill her. For the sake of this world. Stay still, my heart. Give me the courage to murder my beloved.

The familiar two-toned Stand drifted behind both Cinder and the Beowolf, grabbing the two bodies and lifting them off of Salem's arm. Cinder's soul at this point had left her body. She was without a doubt dead. But instead of floating up into the sky like most spirits, her soul was being held back. An invisible force instead tugged the wisps between the two limp bodies. I stared in horror and shock. Cinder's soul seemed serene and at peace from its posture. But her face… her face was contorted in some kind of pain.

Salem stood below the Stand, raising her arms into the air. "The best of each species will be taken, creating a perfect being to inherit this earth. From the cinders of each flawed being may a perfect species rise." At that very moment, Cinder's soul opened their eyes, staring straight at Ms. Rose and reached out to her. Whether Cinder was calling for Ms. Rose to join her or save her, I don't know. Salem slammed her hands together. "Now, combine!"

As if yanked by gravity, the two bodies converged onto Cinder's soul, slamming into each other. Her soul disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Grunts escaped from the students, them shielding their eyes from the shockwave that blew across the roof. I threw my arm up as well, gritting my teeth the moment the dust and smoke hit us. A cold, detached fury started growing within me once again. So this was what was happening the day Salem took Curi away from me… This was what must've happened to Sarah all those years ago. She used her Stand ability to do all this.

I uncovered my eyes, only for my jaw to drop. Cinder and the Beowolf's body were gone, replaced with a monstrous spherical blob in front of Salem. It's like when someone mixes colored modeling clay together, but instead of modeling clay, it was Remnan bodies. The blob floating in the air was two-toned, the left side pale white while the right side was an inky black. Limbs, fur, and bone surfaced and submerged on the surface of the blob as the two colors mixed together, becoming a sickly gray color. Over that ugly blob was the tattered remains of Cinder's clothing.

Every glass formation on the roof shattered, falling to pieces before fading away into nothingness. That was quickly followed by a gust of rose petals. Ms. Rose— no, Ruby rebuilt herself, making herself whole again. Her mouth was agape as she watched the horrifying transformation happening in front of us. Everyone was.

The blob started to take shape. It started spreading its mass, creating a crescent about the size of an average sized Remnan. Tiny arms and legs sprouted out; its head started gaining definition. Ears, limbs, fingers: the extremities of the body were detailed out. Within a second, the general shape of a female Remnan body was formed. Another cloud of smoke, this time from the blob obscured the rest of the process.

It didn't take long for us to see the results of that. The cloud disappeared, revealing the results of this 'ascension.' My eyes widened at the sight of the creature in front of us. The woman that had been there moments ago was no more. The best way to describe this creature was as a mix between a Beringel and a Remnan.

Most of her body structure was intact, but short, dark fur grew over where you'd expect skin. Bone plating stuck out from the body, particularly around the torso area. The clothes she originally wore lay loose over her body, ripped and in tatters. They did nothing to hide the transformation Cinder undertook. And formerly amber eyes were now a deep crimson, dull and disinterested. That entire process, from the moment the bodies made impact to the formation of this creature… was ten seconds.

"Uuuughk…" The sound that escaped from the creature's mouth sent shivers down my back. That is not the sound of an intelligent being. No, it's the sound of a tortured being, incapable of understanding the world around them. Its eyes started glowing. It took a single step forward, then flopped to the ground, as if a toddler still trying to learn how to walk. "Ooooooghkk."

Salem took a deep breath in, closing her eyes and smiling. "Ah… That's it… Let your thoughts and memories flow into the collective. Your struggles, your pain…" She let out a rapturous shiver. " I can feel it all." She walked towards the creature and held its hand. "You lived a troubled past… The pain of losing everything, of having loved ones stolen away from you. I can feel the void that left in your heart." She stroked the creature's cheek. "Rest easy, my child. That is no longer the case. This emptiness will disappear. Soon the rest of the world will join you. And after that, your justice will truly be served."

"Urrhaaaaa…" The creature tried standing up again. It was in vain. No matter what it did, it always ended with it falling to the floor, letting out another squelch of pain.

"Your body is still new," Salem mused. "Perhaps it's the differences between the Grimm species and humans that's causing this? This turned out quite differently than Curi and the Nevermore… interesting." She nodded her head as an unsettling grin grew on her face. "But you'll walk in time, Cinder darling. You'll stand just like me, and you'll find the happiness you lost oh so long ago!"

I had enough of this. "Get behind me," I hissed. The rest of the children didn't argue, following my order without any complaints. The relieved looks on their faces revealed that, if anything, they're all too willing to obey.

"Headmaster." Ruby bit her lip as she made her way to my side. "What are we going to do? You must've beaten her before, how did you do it?"

"I wish I had a better answer." I let out a sigh. "But I only won against Salem through pure luck and simply having the right Stand abilities at the right time. In an actual fight… we don't have a lot of options." I gritted my teeth. We have no Nicholas to seal Salem away… Salem being able to summon Grimm is going to be a major problem for the rest of the students. I'm not sure if they'll be able to reach Salem in time. There's only one shred of hope left here. I turned to the black-haired girl. "Ruby?"

"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow, surprised at hearing her name before shaking her head. "I mean, what is it, Headmaster?"

"Remember our discussion about your eyes?" She nodded. I took a deep breath. "Tell me, how much progress have you made with unlocking your Silver Eye powers?"

"I have… a little control over it." Ruby bit her lip. "I unlocked it and I can heal people or channel it through Crescent Rose. But I can't maintain it long. Just enough to hit a creature of Grimm once." Her forehead wrinkled in frustration. "I'm sorry I couldn't get much further than that, Headmaster. I just didn't have the time to train with it properly. If we only had more time to—"

"That's fine. Just you having access to your Silver Eye powers is more than we could ever ask for." My mind raced as I processed the fact. Jojo said something being able to use Silver Moonlight Overdrive the moment he unlocked his powers. I can assume that Ruby would be able to let out one of those, as well. Then there's the fact that she can already channel the energy through objects, although Jojo rarely if ever used that to his advantage. The only thing Ruby can't do at the moment is channel it through her Stand, but for how much progress she made in a week, she might be able to save us all. I balled my hand into a fist. I have to believe that more than anything else.

"This is what we'll do." I drew an imaginary circle around us. "The Silver Eyes will be the difference between life and death, so save them for either extreme circumstances or when you can get an opportunity to attack Salem. Everyone else, do whatever it takes to get Ruby in range to use her powers." My mind went back to my first fight against the Winter Mensis. "Salem likely has the power to summon Grimm, and she will attempt to overwhelm us with them. No matter what happens, we need to keep advancing. If we stop, that's it for every single one of us. Do you all understand?"

My students nodded, drawing their weapons. I clenched my eyes. Survival… that's all we have left. We just have to survive. My students need to survive. I flipped my cane into my hand as team RWBY and Mr. Arc— Jaune got into position. I owe it to them to keep them alive.

"Ooouuahh?"

The Grimm Queen looked back at us. "That is disappointing. The drums of progress are beating away from society, and you still choose to fight." Salem sighed, shaking her head. The creature formerly known as Cinder finally managed to get back to its feet. "I don't expect any of you to understand. I especially don't expect you to understand either, Osmond."

Salem's eyes started to glow with fury. "I know what you must be thinking. You're thinking that what I'm doing is wrong, that I'm a monster for wishing this upon all of Remnant. Is that right?" The monster grew ferocious for a moment, eyes burning with rage before she smiled. "But that's okay, dear. I don't expect you to understand, not at first. I'll just have to show you all what you've been missing, the opportunity that you all are throwing away."

She threw her arms out and made fists with both hands. Moments later, a familiar black substance started oozing to the floor. At the same time, at her feet was more of the inky fluid, quickly forming a giant puddle around us. Everyone summoned their Stands. Get ready… Several creatures of Grimm appeared out from the pool, letting out screeches that chilled to the core.

"Start moving forwards. Stick together. Don't attack the Grimm unless you absolutely have to." Everyone brandished their weapons, creeping towards Salem baby step by baby step. I myself held my walking stick between me and Salem, keeping my eyes locked on her. Two meters until we step into the Grimm pool. In the corner of my peripheral vision, the first wave of Grimm shook themselves off. They're going to be ready at any time now…

Fresh, crimson eyes spotted us. The students hitched their breaths, tensing up right as I stepped into the pool of inky fluid. I can see the Grimm's misty breaths, their muscles rippling in anticipation. "Wait for it…" I said to the students, maintaining my pace. "Don't do anything just yet..." The creatures of Grimm rushed towards us. "Now!"

Fists, claws, canes, swords, scythe: all flew out to meet the wave of Grimm. The situation could be best described as a meat grinder. Limbs of Grimm flew into the air, black ichor splattered across the roof. Sometimes, a Grimm body would go soaring towards Salem with a solid Stand punch. The wave tried to surround us, swallow us, but despite everything, the line kept moving up.

A group of ten Grimm rushed straight for me, all Boarbatusks looking to break through our defenses and gore us all. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** faded out. Let's take care of that. My vision split into eleven realities with a single blink. The first ten took a Boarbatusk and skewered each one through its skull with a sickening squelch. The eleventh reality kept moving forwards, walking over the already decaying bodies of the Grimm I just killed.

"Don't stop," I called back to the rest of the students as I brought myself back to the eleventh reality. "Never stop. The moment we hit a wall, it's over for all of us."

"Right, right." Behind me, Ruby's weapon fired yet again. The girl let out a long breath. "We're going to be okay. We're still keeping pace with you, Headmaster—" She gasped. "Jaune! To your left!"

What? I heard the sound of two things making impact. What the— I saw double now, one reality continuing forwards while the other looked back. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** had her fist meeting **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD,** **」** barely holding back the punch that would've blown Mr. Arc's head off.

My eyes widened. What the— that should be impossible. Sarah's Stand before she was transformed had a range of two meters at most. My other reality looked towards Salem. She was easily more than two meters away. There's no way that Salem could've increased the range of my wife's Stand, especially since the Winter Mensis was a Grimm, just like the rest of them. I don't believe it. So, how did Salem do it?

While I was figuring out that part of the puzzle, the students acted. A look of surprise appeared on Jaune's face for a moment before he snapped back to reality, slashing off the left arm of **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** before Salem could react. The monster staggered, letting out a shriek and gripping her arm. My gods… well, that's a surprise. But it's a good one. A bit of hope grew in my chest as I returned to walking forwards. This might be even easier than we thought if we can fight Salem like this—

An Ursa nearby Jaune staggered back a moment later, letting out a roar of pain as its left forearm was sliced clean off, sending a geyser of blood flying into the air. Huh? **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared behind the Ursa, mimicking the creature's movements before another sword slash ended the Ursa's life. The Stand disappeared after that… only to reappear behind a baby Beowolf attacking Ms. Schnee— Weiss, fully intact.

Oh gods… this is actually worse. Way more worse than I originally thought. I thought that **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** was attached to Salem. That's how it's always worked. One person had one Stand. I've never seen any Stand that deviated from that. But Salem isn't a person, not anymore that is. She's a creature of Grimm, the mother brain of a hivemind.

The creature smiled as she read the look on my face. "Yes, is it really that unbelievable? I am not a single person, but a small part of a bigger entity. My abilities are not restricted to me. If I need to—" **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** teleported around, appearing behind a creature of Grimm for not even a second before moving on. "—the rest of the horde can use my Stand to accomplish our goals."

That got everyone's blood running cold, especially mine. I thought that getting close to Salem was the most dangerous part. That's how we fought against the Winter Mensis, and I thought we could get away with doing the same thing. Just how wrong I was. I stared into the Grimm horde spilling towards us. Getting to Salem isn't the most dangerous part. Her Stand being passed between Grimm is. No matter where we are, we'll always risk getting hit by Salem's Stand ability. And once that happens, it's all over for us. I've already put the children into a serious amount of risk, and there isn't anything I can do about it.

Worst of all was this sentence: 'My abilities are not restricted to me.' Anyone connected to the Grimm horde can access each other's abilities. My eyes fell on the monster that used to be Cinder, who limped towards us at a pathetic pace. Does that mean that… with Cinder now part of the Grimm—

" **「** **DARK HORSE!** **」** " Ruby yelled out. "Everyone, watch out for glass!"

Our eyes widened when the Stand flickered in front of us not a moment later. I can feel the mood in the air dive for the worse. There's no way we can handle both the Grimm and Cinder's Stand. There's no way we can break through both the wall of Grimm and the wall of glass. I gritted my teeth, bringing out **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** once more. I was saving my Stand for extremely dire situations, but I might need to stop time once more—

Cinder's Stand flickered once more. Then again. I raised an eyebrow. What? **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** tried bringing her scepter over her head, but the Stand kept flickering. Then she disappeared once more.

Salem let out a dissatisfied hum. "Hmm? Now that's particular… I expected **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** to hold up longer." She closed her eyes, humming with understanding this time as she nodded her head. "Ah… I see what the problem is now. Her soul's split between every single creature of Grimm. It's dissipated throughout the entire horde, unlike how my soul's kept whole. Cinder's soul can't collect itself in one spot yet. But I'm sure as I add more and more souls to the collective, her power can be used." She put on a sickeningly sweet smile for us. "For now, **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** should be more than enough."

I let out a sigh of relief hearing that, killing another Beowolf before moving forwards. That's good, at least. If Salem had access to more than one Stand, I don't know if we'd have been able to defeat her. **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** punched through an Ursa attempting to smack my head off. I took a sharp gasp in. It's already hard enough fighting the horde and Salem's Stand. The last thing we need is another disadvantage. In the position we're in now, though… that's not going to cut it.

To my left, Ms. Xiao-Long— Yang growled as she lit a Beowolf on fire and shoved it off the roof. "There's just so many of them! What are we going to do?"

"I don't know!" Ruby blasted a hole through another Beowolf's chest. "But we have to get to Salem! That's the only way we can stop her! We can't afford to stop!"

" **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** can come from anywhere, though!" Jaune called out. His shield whipped to the side, catching the raining fists of Salem's Stand just in time. It disappeared before he can take another swing, though. "How are we supposed to defend ourselves while still moving forwards?"

That's a good point. I bit my lip. What I've done before simply isn't going to cut it now. Back when I first fought the monster, my team barely made it out alive, and even then that was due to sheer brute force and stubbornness. Facing this Grimm wall again and a Stand on top of all that… We need a plan. But what plan can we do in the face of a sea of bodies trying to sweep us away?

"Well… we're standing in a pool right now. Salem has the whole entire roof to make a lake out of. What if we drained the lake?"

What? Everyone turned to look at Ruby. "From the looks of it, the Grimm pools depend on surface area to form more Grimm. After all, the pool we're in isn't that deep in the first place." She pulled a boot up, revealing the oily fluid covered almost nothing. "It only goes up a centimeter at most." Wait a minute… Ruby's right. It doesn't go up that high.

"There's a small flaw in that plan, though," I said, caving in the skull of a Boarbatusk. "Back when I first fought this Queen Grimm, no one could take the Grimm pools out of the equation. Any attempt just smeared the liquid across the ground, creating even more Grimm. How would you suggest getting rid of the Grimm?"

Ruby smiled. She continued in a hushed tone, "I'm not trying to get rid of it. If we can't get rid of it, why don't we just move it?" She tapped the tip of her boot against the roof. "This roof's acting as one giant bowl. I noticed with my rose petals that it sinks in just a bit in the center. That's where everything is collecting. If we destroyed the roof, then we both limit how much Grimm she can make, limit how many she can have on the roof, and on top of that, kill a couple of them while we're at that."

Hmm… I nodded my head. "Not bad. Not a bad idea at all." The terrain _is_ slightly different than before. We can definitely take advantage of this. "It's worth trying, at the very least." I turned to look at the young leader. "And how will we do that?"

"Leave it to me, Headmaster." She turned to look at everyone else. "Everyone, we'll do a quick and hard push to make it to the center. Headmaster, create an opening for us to make that push. Weiss, Jaune! The moment we make it to the center, start using your Stands and create the densest block of crystals you can across as much of the roof as you can. You both are in charge of creating the Dust field. The rest of us will move up and set a perimeter three meters away from them, and we'll act as both a distraction and a wall."

Everyone nodded. Everyone got into position while **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」** drifting in front of me. He turned back to look at me. I stared back. You heard her. Create an opening when she gives the go. My cane caught a King Taijitu's bite, slowly but surely pushing back on me.

"Headmaster! Now!"

" **「** **BLACK BEATLES,** **」** The World!"

BOOMTICKTICKTICKTICK

"TIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIK—"

The Taijitu blew up in a splattering of oily ichor when time resumed, along with every single creature of Grimm two meters in front of me. The only thing left of them were their dopey faces of malice and surprise as they faded into the air.

"Go, go, go!" The whole formation pushed forwards, the wedge we formed piercing through the Grimm walls like a hot knife through butter. Within seconds, we crossed past the center of the roof before getting bogged down by the Grimm wall again.

"Weiss, Jaune, this is your time!" Ruby bisected yet another creature of Grimm. "Go for it!"

The two of them nodded, moving behind Ruby and starting up the first vein of Dust. Everyone else - Yang, Ruby, Blake, and I - we carried onwards, pushing back against the tide. At this point, Grimm started appearing behind us as well as in front of us, although it was nothing Yang's combustion couldn't handle. We kept moving forwards.

 **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared behind a Boarbatusk, throwing a swing right at Ruby.

" **「** **BLACK BEATLES,** **」** The World!"

BOOMTICKTICKTICKTICK

"TIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIK—"

Salem's Stand caved in with the return of time, followed by the Boarbatusk bursting open with a viscous spray of ichor. The dual-toned Stand faded away, only to reappear behind another creature of Grimm, no worse for wear.

I seethed at the sight. This is going to keep happening. No matter what we do, **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** will stay active until we get Salem. And we can't afford to fight a war of attrition. Behind me, the crackling of growing Dust caught my attention. Progress sounds good so far. Let's hope Ruby's plan pays off and turns the tide. Even if it's just a little bit. Just enough for Ruby to get one solid hit on Salem.

Speaking of which...I looked up at the monster in question. Her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing our every move. As long as she doesn't figure out what we're trying to do. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared in front of Ruby once more, this time aiming for the girl's chest.

" **「** **BLACK BEATLES,** **」** The World!"

BOOMTICKTICKTICKTICK

"TIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIK—"

A nearby Beowolf flew off the building, craters dotting its body as it dissolved into nothing. I kept moving forward. Something's off. Salem has multiple targets to choose from. And that's not discounting Weiss and Jaune behind us. If that's the case, why did Salem only attack Ruby? There's no way Salem realized Ruby's power yet… right?

The Queen Grimm cracked her neck. "So that's what you were trying to do…" My eyes widened. Huh? **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared behind yet another Beowolf. But instead of shooting forwards like I expected, the Stand tapped the Beowolf's back, picked it up, and threw it at me. She followed closely behind, making a beeline right for me. I gritted my teeth. Oh, no you don't! This shouldn't be too hard to deal with.

" **「** **BLACK BEATLES,** **」** The World!"

BOOMTICKTICKTICKTICK

"TIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIK—"

 **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** caved in and faded away. The Beowolf in the air let out a howl, ichor flying over the horde… but it didn't go limp. If anything, it gnashed at its teeth at me. My eyes widened. What? The airborne Grimm twisted in the air, revealing a Boarbatusk attached to its back. Its eyes were dull. No way… **「** **BLACK BEATLES,** **」** do something—

The monster slammed into me, knocking the wind out of my chest. The two of us flew back.

"Headmaster!"

"Keep going!" The moment I landed, I slammed the tip of my cane into the Beowolf's skull and split it wide open. My nose wrinkled. Ugh… I rolled the body off of me. That's disgusting. I took a breather, rubbing my chest. I stood up, continuing, "I'll catch up with the rest of you—"

I felt something cling to my legs. Huh? I yanked them up, but they refused to move. What the— I looked down, then gasped. My feet… they were submerged into the roof. The roof itself looked like putty, but I can feel it hardening around my ankles by the second. I let out a sharp hiss of frustration. No way… I can't move! Beads of sweat slipped down my face as I struggled. No! The plan!

"I see you finally caught on, dear," Salem called out. "You're as fast as I remember. I didn't get the chance to hit you with **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD.** **」** But did you really think that a plan like that would escape my sight, let alone the sight of every creature of Grimm here?" I glared at the monster using my wife's body, refusing to give her an answer.

"Headmaster!" Jaune and Weiss ran up to me. "Don't worry, sir. We'll get you out—"

"No." I shook my head, keeping my voice to a whisper. "Don't worry about me. What's the current progress on the trap?"

Weiss sighed. "It's not as good as I'd like it to be, but it's ready."

"That's all I ask for." I looked at the extended vein of Dust next to me, then at the two of them. "Join the others. I'll activate it." The two of them had doubtful looks on their faces, but they nodded and ran ahead to join the rest of their team.

My attention flew back to Salem in question. She sighed, throwing her hand up at my refusal to respond. "Osmond… I wished you weren't such a persistent thorn in my side. I want nothing more than to show just what you're missing. You've changed. What happened to the man who let things slide? The man who was able to accept any kind of decision or action with an almost carefree attitude? The open-minded Osmond who would at least listen to me? What happened to that Osmond?"

"I found myself responsible for other people's lives," I shot back. "Not just as an officer, but as a human being and as a friend. Curi's life. Your life. Our friends' lives. My student's lives. They were all in my hands, and so many of them left their bloodstains behind." A cold stare grew on my face. "I might not be the greatest friend, or the greatest father, husband, or teacher. I still make my mistakes, and I let lives be put at risk for causes I'd fight alone if I could. But I've learned that there are times when I can't let everyone do whatever they wish. Not if their selfishness meant the death of other people." I stood up higher. "Everyone, stand your ground! Push forwards and defeat Salem once and for all!"

The monster let out a growl. "You're only prolonging the suffering of others!" A Beowolf broke away from the crowd, claws extended and aimed right for my chest. I stared it down, calling back my Stand. I brought my cane up. This is happening again. I have to fall against the Winter Mensis once more. But if it meant that Ruby has a straight shot for Salem… I need to trust her. I need to trust my students.

The Beowolf let out a roar that shook me to the bone. I hope this is not goodbye, team RWBY. The monster leaped up, claws and jaw begging for blood.

I slammed my cane against the crystal vein. The resulting explosion shook me to the bone. Even with my Aura up, I felt my eardrums ringing. The Beowolf, wherever it was, missed me.

My eyes turned back. There was a hole where a Dust crystal used to be, one where the Beowolf coincidentally fell through. Cracks were darting around that gap, eating up more and more of the roof with a ravenous appetite. The roof caved in at that moment, dropping into the floor below.

I felt myself falling.

"Headmaster!" Ruby rushed over to me, hand outstretched.

"Ruby! Don't come any closer!" I yelled. The silver-eyed girl stopped, the roof collapsing further than she can reach. **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** shot forwards, trying to stop my descent. But it was no use. I slipped out of her Stand's reach as I continued my descent to the ground floor, the Grimm fluid and the creatures falling down with me. I let out one last call: "Your eyes!"

My body hit the ground floor before I could say any more. I staggered back to my feet. There was just enough of a crack in the roof that I can separate my feet now. I lifted them up, straining just to take a step. It's still going to be a pain to make my way back up. The roof… I need to get back there. Even after that sacrifice, I can't help but feel heart-wrenching fear tear at my chest. I must… protect them.

The roars caught my attention. I looked around me. The swarm of Grimm down here with me is insane. It's an amount I can handle, but it's going to slow me down. Hopefully that takes care of the Grimm wall. I clenched my chest. But I fear that by the time I fight my way back to the top, it might be too late. Everyone will be gone.

* * *

"Ruby!" I pulled her away from the ledge, firing Ember Celica at a creature of Grimm coming towards us. My sister blinked, shaking herself out of shock. I hissed, "Snap out of it! We can't focus on the Headmaster!"

"I know! I know that, it's just—" She tensed up, clenching her fist. "Right." She pulled away from me, her eyes intense as a bright light bulb. Ruby looked down the hole. "We'll come back for you, Headmaster. Stay alive, please." She looked away and back to the fighting.

I looked up as well. The Headmaster really did make a difference here. With the Dust explosion, most of the roof and the Grimm fluid collected fell down to the lower levels. The fluid still here was already draining into the hole, though. There's maybe just enough room for Salem to make a couple of Beowolves, but not much else.

The two of us made it back to the front lines, where everyone else is. Ruby reloaded Crescent Rose. "You heard what the Headmaster said! This is our moment!"

Jaune piped up, "But the Headmaster—"

"—Did what was necessary to end this once and for all." Ruby shook as she said that. She swallowed. "We can't waste it. And besides, his life is in our hands now. He might've given us this opportunity, but you know just as much as we do that he doesn't have much time." She let out a sigh. " He's bound to fall if enough Grimm attack him, and if he gets hit by **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD,** **」** Salem gets his Stand." Everyone went silent. Ruby pressed her lip into a thin line. "We can't hesitate now. Salem will only get stronger from here." Her eyes started glowing. "This _is_ our best and possibly only opportunity to defeat Salem. We have to attack now!"

"Well, how in the world are we supposed to do that?" Blake asked. "We have to fight against an entire swarm of Grimm, each one being a potential host for **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD.** **」** Even with the roof gone, just how are we going to win against someone like Salem?"

"My powers." Ruby's eyes started to glow. "The Headmaster said that I have an untapped amount of power inside me. It's the only thing that can defeat Salem in any real way. We just need to land a solid hit on her." She looked over at a nearby air duct. "Weiss… Jaune. Put a Dust crystal on that air duct, opposite of where Salem is." They raised their eyebrow in confusion, but they soon nodded and ran over. She continued, "Yang… Blake. Once the fighting starts, protect them with your lives."

"What about you, Ruby?" I asked. "What are you going to do?"

"Buy them some time." She stepped forwards, toward the monster in question. I held my hand in front of my face as her eyes grew bright. At that moment, the remaining Grimm _freaked_ out. They whined, growled, and snarled, backing away from the glowing light in front of them. It's hard to tell, but for a moment I thought I saw a little bit of fear trickle into their normally vicious eyes. Even Grimm Cinder and Salem flinched at the sight of my sister's silver eyes.

Salem snorted. "So you're one of the Silver Eyed Warriors… just like Jojo." Her hand went to her shoulder. "This is the first time in seventy-eight years where I've felt this feeling: this primal fear. I thought Jojo was supposed to be the last of them, but apparently not. So that's why my Stand came for you naturally…"

The woman clenched her shoulder. Almost like a switch was flicked, her frown curled up into a smile. "Ah. But I can feel the inexperience. Not just in lack of practice. You may have power, but you don't have the killer instinct. You have a limit, a line that you refuse to cross."

An almost mocking laugh escaped from the monster's mouth, everyone flinching back in surprise, especially Ruby. Salem wiped a tear out of her eye. "I felt that inexperience in the last man who tried to strike me down. What an irony, warriors who can't kill people when push comes to shove." She threw her arms out. "Don't worry. It won't matter in the end. You'll join the rest of us soon enough, Silver Eyed Girl."

Ruby looked shocked for a moment, mouth agape. She recovered soon enough. "You might be right. I might not be as willing to kill, or skilled with my powers. But I'm not fighting this alone. I might be the only one with these powers… but the whole world needs you to fall. And if people want to help, I'm going to take it."

Then she did something that caught me off guard: she ran back. Back behind Blake and I, landing right next to the air duct. "Jaune! Weiss!" Ruby slammed her hand against the metal. "Is it ready?"

Weiss nodded, dusting her hands off. "As ready as it'll ever be!"

"Good!" The silver glow traveled down Ruby's body, silver arcs sparking down into the air duct. It vibrated with energy. "Send it flying! Blake, Yang, move!" My eyes widened alongside Salem. What the— I leaped out of the way.

A barrage of shrapnel flew off with a concussive boom, thick sparking shards soaring through the air towards Salem. Silver lightning danced across each metallic surface. Tiy Nevermores threw themselves out from the Grimm pool still on the roof, allowing the shards to puncture them and incinerate them from within. Their cries sung through the air. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared in front of Salem soon after, punching several bits of shrapnel away. Each punch sparked with the flying metal. Still, enough chunks managed to pass even Salem's Stand, striking her limbs with loud squelches.

The shriek that escaped Salem was nothing short of terrifying. Everyone fell to their knees hearing her cry, covering their ears to block the horrid sound. Blake herself let out a scream of her own, tiny trails of blood slipping out of her own ears. That scream kept going, and going. It felt like it wouldn't stop.

Eventually it did, and I looked up to see just what it had done. My jaw dropped. Already Salem's right arm and legs were wasting away, becoming emaciated. Silver embers ate up healthy Grimm tissue, leaving nothing but bone underneath. Huh. I thought the entire body part would burn up. Maybe there's something different about Salem than we know of?

It didn't matter, though. With a swing of her hand, the burning parts of her flesh fell away, burning into nothingness. Three Beowolves spawned right next to Salem's feet, only to have their heads smashed in by the dual-colored Stand before they could as much as lift their heads. Ink black putty extracted from the dead Grimm were slapped onto her exposed bones. And there, they squashed and stretched around until they reformed her flesh. It was like she was never hurt.

The look Salem took on said otherwise, though. It was a look of fury that I've never seen on a person's face before. There's a murderous look, and then there's Salem's expression. She looked more feral and animalistic than anyone I'd seen before But she didn't scream or yell. No, she just stood there with that look on her face. It chilled me to the bone.

Something snapped. I don't know what or how, but Ruby picked up on it first. "Guys!" she yelled. "Get out of the Grimm pool! Run towards another air duct—"

A swarm of tiny Nevermores flew up into the sky not a moment later, enveloping our entire vision. What the— I held my arms up to my face, letting them take the several pecks and scratches they gave me. I felt them clawing all over my body, doing everything they can to break through my Aura. My eyes glowed red. Joke's on them, though. They just gave me enough power to disrupt their pool—

Something swung at me. **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** appeared, catching a fist. A two-toned ghostly fist. My eyes widened. Salem's Stand. It faded out, leaving **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** grasping nothing. The Nevermores! There are so many in the air right now, we can be attacked from any angle at any time!

A giant orange crystal appeared through all the Nevermores. Did Weiss already figure this out? I spotted rose petals floating through the air. Ruby realized as well. Blake must've thrown herself into the surface by now, so she has to be safe. Which just leaves… just Jaune and I. Neither of us can protect ourselves using our Stand abilities. Hell, Jaune doesn't even have a Stand he can protect himself with! Maybe he got lucky and got in a crystal with Weiss. I hope that's the case.

I punched my gauntlets together, letting my Semblance flow through me. But one thing's for sure. We need to get out of this Grimm pool now, away from these Nevermores. I raised my fist. And this should do it!

The roof rumbled. Grimm fluid flew straight up into the air with the impact, stopping the flow of Nevermores for just a moment. Now. **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」** shot out and up, combusting the droplets in the air. I need to work quickly. The liquid spreads fast, and if I can make a circle free of the black fluid, we might have enough time to take a breather!

At this point, I can actually see my surroundings. As I thought, Blake had dove into 2D, poking her head out now that the floor is clear. Weiss and Jaune were in a crystal chamber together. Ruby was reforming herself. Whew. They made it out okay. I looked up at the flaming embers falling towards us. It shouldn't be long now. The liquid should burn out soon—

"Yang, look out!"

I looked over and spotted the Grimmified Cinder. Or more importantly, the claw already coming towards me. What the— How'd she get here? I started throwing my arms up to block. My Stand started to fade out. I'm not going to be fast enough. I gritted my teeth. Please no—!

Ruby stepped in front of me, followed by a wet squish. My sister let out a gasp. She looked down, as did I. Cinder's claws pierced through her heart, appearing out from her back. They stopped not even a centimeter from my torso.

"No!" My eyes went red. Cinder's head blew open at the side, the work of buckshot to the face. I didn't really care, she wasn't important right now. I grabbed Ruby's slumping body, my mouth agape. How? She could've broken herself apart and survived that hit easily. What changed? Why did it fail her now? She looked back at me and smiled. And then it clicked. It's not that she couldn't survive it. She chose not to.

A cough of blood escaped from Ruby's mouth. "Yang…"

"Ruby…" I pulled her off of the dead Cinder's arm and into my arms. There's so much blood… "Why? You didn't have to. You could've survived everything Salem threw at you."

"But you couldn't. That's more than enough reason." She gave me a bloody smile, eyes still glowing with energy even as the color on her skin drained away. "Yang. Promise me this. When you see the signal, rush in and finish Salem. Once and for all."

 **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** floated towards us, picking up Cinder and Ruby's bodies. "What do you mean?" I stood up, my eyes swelling up with tears. Everyone else looked on in shock. "No! Ruby! Don't go! You can't!"

Even with the hole through her heart and her fatal wound, Ruby somehow managed to remain conscious. "Please." She focused every once of her powers into her eyes. Instead of it going down her body, it overflowed from her pupils, ready to burst out with a radiant boom. Wait a minute… This is her final move. My tears finally ran over.

But before I could say a word, the whole world went white. I gritted my teeth and covered my eyes. So bright! Was this the untapped potential Ozpin was looking for? I tried walking forwards, only to feel myself be pushed back. It's so strong! I felt hope surge through me. This might be it. This might be enough for us to win!

The light faded away, revealing the rooftop once more. I let out a gasp. All the Grimm were gone, incinerated by the blast. The Grimm pool has gotten a lot, lot smaller. It's just big enough to encompass Salem in a single meter radius. And as for Cinder, her remains have been mostly purified of Grimm influence, leaving behind an emaciated body. Only her chest still had Grimm flesh on it, and even then it was burning into nothingness.

But Salem… she appeared from behind a Grimm wall, it dissolving into nothing. She wasn't even as much as touched. She let out a tsk. "Did you children really think that I would let myself be hit by such a blast twice?"

A groan of despair escaped my throat, as well as the rest of my teammates'. Even Ruby wasn't enough. Fear stabbed deep into my chest. But then, that means—! I ran forwards, hand reaching out towards my sister. At this point, something golden appeared out from her body. Was that… her soul? She looked so peaceful, so serene, even as her body was floating towards **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD.** **」** As she was floating to an inevitable fate.

I threw my hand toward her. "Ruby!"

She opened her eyes at that moment, roused from an eternal sleep. She watched as Cinder's body was picked up, her soul appearing once again. The two of them fell into the hands of **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD.** **」** The Stand drew back its arms.

Ruby opened her mouth. But before she could say anything, **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** smashed the two of them together, bodies and souls merging together into one, ugly mess.

 _ **⇐TO BE CONTINUED= 2/15/2019**_

* * *

 **Cinder's Bizarre Adventure - Act 3**

The acrid smell of cinder tickled my nose when I finally came to. The only thing I could hear was the sounds of crackling. Something wet touched my face. Ugh… How long was I out? I rubbed my head, straining to lift my eyelids up. My vision's blurry, but there's something in front of me. It reminds me of someone. I blinked a couple of times. A bloodied face stared back at me.

"Oh gods!" My eyes snapped wide open. Artemis laid right next to me, her dull, shocked eyes staring into mine. Blood dripped out of a hole in her scaly throat. A puddle of crimson settled on the dirt between us. Wait, does that mean— My hands flew to my face. It came back, fingertips stained red. My stomach heaved; my chest pulsed. Oh gods— This can't be happening— My cheeks bulged. Celosia, hold it in, hold it—

I looked away from the body — and at the flaming lightshow around us. I covered my mouth. All of the buildings… they're burning. People's homes, shops, farmland as far as the eye can see: all of Fotia was up in flames. Smoke bloomed in the air, expanding so far as to hide the stars and the moon from sight. The only light came from the burning buildings and the embers that the flames threw at the streets. The Mistralian Ironsides that landed this evening were long gone, left to who knows where.

I tried pushing myself up, only to let out a cry of pain before falling back to the ground. Ow, what the— the wound. That's right… the officer… I reached for the right-side of my chest. A lance of pain pierced a scream out of me. I can still the thumb-sized bullet wound two centimeters to the right of my areola. The bleeding hasn't stopped, not one bit. But it's not as bad as I'd expected. I should be dead. There's no way I should be alive right now, but I am.

With another push, I got myself upright, beads of sweat dripping down my face. I tried to wipe off my face. It only smudged the blood over my cheeks. Dad. I need to find Dad, or someone, or anyone. I strained my ears over the cackling flames. Is there anyone out there? Is there anyone left?

A cry caught my attention. I looked down to see the child curling up in a ball, letting out a wail while waving its arms out from the baby blanket. The blanket was soaked red. My heart dropped. No… could it be? I unwrapped the child. The baby was covered with the iron-scented liquid. But there isn't a bullet hole in sight.

"Oh, whew," I said, wiping my brow. A relieved smile appeared on my face. "You're still alive, little guy. I thought that the other men would just kill you here on the spot. But hey. You'll be okay now. I am here." I sighed. "That makes two people." I spotted the wrap in his hands, the one I saw when I first picked him up. "You don't mind if I borrow this, right?" I grabbed it. He didn't object. With that, I quickly bandaged myself and got up, baby in hand.

Home. I need to get back home. My feet picked up, slamming against the ground as the village around me burned. Ash fell on me and the baby as I continued towards my home. No matter where I turned, I was only greeted by what's left of the town. The townsfolk sprawled on the ground, faces frozen in terror. The majority of them fell away from the landing strip. A sparse few Grimm walked the streets, but none looked my way yet. I hope it won't come to that.

I turned away when I saw the body of one boy with a bandage around his eye. A gaping hole was where the other was supposed to be. I never said sorry to him. I won't ever get the chance to. Tears tried to break through. I sucked them back into my eye, but every second I looked, it got harder. At this point, is there still a home to go to? With every step I took, Fotia looked less firey. The ashes might be everywhere, but the fire hasn't taken everything yet. I just need to hold on to that hope. That's the only thing I can hope for.

I gasped the moment I made it to my block. My house was in ruins. It wasn't burning, granted. But I felt a lump form in my throat. Dad… are you okay? Please be safe. After taking a deep breath, I walked into the house.

The living room was a mess. My jaw dropped. The furniture was overturned and shot up, creating splinters and debris all over the floor. Some of my drawings fell onto the ground, only adding to the mess around us.

But that's not the reason why I was shocked. No, it was what was in one particular corner of the room. The one where my bedroom would be. That corner had several bodies: my neighbors. They all had looks of fear and agony sketched into their faces, they posed into manifestations of terror itself. All of them had several bullet holes through them, the blood drying up in front of my very eyes.

Tears ran out my face as I walked towards the bodies. And in front of them, arms out shielding them, was Dad. His body sat on top of the pile of bodies, riddled with holes. In his dull amber eyes, I can make out the remnants of fear and hope. He thought that he could save them. He didn't succeed.

For the second time today, I fell to my knees, tears freely flowing from my face. I pressed his hand against my cheek. It was so, so cold. Dad… Everyone… You shouldn't have been killed. This… this wasn't supposed to happen. You were all supposed to get better, go back to life in the city, go back to normal! It can't end here… this can't be what happens in the end.

I let out a pained scream. Why? They shouldn't have died. No, they could've continued living if it wasn't for the Mistralian army. And that officer. Why did they want to kill this child? Why did they decide to attack the city after their officer shot me? This isn't fair! They killed people, whose only fault was being here at the wrong time! And now… now everyone is dead. If not due to the army, then very much to the Grimm that came in as a result.

Smoke started streaming into my home. The first embers swam in, lighting the pictures on fire. The faces of everyone who lived in Fotia… they're all going to disappear. And I can't save them. There won't be anything else to save.

At that moment, a wolf-like creature of Grimm walked through the doorframe, letting out a howl. It peered at me with those glowing red eyes, most likely eyeing me as its next meal. I made no attempt to run. An acidic feeling ate at my heart. Mistral, the army, the Kingdoms… they doomed us, and they don't care. Like we were nothing more than dust.

"Why?!" My pained soul pulled hard, followed by something splattering on the ceiling. Huh? I blinked. A floating figure hovered in front of me, scepter in hand. The creature of Grimm had a look of surprise on its face and a glass spike through its skull. It dissolved in front of me, letting out an almost sorrowful gasp before disappearing into the void.

The figure in front of me let out a huff, readjusting her scepter before turning towards me. **「** **DARK HORSE.** **」** The name just appeared in my head, but I knew. That was the name of this specter. She came to protect me.

The fire spread to my bedroom, igniting the bodies of my neighbors on fire. I watched as it crawled up my Dad's body, gobbling it up with vigor. I squeezed his hand. Everything just felt… numb. But standing in this building, seeing everything burn to cinder and ashes, I knew exactly what my heart wanted.

"Dad… I'm so sorry. I have to ignore your lesson. You said I should fight to protect everyone I love—" I let go of his hand. "—But there's no one left to protect. All I have left is justice." I stood up. "I'm going to fix everything. I'm going to make the world balanced again."

" _Ah, child. Don't cry anymore._ "

I shot up. Who was that?

" _You won't find me. I've been gone from Remnant far too long. But my power is just strong enough to speak to you._ " The voice is not from here? " _Correct. But I'll talk about that later. I must thank you for saving my child._ " At that moment, the baby in my hands gurgled, pressing its head against the wrap around my wounds. That's her child? " _Why, yes. The Cupid is my child. And I'm grateful for you saving them. I am in your debt. After all, the Grimm haven't attacked you yet._ "

"The Grimm?"

" _Correct. They refuse to attack their Queen. Or in your case, a person under my protection. The wrap you wear, that is a token of my favor._ " I stayed silent, listening to the cackling fires around me. This is all so much… what is happening?

" _Child… I can feel the anger in your heart, the bitterness of injustice, the determination and power to right this wrong. What if I told you I can help you with that?_ " She… can? " _Correct. You see, I too, want to unify this world, create a world where injustice doesn't exist. Where the suffering of one will be felt by all, and all will work to ease each other's pain. I have the power to bring about that world._ "

My eyes widened. Her words touched me. "But why haven't you?"

" _I was banished, thrown out of this world by ignorant fools who don't understand. In fact, my only influence on this world are the gloves and wrapping you have on right now._ " I glanced at them. " _The Arrow you have in your possession… it unlocks unlimited power, which we call a Stand._ " The figure reappeared in my head. " _It gave you yours. Eventually, it'll find a power that can free me. Take that Arrow, find allies, and look for the one who can free me. If you can, I'll give you the justice you desire._ "

My eyes glanced at the fire around me. There was nothing but the burning visages of the people I love. They called out in the cackling, a collective making their voices heard. Their ashes spun in the air with fury. They called for righteousness. They called for justice. If bringing this woman through back to Remnant gives Fotia justice, if her world ends the injustices of all… I gripped the baby tighter. "Alright. I'll do it. I'll bring you back."

" _Thank you. Take the Cupid with you as well. He will help you with your goals._ " The voice paused for a while. " _You might want to get out of this continent as soon as possible. The officer who tried to kill you, he and his family have Stands as well. They'll do anything to stop you. Vale, however… you'll be free to go about this task._ _I trust that you can do this._ "

I nodded. I walked out of my burning house, a new type of fire burning in my chest. One with direction, one with purpose. Celosia was dead, killed protecting the people she helped. As for me… I am the ashes that remain: Cinder. In memory of the people who died, I take on this name. I watched as my house collapsed, quickly swallowed up by the fires. And for those still alive, I will bring about this new world—

"Help!" I jerked my head towards the sound. Wait, what? Help? I shook my head. It's just my imagination. There's nobody left. Everyone has died either to the army or to the Grimm—

"Help!" What the— I shivered. This can't be right. I started towards the voice. No… this scene around me is just a memory. It's in the past. Done. And I know nobody else survived. It was just me and the Cupid. Why am I remembering voices that never existed before?

I turned the corner and spotted something that wasn't there before: a wagon with two girls standing on top of it. Together, they stared at a caped figure: one with a scythe in hand. Everyone's back was turned toward me. Instead, they watched as the wolf Grimm — no, it's Beowolves — they watched the Beowolves dissolve. The three of them ignored the burning visage around them. No, they kept exuding positivity and happiness. They kept hope.

But that's not what caught my attention. What caught my attention was what colors the girls were. One of the girls was in red, while the other was in yellow.

My eyes widened. No… That's… Ruby and Yang. Their younger forms, for sure, but that's them, for sure. This is them on the same day I lost everything. Yang was looking for her mother. They ran into a group of Beowolves, but their uncle saved them and— how do I remember this?

I grasped my head. They shouldn't be here. Fotia's in Mistral. They said they were from Patch, basically the other side of the world! I shouldn't be seeing them here! I shouldn't be remembering their memories! I paused, the realization creeping up on me. But at the same time… I feel like this memory is also mine. I don't know how to say this. It's not my actual memories, but it's still 'mine.'

Child Ruby's head tilted up. "Cinder… I'm so sorry…" I flinched back. The memory's speaking to me? Huh? She turned around, revealing bloody tears running down her face. The hooded figure turned around as well, revealing themselves to be my **「** **RED LIKE ROSES.** **」** Wait, mine? Ruby continued, "You shouldn't have to face this kind of thing alone."

Before I could open my mouth, my voice spoke out: "Don't give me that patronizing look." What? I turned around and saw adult me walking towards us. She looked tired, worn, absolutely fed up. Behind her, my **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** struck a menacing pose. "Do you really think that one apology will be enough to bring the people I love back from the dead?"

Rose petals floated around the child Ruby, obscuring her for just a moment. When they disappeared, Ruby was back to her normal age. "I'm not sorry for that. I'm sorry that you suffered more than anyone else, and no one helped you."

Wait… did I just say that both **「** **DARK HORSE** **」** and **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」** are my Stands? I stepped away, looking at the two women. Each opposed the other in almost every way. But… I see both of them in myself.

The burning memory around us started to crumble, leaving us in a deep, black void that was the sky. The only source of light was the ground we stood on. Wait… shared memories, both Ruby and Cinder here… Could it be? I ran towards a nearby puddle and looked through it. My eyes widened in shock. The left side of my face… was Cinder's, complete with the amber eye. And as for the right side… that was Ruby's. Yellow and silver eyes stared back at me.

Oh my gods… This… this isn't just a memory or a dream. I wasn't aware of it for so long… but it's starting to make sense now. Everything I've seen before… that was the past. Not just old memories… I've been reliving everything here in Ruby and Cinder's merged mind, waiting for their souls to catch up. I looked up. Both of them took stances. They are both part of me. But who am I?

 **=CINDER'S BA END=**

* * *

 **It's that time of year again. The unplanned reflection on Monty, since today is the anniversary of his death. Two years ago, I talked about how I first learned of Monty. Last year, I talked about his legacy in the midst of the polarizing Volume 5. This year, with the coincidental timing of this chapter, I wanted to talk about grief and death.**

 **I found out about Monty's death on my birthday, casually browsing through Know Your Meme. And when I did, I honestly felt numb. Here's someone that I respected so much, who was such an important part of internet history and web animation, just... gone. The worst part of it is knowing he died so young. He was arguably in the prime of his life, in hindsight right at the point where RWBY really became big, and he passed away before he could see that. Back then, it felt unfair that Monty had to die. It was something completely out of his control. He didn't deserve to die for anything he's done. But he did anyways, and now RWBY and everyone related to it has to move on without its creator and figurehead. And I'll admit, everyone had a hard time reconciling that.**

 **In my opinion, grief is a fundamental aspect of the FNDM and of RWBY. Grief over the loss of Monty, grief of losing characters we're attached to, of what Volumes 1-2 stood for versus the rest of the show, the characters' grief within the story, on and on. We remember Pyrrha, Penny, Roman years after they died, we still think and wonder if the show is living up to Monty's legacy. From how I see it, RWBY is a show that can't be removed from those feelings of grief. And I have to be honest, I think that's what makes RWBY such an interesting show, a show that while varying in quality, is so present in the minds of the internet, for better and for worse. The raw emotions that permeated every aspect of RWBY, the backlash for Volume 5, these highs and lows that come from being a part of the RWBY fandom, I think that's fueled by grief and our attempts to handle it, even accounting for people who are just part of the FNDM to be malicious.**

 **Looking back on it, that means that a lot of us really haven't moved on from the grief. Hell, you can say I haven't. I'm still writing these retrospectives on Monty. Monty's catchphrase is all about moving forwards no matter what. It makes me wonder: is it possible to really move on? Is it okay to dwell on what could've been? We as a FNDM are still figuring that out, I feel. I'm trying to say how I feel about moving on in this very fic. And CRWBY must be struggling with that question, even with the massive improvements with Volume 6 that I feel puts the show at its highest point to date.**

 **But that's okay. That's grief. And it's okay to air our grief. It gives me hope, hope that we as fans of RWBY can grow emotionally and find strength in ourselves as we support this ever growing show, regardless of how we do so. Maybe that's our definition of "keep moving forwards." Maybe that's why we're still talking about RWBY though the highs and lows. I know it's mine. And I'm happy to grieve with you all.**

* * *

 **Now for the actual retrospective I have planned. Starboy, Elastic Heart, and Dark Horse are all examples of Stands where I originally had more interesting abilities that I wanted to write, but decided to switch for stronger narrative cohesion and stronger character development. Starboy was originally conceived with localized time dilation. Elastic Heart used to be smoke-based. Dark Horse originally affected the pH of objects and turn things into acid. All fun abilities that I have some ideas of writing a battle around. However, when it came to actually writing this series of fights, I realized that I didn't like how these powers related back to their users. And sometimes, you just have to accept that ideas you like must be given up if they don't work.**

 **So how did I come about to getting their current abilities? With Starboy, I got it from talking about Spiderman with friends. I don't quite remember the context of the conversation, but we started talking about Spiderman for some reason, and then it hit me like a truck. Mercury is known to be a comic book fan, web-slinging is just as fun to write as localized time dilation, and Peter Parker's struggles with his role as a superhero felt relatable to Mercury's struggle with finding purpose in his life. It felt way more cohesive as a powerset.**

 **For Elastic Heart, I honestly figured it out over sitting in front of my desk and thinking through the theme I assigned to Emerald. I gave Emerald the theme of isolation and abandonment. After I put some thought into it, my mind went to white holes and how it pushes everything away. It felt like the epitome of isolation and abandonment. Not only is a white hole alone, but it does everything it can to stay alone. And I knew I hit something great.**

 **Cinder was admittedly a harder one. I spent more days than I liked stuck on how to make something cohesive from Cinder's original Stand ability. So instead, I pushed the issue aside and focused on writing Cinder's Bizarre Adventure. I wrote that, came up with Cinder's dad and his occupation as a glassmaker, and then I started wondering. Glass is known for its transparency. I made her dad a glassmaker to signify his honesty. Then I made a revelation: why not apply that to Cinder, but in regards to her views on justice? It solves the issue of narrative cohesion, and it was interesting enough for me to write. And the rest of it is history.**

* * *

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: I love the conflict between Cinder and Ruby. They serve as solid foils for each other, even in canon I'd say. It's just not really elaborated upon, which can be annoying for sure. But I'd say there's still a foundation RT can work with, that's for sure.**

 **Yeah, Ruby vs Cinder is an unusual fight for sure. One determined more by objectives than just knocking the user out. It's definitely interesting to have two characters who can't really do much to each other, but they have to figure something out to achieve their objective.**

 **Guest: Yeah, thing's aren't really looking good for the protagonists so far. I wonder how they're going to fight their way out of this. Thanks for reading!**

 **tuskenpaw: Speaking of the Cinder talk, I loved writing it. A conversation that genuinely challenges Cinder's thoughts and instincts is interesting to me. It's something that resonates with me, that's for sure.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Yeah, last chapter, this chapter, and the next chapter are the most intense chapters to write by far. I'm going to shut my mouth now and let you guys experience what I have in store myself. Thanks for reading!**

 **zerpjustice: I don't know, I'm a personal fan of Josuke vs Kira and the train chase arc in SBR. Still, I'm flattered that you think that. Thank you for reading this far!**

 **doa570047: I like how you mentioned kintsugi. All I'll say about it is that I'd keep that in mind reading the final few chapters.**

 **And I like how you mentioned the Stand ability contrasts and the comparison to Josuke and Kira. Just saying, I really, really like them. And honestly, you did a better description than I honestly can. So I'll leave it at that. Thanks for reading!**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: February 15, 2019**_


	56. Glitter and Gold - Part 2 (Baby Blues)

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **One thing to mention: this chapter as initially released is going to be rough. That is completely my fault. I sent the wrong chapter to my beta, and didn't notice until it was too late. We're going to update this chapter with the edited version, but for now, let's get right into the chapter!**

 **EDIT 2/15/2019: Edited version is out!**

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 ** _Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight_**

* * *

It felt like the whole world stopped. I broke out from Weiss's orange crystal chamber, staring at the scene before us. Both Ruby and Cinder's souls were consumed by their flesh combining together. I had just enough time to see Ruby's hand go limp before getting swallowed up. Crocea Mors fell to the ground.

"Oh my gods, Ruby!"

Yang rushed towards the mass of flesh. My eyes widened. She grunted a moment later when she slammed into my outstretched arm. I yanked her back. "Hey! Jaune! What are you doing— let me go!" She jerked around in my grip, clawing at my sleeve. That only got Blake and Weiss to join me in dragging the concerned sister away.

"Not now, Yang." My voice cracked saying that. "Listen to me." I glanced up at the Salem. She blinked, her arms shaking. Wait a minute… Maybe Ruby's attack did something to her after all, even through the wall Salem created. The creatures of Grimm that held us back before are gone now. Tears started running down my face as well. "I wish we could do something about Ruby. But she gave us the chance we need to stop Salem once and for all. We can't afford to waste the shot Ruby gave us. If we're going to rush into Salem's range, we at least need to do it with a plan in mind."

I turned towards the rest of Ruby's teammates. While both Weiss and Blake kept their composure, it's still so easy to see the grief on their faces. I can see Myrtenaster tremble in Weiss's hand. Blake gripped Gambol Shroud tight, tensing up. They're just about ready to break into tears. I continued, "We need one attack, one single attack that can take Salem down."

"What in the world do you suggest then, huh?" My mouth went dry; my mind drew a blank. Nothing. Just… nothing. In every other fight, I could think of something, anything. But Salem isn't like any other Stand user. With the others, they at least had some semblance of mercy, something holding them back. But Salem won't give that to us. We can't counter her Stand ability, we can't break through a Grimm horde if it comes to that, we can't come up with something clever to hurt her. All we can do… the only move we have left…

"I wish I could say another Dust attack," I sighed, gritting my teeth. "That could probably give us enough power to destroy Salem once and for all. But we won't have the time to set something like that up, not unless we want her to build up another horde." I let out a sigh. "The only thing we can do… is to just run in and hope."

Everyone went silent hearing that. A bitter smile grew on my face. This is it, huh? Fancy plans, creative tactics… We're out of those. We've spent all this time thinking about how to fight effectively with our Stand powers, and now we're in a situation where it means nothing. I'm completely exhausted on ideas. No one else has any ideas, either. Ruby was the only one who might've been able to turn the tide, and she's… I bit my lip. There's nothing up our sleeves. There's nothing left for us. All we have left is our goal and our lives. And the Headmaster and Ruby would hate it if we gave up our goal.

I leaned down and grabbed my sword, raising it up towards Salem. "It's been great knowing you all," I said. "I don't regret anything I've done leading up to this." My voice cracked a bit. "Thank you."

The rest of team RWBY let out quiet, resigned sighs, walking forwards and pulling out their weapons. I can feel the despair in the air. It pressed on us, threatening to drown us all. At the same time, there's something that is pressing us onwards. At that moment, I didn't care about the fate of the world. I just thought about Beacon. I thought about my team, my memories with them. My mind went to team RWBY and everything they've gone through. I thought about Ruby. For all of them, I fight.

 **「EVERYDAY BOY」** flowed into Crocea Mors. It grew hefty in my hands. "For Ruby," I whispered.

We all charged.

* * *

I stared in amazement though Jaune's eyes as they charged forwards. For one moment, it's almost as if I was him. Grief, anger, resignation, despair. I can feel that through Jaune. Flipping through my mind, I can see and feel everything my teammates feel.

Denial from Weiss. A cold fury from Blake. Grief and anger from Yang. Bitter determination from everyone as the four of them charged across the roof, moving to end Salem once and for all.

Desperation bordering on despair. Doubt and fear. On the ground floor, my other two teammates lay in place, only able to hear the clashing on the roof and see the ichor dripping to the ground. Emerald and Mercury just breathed, waiting for me to come back. They held onto hope, even as a few creatures of Grimm crept towards them.

Two groups of friends and teammates, fighting on opposite sides, but all still precious to me. I can see everything they see, and feel everything they feel. It's almost like I am them. But that's not the case. I might be putting myself in their shoes, seeing what they see and feeling what they feel. But that's the extent of it all. At the end of the day, I am my own person. I balled my hands into a fist. But who am I?

I looked away from the 'memory' back to the two women facing against each other. Behind them stood their Stands. But there was something off about them. My eyes widened. They're just images. I couldn't feel anything from them. But with Ruby and Cinder… I feel their Stands in them. No… they are the Stands. The cores of their souls are standing in front of me.

Both **「RED LIKE ROSES」** and **「DARK HORSE」** faded into nothingness. At this point, Cinder and Ruby's clothes started to shift, taking on the form of their Stands. Ruby was adorned in heroic silver while Cinder took on a darker gray way I look at those two… there's something about them that draws me to them. They were both me, yet not me. Like two halves of a coin. I'm the body, and they're my soul.

Ruby looked away from Cinder, tears still running down her face. She gasped not a moment later at the void around us. "What is this?" She stepped off a dissipating wagon. "This… this is that dark place I've been in while unconscious. How did I get here?" She glanced at her adversary. "How did you get here?"

"I'm not so sure myself." Cinder took on a more cautious stance. "But from what I remember connected with the Grimm collective, I think I know." Cinder gave Ruby a dim stare. "This is Salem's doing. We're merged together through her Stand ability. However, she merged our bodies while we still had our souls. Before, it was two bodies, one soul. One Remnan, one Grimm. But with us… We're now sharing the same body." Cinder pressed her lips together into a thin line. "A person with two souls. An unintended effect of the merging."

"And the memories?" The silver-adorned girl started towards Cinder. "You must've seen them, too. We're connected to the memories of every Stand user, from the day I was first cut all the way to now."

"Hmm…" Even Cinder looked stumped. She closed her eyes, raising her head to the void. "I don't know. We must be a special scenario. After all, what are the odds that Stand users, one with Silver Eyes, and one with remnants of Grimm flesh would merge together?"

The woman let out a hum, realization dawning on her. "Wait a minute. Stand users are attracted to other Stand users… I've always suspected there's a reason for that. I've always thought that there was some subconscious psychic connection between Stand users. A connection that brings users to each other. That might very well be true here. Then there's the Grimm essence, which allows the Grimm to share information with each other through some sort of connection."

"And the Silver Eyes," Ruby started, eyes widening. "They're connected to emotions. That includes the emotions in our memories."

Cinder nodded. "It's all making sense, now. The psychic connections between Stand users, combined with the Grimm's ability to share information and the emotional connections the Silver Eyes have. All of those factors merged together managed to create a body that can tap deep into the collective memories of Stand users the moment they became one. We haven't joined the hive mind… We're the opposite of that. A living archive? A superorganism? A superhuman?"

"No." I looked at Ruby, who stood up taller. "We're a spirit of the times. A speaker for Remnans, molded by both the living and the dead."

"The ghosts of the people's will… there's something funny about that." Cinder stared at her hands, and then at Ruby. "We are an anomaly, a being that shouldn't exist. But at the same time… we still do. The impossible has happened. We're both alive, and we both see the memories that brought us all the way here. Someone like us won't happen ever again."

The woman lowered her head. "But there's still one that bothers me in particular. Salem's recombination is though. Our bodies must've been completely merged by now. There's likely nothing left of our old selves. All except for one thing. Us." Cinder looked up. "You and me. Our souls are the only thing that's left of us, that's all that exists. We haven't merged with each other. For some reason, our souls managed to stay separate, even though our bodies are joined. And we're both stuck in the same body."

"The Grimm essence," Ruby mouthed to herself, her eyes widening. "My last use of my eyes—"

"Destroyed enough of the Grimm that the two of us are severed from the rest of the Grimm collective." The woman closed her eyes. "No, not quite destroyed… more like severely damaged. I can still feel a small amount of Grimm left in this body. Not enough to connect back to the collective, but just enough to facilitate a new collective. An unconscious, one-way collective centralized here." She bit her bottom lip. "And the two of us control this collective. Two different minds, two different souls."

"And eventually our body's going to wake up." The silver-clad girl nodded her head. "And when that happens, who will be the one in control?"

That's what it comes down to. I stared at the two of them, watching the standoff grow tenser by the second. Will I be Ruby, or will I be Cinder? That is the question that needed to be answered. Could they both exist together? Or does one have to die in order for the other to live? They both took stronger stances. And from the looks of it, neither of them wanted to take their chances.

"Ruby, you've seen my memories," Cinder said, eyes narrowing. "You, of all people have to understand why I'm trying to do this. Let me take control."

"Yes, I understand why you're doing this, but what you're doing is still wrong!" Ruby stepped forwards once more. "We're better than this! We don't need to destroy the Kingdoms to bring about the change you want!" Cinder ignored the girl, shaking her head. Ruby continued, "What about your Dad? What about everything he stood for?"

Cinder stopped. "Don't you dare mention my father."

"It's still important—"

At that moment, the woman shot forwards, a right hook smashing against Ruby's face. "I said shut up!" Cinder yelled, fury on her face.

The girl's face broke up into petals, allowing Cinder's fist to soar past before reforming itself. "I won't!" She pulled her fist back. "And I'm not going to let you continue this cycle of 'justice!'" With that, Ruby threw all her weight into a fist, slamming it into the other woman's stomach.

That got a reaction. Cinder reeled back, letting out a wheeze of air before staggering back. At the same time, Ruby cried out in pain and pulled her hand back. Embedded within her fist were tiny glass shards. Huh? I looked back at Cinder. Where her stomach was now rested a broken glass panel, its shards already falling away to the ground.

Red and orange embers of Aura fluttered out from Ruby and Cinder's wounds respectively, dissipating into the air. That followed with red and orange cracks over their bodies. My eyes narrowed, then widened. Wait a minute… Ruby and Cinder became just a little more transparent. Their Aura… where is it going? Out of the body? Getting stored somewhere else? Wherever it went, it's clear what was going on here. Both can't control this body at the same time. If they can't merge and work together to control the body, one of them has to disappear. And it's clear which option they've chosen.

All of a sudden, the world around us stopped breaking down. What? I looked around. With the blink of an eye, the world around us reversed course. The collapsing buildings rebuilt themselves. Embers that sat on the ground leapt back into the flames they were born from.

Before either of them knew it, the village of Fotia has been rebuilt. The destruction of the town was clear, but the consequences never come to pass. It'll never fall into ruins. I stared at the arena around us. As long as this memory lasts, it'll burn forever. It's eternally dying, but never given the release of death. The only thing that wasn't fixed was the sky. It remained pitch black, a reminder of where we are.

"Look at my home, Ruby." Cinder gestured all around her. "Stare at it long and hard. Let the sight bury itself into your mind, just as it did to mine. Look at the destruction the Kingdoms have wrought on it. Look at the bodies of the people my Kingdom failed! Do you know the worst part about this scene? Nobody cared. I read the news from a nearby village once I escaped. No mention of my village burning to the ground. Not when I arrived, not when I told everyone. Hell, they even kicked me out once they managed to verify the truth. They purposefully forgot that it exists, left me to die, just so that they didn't have to suffer from the same fate. Where's the kindness and caring my father preached about?"

Cinder hunched over, wrought with anger. "I'm living up to my father's words, Ruby," the woman spat out. "I'm protecting the people from themselves, in a way that gets results. I'm giving the people a reason to care for others, to end suffering for all." Cinder wiped the corner of her mouth, a fire burning in her eyes. "You can't stop this silent cry for change, and you won't. Justice will be carried out no matter what. If the world doesn't want to change, then I will make it change."

Ruby shot off at that moment, throwing a wild swing at the woman. That only got her to meet with the side of a glass wall. Or more like she sank into one. The wall stretched on impact, taking in the girl's face. Before she realized what happened, the glass solidified, trapping Ruby's head within. She let out a muffled sound, pressing her hand against the wall in an attempt to pull it out. Rose petals peeled away from her body, collecting within the imprint of her face. But despite all her efforts, her head wouldn't budge from inside the glass.

Cinder pulled the glass scepter from behind her, tapping it against the ground. "I'm giving you one last chance to listen to me, Ruby. Stop being stubborn. The world needs this. You, of all people must see this. We need to care more about everyone and stop being selfish for once."

A rose petal floated past Cinder's ear, reforming into a mouth. "Well, what you're doing is pretty selfish yourself." She jerked back in surprise. Above Cinder, I spotted dozens of rose knives falling towards the woman. Several of them punctured through her face and chest, causing Cinder to stagger back in shock.

"ORA!" Ruby's fist broke through the glass, freeing her from its grasp. Her body returned to her and she threw herself towards the girl in black, one fist raised high. "Cinder!" She struck a solid blow straight to Cinder's jaw, launching her into a group of trash cans within an alleyway and sending clouds of dust flying up.

Ruby stepped forwards, fist still raised as I followed close behind. It didn't seem like either two combatants are aware that I'm here. More red Aura embers danced away from Ruby's fists. "You're right. Maybe people should care more. If anything, I can't help but care too much about the wellbeing of others. But here's the thing. You can't make people want to care about something. That can't be forced. People are just that: people."

A groan escaped from the metal cans. Through the dust in the air, Cinder managed to sit up, letting out a wet cough. Each cough released more orange embers into the world. Ruby lowered her fists, just a bit. "They have their own problems, their own worries. It's hard to force yourself to care about everyone's problems twenty-four seven. And if you can't, why should the rest of the world? Widespread change is hard because of that reason. It's hard to see the bigger picture and convince people that they should care, even if they are connected to you."

"All we can do is care for the people we love and do our best to help them. Then they do their best to help their loved ones, and so on. We already have a system that works. It might not work as well as it should, but it's one that doesn't force us to give up our individuality or our identity."

Ruby sighed, closing her eyes. "Society can make mistakes. That's expected of it, because they're made and ran by us. We make mistakes, too. The wrongdoings of society is the wrongdoing of people." Another sigh. "I feel sorry for what happened to Fotia, and I want to do something to make up for that. We can do that right now. Remnant already has a way to fix our problems on our own. We don't need the Grimm to do that. We can do it ourselves, together."

Cinder gritted her teeth, stumbling up to her feet. "Fine. Be like that, then. I guess I'll just do this without you, then." With that, she ran off, making her way deeper into town.

The girl in silver blinked in surprise, staring before she snapped to her senses. "Hey, get back here!" Ruby rushed forwards, with me following close behind. Cinder ignored us, continuing her trek deeper into the village. I don't really get it. Why is Cinder doing this? She must know just as much as Ruby does that they share their memories. And if I'm remembering correctly, they both know every part of Fotia. Twists and turns didn't stop Ruby's momentum one bit, nor did wooden boxes and other obstacles Cinder threw in the way. No matter where Cinder ran, no matter what Cinder did, Ruby was able to keep up with her.

The woman in black rounded a corner, disappearing from sight. Not a moment later, both Ruby and I ran into a courtyard surrounded by houses. In the center was the unusual fountain Cinder was fond of, without the garden around it. They were cookie-cutter, every house looking the exact same as the other. Huh? The two of us scanned the area. Cinder was not in sight. "Cinder!" Ruby yelled, rushing deeper into the courtyard. "Where are you? Stop running!" No one responded. Ruby scrunched her face, letting out a sad sigh. "Cinder… Why do we have to fight? To hurt each other? We're friends."

She balled her fists up. Where is Cinder right now? Ruby continued, "You might've thrown it away for a bigger cause. You might've buried those feelings away. But I can feel them, too. You never stopped believing it. You really did care, for Mercury and Emerald, for Beacon, for me. Why choose some goal over the people who loved you just as much as you loved them? Why run away from all that?"

A chuckle rang through the air. A sad, lonely chuckle. "I can't believe just how wrong you are." The two of us turned towards the voice. Behind the fountain? But— where is she? "I didn't choose to fight for some goal over the people. I chose to fight in memory of them." A sharp gasp escaped from Cinder. "I lost a lot of my love all those years ago. Burnt to a crisp with the rest of Fotia. You have to know just how much that hurts, Ruby. You fear it most of all." The girl hitched her breath. That struck a chord, deeper than Ruby was showing.

Cinder continued, "All I have left are framed memories of what it used to feel like to love, tattered and charred by society's failure. And every time my heart starts to pour again, I feel it again. The burns of loss. The scars of suffering. The cuts of injustice. I don't want to feel them, Ruby. I don't want to cry and be unheard, and I don't want to hear others cry and be unheard. That's all I ask. And to do that, the old system must fall."

Cinder stood up from within the fountain, peeling away the glass to expose herself. It reminded me of a fairy waking up from a flower. "And besides—" She raised her scepter up. "—I wasn't running away." Wait a minute… My eyes fell upon the ground. Curling towards Ruby were prickly vines of glass. What the—

With a yell, Cinder slammed her scepter on the ground. A wave of glass sprung up, rushing towards the silver-clad girl. Ruby swallowed her saliva. "Oh gods—" Ruby's skin started peeling up, but before she could act, the wave slammed into her. "Ack!" Red beads of light sprouted out from puncture wounds and her mouth as she flew back, crashing through a nearby house door and shattering it into several wooden pieces.

The glass wave faded away. Cinder exhaled, stepping out from the fountain and approaching the house. I stuck close to her. "Ruby," Cinder started. "Do you not believe that I'm doing what I think is best for everyone? Do you really still see me as the villain of everything?" The silver-clad girl did not respond.

Cinder snatched up a piece of wood, lighting it with a nearby fire. "I don't fault you for it. I'll take all the blame and hurt you can throw at me for everything I put you through. But it's for the good of everyone else." She raised the torch up in the air. "And the people still need me. So I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. But I have to take over, for everyone else's sake."

With that, she hurled it at the house. The flames licked at the wooden structure, slowly but surely swallowing it whole. Another torch smacked against the house, then one more. Soon enough, the flames roared against the building, teething its way into the house in question. With that, Cinder held her scepter out. "The tables have turned, Ruby. You have a choice here. Either come out and accept your defeat, or die in there and let me take over. And don't think I'll show you any mercy. I'll let you burn in there."

Ruby still didn't respond. A bead of sweat slid down Cinder's face. "You hear me, Ruby? Come out right now!" Still nothing. Cinder's breath hitched, a look of guilt appearing on her face for just a moment before growing in fury. "Gods, Ruby—" She stomped towards the open doorframe, with me following close behind. "You're such a stubborn girl. Why can't you understand—!"

The moment Cinder passed through the door, she gasped. Huh? I walked through as well. The setting around us all but changed. Before, we were in Cinder's village. But now, we're looking at a cliffside. To our sides were large trees with red leaves falling towards the ground. On the cliffside were patches of white roses, swinging about with the coastal wind.

My eyes widened. Wait a minute… This is… Forever Fall. The two of us looked in awe at the vista around us. This is where Ruby's journey really began. This is where she died the first time around. I looked back, finding the door we went through completely gone out of existence. Oh my gods. Did Ruby give shape to this memory as well? The two of us started wandering about. In fact, where is Ruby right now?

We stopped in front of one patch. This particular rose bush had splotches of blood all over it, staining the flowers crimson. There was still a pool of blood sitting right at the flower roots. This is where she laid, at least until her Stand ability rebuilt her head. Cinder had a look of shock on her face. She started shaking. Was it really affecting her that badly? I didn't know.

A breeze flew past us, lifting a few red and white rose petals up into the air. But something's strange about it. Some of the white rose petals turned red in midair, colored like the bloodied patch in front of us. Now red and white twisted and tumbled around us, surrounding us like a tornado. Cinder stiffened up, raising her scepter as she scanned the area. No Ruby in sight. Even so, I can feel Cinder's unease. "This has to be one of Ruby's traps," she must be thinking, "there's no way she didn't expect this to happen—"

Something flew past Cinder. A moment ago, it seemed like everything was weird, but otherwise fine. But then, a giant cut sliced across Cinder's face. She let out a hiss, grasping it in her palm. Orange particles squeezed out from under her hands and flew out. Huh— What the— What just happened? I glanced all around me. It's still just the tornado of rose petals around us. What could've given Cinder that cut?

Another thing flew past Cinder, followed by a cut to the back of her hand. My eyes widened. It's starting to dawn on me: Ruby's hidden her body within the rose petal tornado. And I don't know how she's attacking Cinder, but that's what she's doing right now. My eyes went to Cinder. But Ruby's eventually going to attack again, and that's when I can catch her—

Cinder gasped as a particularly long slash sliced up her forearm. There! My eyes spotted the partially formed arm dissolving into the tornado. There was a sharp bone edge running down it. So that's how she's doing it… This place is a trap for Cinder. She doesn't have long. She needs to get out of this place, otherwise Ruby will win. A question remained in my mind, though: how long can Ruby keep this up? And why hasn't Cinder done anything about it yet?

I turned to look over at the woman in black, who bled Aura profusely at this point. As for me, the rose petals flew through my body without making a single cut. I didn't even feel it. Amber eyes fluttered over the environment, boring for any little thing that can help. They lit up at the side of the cliff. "Oh, so that's how you want to play it, huh?" Cinder hissed. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing." She started towards the cliffside. What the—

Every step Cinder made was followed by dozens of cuts. Most of them didn't go too far, maybe just drawing a slight bead of Aura at most. But once in a while, a deeper cut ripped through Cinder's limbs. Her figure flickered, dimmed, and grew transparent, but she kept moving forwards towards the cliffside.

At that point, a floating mouth appeared out from the tornado right as Cinder reached the edge of the cliff. It was Ruby's. It spoke, "We don't have to keep fighting this fight, Cinder! You just need to put your trust in others. Trust that there are people who want to do good in the world, and that they can balance out and win against bad people. Trust that they don't want the system to fail just as much as you do."

"I'd rather die," Cinder said back. "I can't bring myself to believe that the world can be trusted." With that, she threw herself off the cliff.

"Cinder!" The tornado around us disappeared, revealing a fully formed Ruby. "Don't!" She jumped in right after her. I followed suit. Wind flew through our hair and smacked against our faces as we saw Cinder break through the surface of the ocean. She didn't appear back up. Is it over now? Or is this just like Ruby and the cabin? Is we going to break through into another memory? I looked over at the silver-clad girl. She steeled her gaze and crossed her legs, ready to land. Wait, how is this going to work—

The ocean welcomed us with open arms. Bubbles frothed around us as we fell deeper and deeper into the murky waters. No air bubbles, though. Neither of us needed it. Not too long after, we saw something at the bottom. Another surface, different from the one we dove into before. We both flipped around, making our way towards it. Where are we going to end up next? What memory's in store now?

I broke through the surface, letting out a gasp. Ruby followed close behind before gasping. I looked down. What the— the two of us were treading in a tiled floor. The ground rippled around us, solidifying up the moment we pressed our hands against its surface. Wow… where are we exactly? I looked up and gasped. Wait a minute… is this…

Both Ruby and I pulled ourselves out from the ground. We were standing in a hallway. But not just any hallway. This is the hallway on the way to Oobleck's class. This is Beacon. But I don't get it. Why did Cinder choose Beacon? Something's not right about this. Not one bit.

Ruby narrowed her eyes as well, creeping forwards step by step, her eyes flickering around, trying to catch any sign of Cinder. Nothing. Where in the world can she be? My eyes went to a nearby double-sided door. I raised my eyebrow. It looked like any other classroom door, but something felt off about it. Was that always there? The door slid open, amber eyes peeking out. Oh my gods, that's—

Another wave of glass blew the door wipe open, surging towards the silver-clad girl just as she turned towards the sound. She didn't miss a beat. A cloud of rose petals soared up and over the wave, Ruby's body disappearing before it could even reach her. They then floated into the room in question.

As for me, the wave of glass washed over my body, having no effect at all. What the— I rushed into through the doors and saw the library around us. At one of the tables was a faded image of several shadow figures standing around a table, playing a game. More memories, I suppose. I could only recognize vague shadows of Ruby and Cinder there, glowing with mirth. Was it mirth? I closed my eyes. Why are the people so faded? It's like something else is holding memories of people in this mind—

Before I could think any further, Cinder slammed straight into the table, sending the shadows up in smoke. Ruby came in soon after, leaping right on top of Cinder and smashing her face in. Tears ran down Ruby's face as orange Aura touched her cheek. "Please, stop this!"

"No, you stop!" Cinder kicked the girl in the stomach and shoved the both of them off. The two of them kept throwing punches at each other, both refusing to yield to the other. Unlike their Stands, both Cinder and Ruby's punches are slow, predictable, desperate. These are not punches of people who aim to kill. These are punches of heartbreak.

Something caught my eye. The shadows appeared again, this time in a line towards another closed door, not the normal hallway door. What the— I turned to look at Ruby and Cinder. If they noticed the shadows appearing, they didn't react to them, instead focusing on fighting the other. But why are the shadows guiding us? What are they trying to tell us? This isn't a part of anyone's memories anymore. These have gone past that. But what are they?

It's not like Ruby and Cinder needed guidance anyways. With every punch they made, they got ever so closer to said door. Every strike, every blow, every bit of Aura lost and every moment of their bodies brought them to the exit. Shadows faded out as both Ruby and Cinder knocked each other through the shadows.

By the time they reached the front of the door, both girls grabbed each other. In their eyes are violent emotions of regret and sadness, of anger and bitterness, of steeled will. They started pushing against each other.

Cinder growled. "Ruby!"

"Cinder!" Ruby leaned forwards.

And with that, both of them threw each other through the door, bursting through with a tumble. They continued their brawl on the floor, switching positions in the blink of an eye as wild fists flew. I ran through as well. But my eyes weren't on them. They looked away from the fight and to the room we're in.

The overwhelming amount of green, the gears ticking above us, the familiar desk and office chair: this door opened itself to Beacon Tower. My eyes widened at the sight. This is Headmaster Ozpin's office. But… Cinder and Ruby were fighting in the classroom hallways just before, far away from this place. The fact that we're here means either somebody consciously chose to bring the fight here, or there's a reason we've all been pulled here. My eyes fell to the desk. What in the world?

Ruby and Cinder stopped fighting each other for just a moment, both looking in surprise at the sudden change in setting. The windows, instead of revealing the sky, showcased nothing but black. There was nothing to see outside. It would be pretty hard to see what's going on here if it weren't for the single beam of light illuminating the entire area from above. But their eyes, too, fell away from the room and to the desk.

There was one thing that drew everyone's eyes: a single pot sitting on top of the sturdy furniture. There's nothing really impressive about said pot at first glance. Its shape reminds me of the pots Signal students would make for an art class. It just has a simple bulge and a lip to hold a lid up. The material isn't too special, either. It's simple pottery clay. Nothing really special.

However, what caught my attention were the drawings on it. I walked towards it and squinted my eyes at one particular figure. Wait a minute… that's Ruby. Granted, she was drawn simply, almost cartoony. But there's no doubt that's her. The image grinned, running towards three other figures. The rest of team RWBY.

Once she joined them, the image shifted, revealing RWBYJNPR hanging out with each other. Then it morphed into her past memories in Signal, before that, during her time as a Stand user. Sometimes the art style of the image changed, sometimes it took on colorful properties. Sometimes it was dark and grim. Regardless, no one image ever stayed for long. It changed and flowed, almost like a dream. It had a sense of beauty I couldn't describe. Simple. Innocent. I can feel it in my heart before it clicked in my head. This… this is Ruby's world as she sees it. All of the things she's felt, all of the experiences she's been through… it's all personified by this single pot.

Cinder must've realized this as well, her gaze hardening. "What is this? Why do you keep something so broken in here? Look at it!" She gestured towards it. "It's cracked." Huh? I leaned in closer. Sure enough, Cinder was right. You could barely notice them, but there were a few hairline fractures that you can notice if you really squint hard. And now that I see it, my view changed. Something felt different about it, something off. Something not right. Did it really affect the beauty of the overall product, now that I see it? Maybe? I pressed my palm against my head. Honestly, I don't know anymore.

The woman in black took a deep breath in. "That thing's useless. It's broken, it's ruined. We have to throw it out and start anew." Cinder started towards it.

"No!" Ruby rushed between the pot and Cinder, striking her in the face. Cinder snatched Ruby's wrists before she could throw out another punch.

"Ruby, seriously look at it and tell me if it's worth fixing, if it's worth continuing with." Amber eyes bored deep into silver. "Do you really think that it means anything if it isn't perfect? If it fails to survive under scrutiny? How long did you have to make something of it? And where has that brought you? It brought you right here, trying to protect something that refused to fix itself no matter what we say. To you dying for an irredeemable world." Cinder squeezed tight, ripping a cry out of the girl. "Face it, Ruby. It's broken. Let go."

"I won't!" She pulled herself up into the air, planting both feet into Cinder's stomach. A wet cough escaped the woman. Large gleams of Aura dribbled out of her mouth. But she didn't let go. Cinder growled.

"Why do you keep defending it?" Ruby cried once more when Cinder's forehead slammed against her nose. The woman in black groaned. "Why defend memories of a world that's not even close to being true? Why sit in contentment when other people are suffering? What do you see in a world wasted by the people who run it? What do you see in the wasted potential of Remnant?"

"I see people with hopes and dreams!" The silver-clad girl pressed forwards, starting to shove Cinder back. "People who live in the minds of others, even if they don't have the chance to shine! Individuals we can help with our own hands! People whose stories are just waiting to be told!" Ruby glanced back at the pot. "Stories that will die if we give up on believing in them!"

"Maybe we should. Maybe we should give up the current way if we can't give them the happy endings they deserve. If society can't make the world the people deserve." At this point, both Ruby and Cinder were panting. Every push they made was weaker than the last. Both flickered and faded in and out as they pushed against each other. None wanted to give in, but both looked like they were on their last legs.

Something wobbled. I turned to the desk. The pot… it's shaking for some reason. I glanced at the two fighting girls. Both of them have to be on their last legs. Could it be? What happens if both of them died before one of them can take control? What would happen then? Before I can think it through some more, the pot fell off the table and broke with a crash.

A gasp from behind caught my attention. "No!" Ruby immediately threw Cinder off of her and rushed towards the shattered remains. The woman in black did nothing to stop her. If anything, she followed Ruby to the desk in question.

Both Cinder and I looked as Ruby fell to her knees, grabbing at the broken pieces. From the looks of it, the pot only shattered on the fractures. Most of the pieces are actually still in big chunks. It's not like it mattered, though. She grabbed at the pieces, tried pushing them back together. All that happened were that the pieces fell apart in her hands once more. And with every attempt, it would shatter into smaller and smaller pieces.

"Do you get it now, Ruby?" The woman walked up behind Ruby, staring down at the broken pot with an almost pitying gaze. "It fell apart. It always does that. Again, and again without fail. Years and years on this world, and it does nothing but disappoint. That's our fate. Remnans are going to be doing that forever, always hurt another person, always be ruined by reality. Why bother?"

"But— but—" Tears slid down Ruby's cheeks and off her chin. "This is all we have. All we can hope for."

"And how long until that hope's all gone?" Cinder shook her head. "Leave it. Throw it all away. Nobody cares when other people are hurt. There's no reason to be so attached to it. There's no reason why you should defend or save it. Leave it to die, Ruby."

Ruby gritted her teeth, lowering her head. She turned one shard to its side. The material inside is nothing short of beautiful. Instead of being made out of one material, it was made out of several. Different types of clay, metals, plaster, plastic: all those could be found within the material. Its appearance on the outside paled in comparison to what was within. Ruby's eyes widened. "No… I won't let it die. Because there is a way to fix it."

With that, the girl grabbed two pieces and pressed them together. Her legs started to break down, her rose petals floating between the cracks before solidifying. When she let go, the two pieces stayed together. "Of course," Ruby breathed. She took another piece.

"Hey hey hey, what are you doing?" Cinder started towards the girl, whose body was being torn apart as more and more of her went to repairing the pot. "There's no point in saving it! Why don't you listen to me?" She kicked the girl to the ground. "If you keep going, you're going to disappear! Gone!" Ruby let out a whimper, but she kept going. The woman gritted her teeth. "You're giving up your own soul to keep this stupid thing alive! Stop!"

She tried swatting the pot out of Ruby's hands, only for the girl to kick Cinder back with what remained of her legs. The woman in black stumbled back in shock. Ruby gave her no mind, continuing to rebuild the pot. Cinder let out a whine. "What do you see in that pot that's worth protecting? Why would you give your own life to fix something completely broken? What did anyone see that was worth cherishing and protecting?"

The girl refused to say a word, keeping her focus on the task at hand. At this point, the pot could stand on its own. Ruby collapsed to the ground as the last of her legs faded out, leaving her lying on the ground. She couldn't even lift her arms up anymore. Instead, the rose petals took over, picking up the pieces and sticking them back to the pot.

"Ruby…" Cinder fell to her knees. "Don't go. So many people in my life died like this. Nobody found happiness or redemption or anything that resembled a happy ending. The world refused to give it to them."

She turned to look away. "I… I thought you, out of all people would understand me. I've seen your memories as well. You're just as broken as me… You have every reason to hate the world for all the suffering you've gone through. You have every reason to hate me for everything I put you through. But I don't feel it. You're not bitter, angry, frustrated at the world. You're just… sad and tired. But that's not enough to change you. How? Why? What do you have that I don't?"

The girl didn't respond, half of her body gone now. The pot looked half-finished now. However, the weirdest thing is that there are more ceramic shards on the ground than ever before. Not as in they shattered into smaller pieces, no, there were physically more pieces on the ground. No matter what Ruby did, there was always more pieces to find. It was never ending. Was it possible for Ruby to ever finish this?

Cinder let out a gasp. But what happened to be formed is nothing short of stunning. As the pottery formed back into a cohesive whole, the pictures resumed moving. The laughter, the happiness, the victories, and the failures. They came back to life and carried on, as if nothing ever happened. My eyes widened. But connecting the images was a bright red seam of flesh filling in the cracks and holes in the pot. I can even see the material the pot used to be made out of. There's something stunning, something beautiful that the pot before didn't quite capture.

The woman ran her hand across the pottery, a small breath escaping her mouth. "I see… I'm wrong. It did change you. Every tragedy, every bit of suffering, you accepted it as part of you along with the happy moments. It didn't matter that you kept breaking. You kept fixing yourself, grew stronger, changed yourself and stood up for the people who made you happy, all to make the people who love you happy. Even in your sadness and your exhaustion, you let your flaws and mistakes make you beautiful. You found happiness of your own."

"And I… I just wanted to make the pain stop. I thought that would make people happy." Cinder dropped to her knees, tears running down her face. "But I'm not happy. I might not be hurting, and I might get help. But I can't find my happiness here. Nobody can in this place." She stared at Ruby's pot. "I won't be able to create something as beautiful as this. Not when I can't be happy or sad." A bitter smile grew on Cinder's lips. "Not when I threw away my pot and gave up on the world."

We turned to look at the silver-clad girl. At this point, all that remained of Ruby was everything above her lips. The rest of her body was gone, given up for what remained of her memories. The life in those silver eyes started to fade out as more and more petals tried their best to hold the pot together. At this point, it's now a cohesive whole. However, each piece wobbled, threatening to fall off and send the whole structure crumbling down. It needed more support if it wanted to stay together. And Ruby had nothing left to give.

Amber eyes widened, then narrowed. Cinder's fist clenched. "I might have nothing left for my own happiness, but you still have others to protect. Your world can still make happiness, in its own way." A tiny glass bulb formed in Cinder's hand, a fiery flame flickering within. It shined bright with affection. "Fight to protect…" She chuckled to herself. "Dad was right all along. Ruby, you won't die here. I'll protect you from your own demise."

The moment the glowing bulb touched the pot, glass ran through the cracks, filling them in and reinforcing the pottery. Rose petals flew out from the cracks, returning back to the silver-eyed girl and reforming her body. Crackling sounds rang through the room. Cinder gritted her teeth, the fingers on her free hand growing glass-like by the second. Her legs grew stiff and transparent as the pot grew firm once more. Still, she persisted, letting her energy flow into the ceramic object. Both red and white wisps of energy flickered around the two of them, blinding me. So bright!

But just as quickly as it came, the surge of energy dissipated, revealing the room once more. My jaw fell in awe. The pot was whole once more. Ruby's memories flowed and danced once more. They swam across the surface of the pot, over the stunning red and white fillings that held everything together. It shone in a way I never expected a pot to shine.

On the ground was a completely reformed Ruby, resting in her Stand's outfit with her hands pressed together. While parts of her face and torso were still partially formed, she herself looked fine. Ruby looked like peace itself, how she slept. As for Cinder… A deep, sharp gasp escaped the woman's mouth. The majority of her body lost all color, now nothing more than glass. Only her arm and torso were still flesh. Even then, flesh slowly turned to glass, creeping up to her face.

Cinder fell to the ground right next to the sleeping Ruby, shattering into glass pieces. Only her upper torso and a single arm remained. The woman let out a loose gasp. "I think I get it now. Why you still believe even when you have every right not to. And as much as I hate to admit it… you're the one who was really looking to the future." An ethereal ball of energy formed in Cinder's hand, which she pressed into Ruby's. "Here. My gift to you. From one broken person to another. Inherit the spirit of justice I wanted to follow so badly. Inspire the world anew." The ball of energy morphed into a bouquet of glass celosias. Flaming flowers, sprouting out of Ruby's hands.

With that, Cinder let go, facing the ceiling. The rest of her body quickly turned to glass. Glass tears started falling down her face. She reached up into the air. "Oh gods. I can't believe it's going to end like this." She whimpered. "I don't want to go alone."

I grabbed her hand, causing her to flinch. I ran my fingers down it. Cinder stared straight through me. I don't think she realizes I'm here. But my gesture still helped her relax. "Thank you," she whispered, closing her eyes right as the glass overtook her. And like that, I held a glass statue, clear as filtered water. She's given up control of her body, okay with being forgotten for Ruby.

But I won't forget her. I stared down at her. Her body showed my reflection, Two silver eyes stared back. She might be gone, but she will never die.

My eyes went to Ruby's soul form, then back to the ceiling. This is from Jaune's eyes as he continued the fight against Salem. I can feel his exhaustion, along with the rest of my teammates. They won't last much longer. It's time for me to go back. I sat down, phasing through the sleeping form. What will I see when I finally wake back up? I lowered my head into Ruby's form. Whatever it is, I'll do whatever it takes to protect the world and inspire it anew.

I closed my eyes.

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"What the—" A voice roused me. Something welled up in my chest. There's something familiar about this voice… someone I felt safe around. The voice continued, "I can't believe it… She's getting up! Ruby!"

I sat up, rubbing my head. Trails of something black ran down my body, something oily. It stuck to my hair and clung to my senses. Ruby? That name… I rubbed the base of my nose. Everything feels so hazy… It's so hard to focus. Where am I? I looked around. I'm… on a roof. I'm laying in a pool of something disgusting. Everybody had weapons and Stands out, but no one was fighting. Even the Grimm stopped. It felt as if a fight is going on, but it's stopped.

Someone glided towards me. A pale woman in a cloak. Her name registered in my thoughts. Salem. Glee popped into my mind, followed by excitement. "Yes, yes… I can feel your connection to the hive mind, dear. Your thoughts, your emotions. You're one of us, now."

"One… of us?" I pushed myself to my feet, legs shaky. A feeling welled in my chest. No, not just a feeling… a voice. Don't trust her, it said. That voice and that voice alone was digging through the haze in my mind. She doesn't know yet.

If the pale woman knew the voice was talking, she didn't reveal it. She continued, "Yes, you're part of the Grimm now." Salem smiled, nodding in approval. "Connected to the inner feelings of the world." She ran her hand down my cheek; cries of anger erupted from the others at the movement. "It might be a little lonely now, but soon, the whole world will join. We'll all be connected with the Grimm collective."

"Grimm…" I started. The haze in my mind faded away. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like I really had control over myself. My breath hitched. "There's a limit to their reach." That got Salem to pause. I continued, "I've learned one thing in my short life… It's that this world is broken. As long as it has soul and spirit, it'll always be broken… That's one thing the Grimm can never reconcile."

Salem's face contorted in confusion. "What are you saying—"

My Stand swung up, striking Salem smack in the jaw. She staggered back, a scream escaping her mouth as silver lightning danced across her skin. Her jaw already started to waste away to nothing. Everyone else gasped in surprise. My eyes flew wide open, revealing glowing silver underneath. Rose appeared behind me, familiar yet brand new, pure energy coursing through her body. I locked eyes with the queen of Grimm. "Salem! I reject my Grimm nature, and embrace my humanity!"

 _ **⇐TO BE CONTINUED= 3/1/2019**_

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 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **metacllica: Oh, definitely. This is definitely a situation of "creating a Stand user that's decent enough alone, but boosted by the powers of the Grimm becomes truly terrifying." I'll actually talk about Salem in the last retrospective, but this is definitely a user to end all users. And I agree. Salem as a character is dynamic and fun to write. Hopefully fun to read as well.**

 **And I guess while I'm at it, we should mention the elephant in the room: the Cinder/Ruby merging. This is definitely a long time in the making. While the quality of that plot thread varies, it is nothing short of game-changing, and I can't wait to see how others react to this revelation.**

 **tuskenpaw: I'll address just the question. Yes, the story has been a series of memories seen from the perspective of merged Ruby until now. It's actually the reason why I chose to do the slightly unusual "multiple first-person perspectives per chapter" aside from honoring the bizarreness of the story. This was always my intention, and I'm glad we've reached the point where this comes into play.**

 **Guest: Oh, yeah. That's an understatement, for sure.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: Don't worry, rapidhandsquirrl. It's going to be okay, now. Thanks for reading!**

 **zerpjustice: Yup. This has officially happening. Thank you for reading!**

 **doa570047: I hope what happens during this chapter is satisfactory to your thoughts regarding the merging.**

 **While I'm at that, I'll throw in my thoughts about the Adam situation. I generally agree with your points. I think there is a difference between the intention that always existed in the show and the headcanon of the violent revolutionary. While I've personally believed the violent revolutionary headcanon myself (that's the Adam I used in this fic), I also recognize that Adam has always been a selfish character, someone who believed in spiting his wrongdoers and establishing himself as powerful. This is his fundamental core, and it branches with the abuser aspect, his violent aspect, so on and so forth. It was his fundamental flaw, and it lost him Blake, the respect of the White Fang, and eventually his life. Yang and Blake were always going to fight Adam, he was always going to fall to them. M &K just happened to choose that battle as the moment where Blake and Yang find some sense of reconciliation and support.**

 **And I think this is worth mentioning, since this is a growing movement in a lot of RWBY communities: with all due respect, please don't use Monty's name to voice your displeasure. If you are unhappy with a certain narrative choice, it is perfectly fine to say so. All I ask is that you own it as your own and not put words in Monty's mouth. Even if you don't like the direction of the show, people are still making it, people who knew and want to respect Monty's legacy to the best of their ability. We should support them as best as we can, without needing to use Monty's name to criticize.**

 **Kaneharo: Thank you, Kaneharo! It took me some time to figure it out, but I'm proud that there's a system that merges both Stands and the world of Remnant well!**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: March 1, 2019**_


	57. Rose Empress Deluca

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **I've been sitting on this for some time since I announced that this would be the last arc in the story, but I'll make it official: the final chapter of RWBY BA will be released on March 15, 2019. This is the second to last chapter in the story. It's been a long time going, and I have a lot to say about all this, but I'll save it for later. All I'll say right now is thank you for everything.**

 **Let's get right into the chapter! Special thanks to my beta for everything they've done for the past two years!**

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 _ **Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight**_

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This… is the end. I brought my fists up, breathing controlled and steady, eyes flaring with energy. Every ripple from my eyes caused my muscles to twitch. I felt like my body was right at the edge of my own powers lighting it ablaze. But even though my own body feared my silver eyes, I stood tall, my focus locked right on the woman standing across from me: Salem.

The human-Grimm hybrid hissed in pain as silver arcs sizzled her skin. Her face contorted in horror, hurt, and betrayal. "How? There's no way… Child, you were supposed to have moved past the Remnan strife. You have to understand the peace I've been searching for."

The clouds above me started to clear up, allowing moonlight to shine down onto the roof. It didn't illuminate too much. Looking around, the roof was just a little bit brighter than before. It was the moon that caught my attention, though. Its silhouette started to show through the fog. After the long darkness we've been through, its light reaching us made my spirit soar. For once, we can finally see what's in front of us. I picked up my Crescent Rose and folded her into her sniper rifle form. For once, we can see its guiding light once more.

The woman chopped her burning chin off with the swing of her hand. Her jaw fell, held taut by only tendons. Red eyes glared at me, a mixture of both sorrow and fury. "Child, you must know what I've been trying to do. I know you're still connected to the hive mind, I can read your thoughts. Why do you rebel, knowing this is Remnant's solution to suffering? Just why—"

I shot forwards. My Stand lead the way, spiraling towards the woman with an energetic fist extended towards her. The dual-toned Stand met mine in kind, catching Rose's fist. A wave of silver energy flashed across my Stand's body a second later, sparking where the two Stands made contact. Although it didn't faze **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** one bit, Salem let out a sharp gasp, flinching at the sight of silver lightning coursing through my Stand. It lashed out towards her.

"You must know why by now if you know what I'm thinking," I answered, pulling Rose back. I contorted my arms and put on a sharp pose. "The world doesn't need saviors. We can't entirely rid the world of suffering and free them. What we need is people who can inspire others to save themselves. Torchbearers to keep the light moving forwards."

Rose floated in front of me, revealing her new self for the first time. She still had that hunter-esque kind of look from before. However, there was notably more black accents lining the armor and the now-shorter cloak, which if anything gave a more regal feel to it. The highlights on Rose's body were more glass-like, scarlet now mixing with silver. Strapped to her side was a small Olympian torch adorned like a scepter. Its marbled glass head glowed orange with hope.

Especially of note was how Rose now wore the stylish hat that Cinder's Stand used to wear. Unlike **「** **DARK HORSE,** **」** though, the bycock was white as snow, just like the rest of my Stand. The mask that my Stand used to have was now gone, revealing Rose's face for the first time. It had a peaceful look, the look of someone who is no longer burdened. Her shining silver eyes had a calm, soothing air to it. But look deeper, and there was power that can only be felt. Despite the friendliness in those eyes, it has a look at is nothing short of haunting.

She was more than just **「** **RED LIKE ROSES.** **」** She is more than just a huntress who protected the people. No, my Stand has become more than that. Not just the guardian of the people… she has become a beacon to all those she has come to protect. An empress carrying the will of the people. She is now **「** **ROSE EMPRESS DELUCA.** **」** The name spoke into my head. It reminded me of a warrior queen from one of my fairy tales. Her regalness had that kind of… presence here. But even with her new status, her new power, she's still my Rose. The kindness and love passed down to me. That's never going to change, no matter what happens.

Everyone was in awe of the new look of my Stand. Jaune and the rest of my team couldn't help but stare in surprise. Looks of awe and disbelief filled their faces, as if I've come back from the dead. Which in a sense, I pretty much did.

"Ruby?" Yang asked, stepping towards me. "Is that really you?"

I smiled. "Hi, guys. I hope I didn't worry you all too much." The rising hope I can feel from them proved my thoughts. Elation. Cheer. Determination. Those positive emotions and more reached me, surging through my body and inflaming my eyes once more. I winced. This is so much power… more power than I've ever been able to tap into. My eyes turned towards the Queen Grimm. It's time to use my powers to bring her reign to an end.

"Salem," I started, striding towards her with an air of confidence that I've never really pulled off in my life… ever. The woman flinched back with every soft step I made. "This has to stop. Your mission to combine Remnans with the Grimm horde, it's not going to get anywhere. We can't force each other to understand each other. We don't have the capacity to hold everyone's problems on our own shoulders. But right now, we can help support the people we love. It's not much, but we all can do that already. And when everyone works to help the people they love, the world of Remnant is brought up together. That's not going to change, no matter what."

The Grimm mind let out a growl, clenching her hands. "And what of the pain and hurt Remnans inflict on ourselves? You really think that this current system can fix the problems we've made?"

"It already has. That's why I'm standing." At this point, I was closing in on Salem, whose face grew stiffer at my glowing eyes. I kept my stride towards her. "What makes us Remnans isn't the monsters within us. It's the spirit of those who rise up in spite of that. Our world is already made up of those kinds of people, the silver-hearted who want to reform and bring happiness. And as beacons, the silver-hearted can inspire people to rise up in spite of our terribleness. We don't need Grimm to fix Remnans. We can already fix ourselves."

Salem twitched, her muscles tensing. She exhaled. "Ah… I've made a mistake. I can see now… that you're not connected to the collective mind as much as I hoped. Either that, or somehow you managed to figure out how to resist the call of the Grimm. It doesn't matter what the answer is. I know that you're still not there yet. You're not as connected as you should be." A thin, dangerous smile grew on her face. "Either way, all I have to do is fix you up."

Inky red eyes flew over to the people behind me, followed by an inky black puddle forming underneath her. I can already feel several claws swimming their way up to the surface. **「** **ROSE EMPRESS DELUCA** **」** started breaking apart behind me. The images in my mind were clear as glass: my spirit protecting the people I love.

I covered my right eyelid. Over that eye, I found myself looking through Yang's own violet eyes. With a roar, yet more Beowolves ripped themselves out from the depths of the Grimm pool, not even taking the time to shake themselves off before they rushed towards my friends. One of them made a beeline towards Yang. It leaped with a roar, claws reaching for her neck. Silver petals finally reached my sister, wrapping around Yang's fists and reforming into glass. "Yang, now!" I yelled.

With a roar of her own, she ducked past the Beowolf and slammed her fist into the creature's stomach, blasting a hole straight through its chest. A fierce howl erupted from the creature. It staggered back, revealing silver lightning ripping through its body. Before it can as much as topple over, the silver energy consumed the creature whole. Nothing was left of its body. Not even smoke or ichor.

Yang let out a gasp, marveling at the silver coating over her hands. "Oh my gods…" She looked towards the rest of the team. The creatures of Grimm stopped with a halt not a moment later. Silver glass petals floated through the air, getting in between the Grimm and my friends. At a blink of an eye, the petals sparked, causing the Grimm to flinch back with fear.

"We're not going down that easily," I said, uncovering my eye and bringing my sight back to Salem. A quiet, deathly stare shook the Queen Grimm. " _I'm_ not going down that easily." The rest of Rose's petals reached the rest of my friends, coating their weapons in silver. Each one glowed with power. "My Stand carries the spirit and power our ancestors used to build the world as we know it. I can pass that will to the people I love." I flicked Crescent Rose back into its scythe form, eyes glowing all the while. "And trust us: we _are_ going to protect Remnant from destruction."

Salem growled, grinding her teeth in fury. Oily black fluids dripped down her hands. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** shot forwards, bashing a nearby air duct vent off its hinges before throwing it towards me. Rose smacked it out of the air before I could even blink. A clang sounded as the vent slammed against the lip of the roof, molding into it. With Rose in front of me now, I can tell that her back was peeled away, revealing several rose buds underneath.

The Queen of Grimm let out a hum. Her eyes stuck to my Stand, watching it with a bit of interest. "Hmm… maybe?" She glided towards me, her dual-toned Stand raising its fists up.

Oh? She's approaching me? Rose took up a guarded stance. I leaned down and held Crescent Rose behind my back. This is the first time she bothered pushing forwards on her own terms. My eyes narrowed. I can see the wariness, the hatred in her eyes of the power in my own. Grimm fear the power of the Silver Eyes. So why is she approaching me?

I gripped my baby tighter. Whatever her plan is, I'm not letting her go on the offensive once again. I stepped forwards myself, walking towards the approaching figure. We stared each other down. My muscles stood at the ready. What are you going to do, Salem? When will you strike?

Rose twitched. At that moment, **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** kicked the Grimm fluid up into the air, obscuring my view of the two of them. Silver lightning sparked out of Rose. My breathing steadied. Get ready… Every bit of focus went towards the oily splash in front of us. Something was forming underneath its opaque surface. Any moment now…

 **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** burst out from the wave, followed by a Nevermore flung right for me. Go! I bisected the Nevermore right out from the air. Rose, on the other hand, intercepted Salem's Stand, smashing in its jaw with an ugly crunch. This is it—

Third one coming. My body moved before my mind could even register the voice in my head. Not a moment later, a clawed hand shot out from the oily splash, just managing to scratch my cheek. My eyes widened. If I moved even a second later, that would've been my mouth it punctured through. The arm started to retract before I could even register the hit. What the—

Crescent Rose bit in at that moment. The mystery arm fell to the ground not a moment later. The stump it left behind retreated back behind the wall splash. Rose rushed over to the lopped off arm and dissolved it with a punch of light. I winced back. Agh! Something's stinging me! I stumbled away from Rose. My muscles were twitching and aching. Ow… what in the world just happened?

The oil wall finally fell down, revealing a Salem with a severed right arm. She smiled at the sight of my face. "I see, I see… I thought I sensed something off about you. But now I know for sure: you have a limitation after all." I reached up to where she managed to scratch me. A thin stream of blood dripped down my face. Salem continued, "One or the other, your body or your Stand. One can break apart to help the people, but only one. The other must survive and continue your will." I gritted my teeth hearing that. She's on the mark. Too on the mark.

A chuckle escaped the Queen Grimm's throat. "And even after all this time, your body still can't take the power of the Silver Eyes. Even if you have more power in your hands, what use is it if you can't survive using it?" A sharp gasp escaped from my mouth not a moment later. My skin excreted steam out from my pores. It felt like I stood out in the sun for hours on end and got myself burned in the process. All from a single punch from Rose.

She's right. All too right. This is a fusion of both my body and Cinder's. But there's still a bit of Grimm in it. Not enough to connect myself to the Grimm horde. But enough was mixed into my body that my powers will hurt me. It's not that I can't use all of my power. But if I go too far, if I use too much at once… it'll kill me. The only thing holding back my will… is my mortality.

Salem let out a hearty chuckle, one that came out more intimidating than she likely intended it to. "What use is a hero that can't survive the power needed to protect and lead? What do you think your sacrifice will do for the people you love?" Her face grew serious. "Nothing. You'll die, people will mourn you, and you won't have ever solved the problem that haunts Remnant to this day." A Beowolf spawned nearby. Salem bashed its head in without a thought, absorbing the mass back into her body and reforming her hand. In front of her, an army of Grimm spurted out from the ground. "I will save you from death. I will save you all from suffering."

I let out a smile. "You underestimate us, then." Salem narrowed her eyes at my words. I stood up taller. "You say that, believing I won't survive using all of my power at once. And to be fair, you're right. I can't release all my power in a single blow." I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet. "But I didn't think I could kill you in a single hit anyways." Rose's arms cracked into several glass petals.

Salem stepped back. "What the—"

"Silver Splash!" Rose swung her arms in long, deliberate swings, launching waves of glass petal shards out at the Grimm army. Salem herself threw herself behind an especially tall Ursa, but the rest of them didn't get the chance to react. Several shards hit their mark, sparking the moment they pierced Grimm hide. The army Salem built went up in flames. Roars of pain and fury rang through the air, but they quickly died out as arcs of silver burned them from the inside out.

It didn't take long for Salem to step out from the dying Ursa, eyes blinking. It's as if she was trying to get spots out of her eyes. I rushed forwards at that moment. One Nevermore dive bombed towards me. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** didn't even have the time to start appearing before Rose shot up and punched it out of the sky. I stumbled with the flash of light that erupted from the hit. Focus. My breathing steadied once more. The launched glass petals returned to Rose and rebuilt her hands. Crescent Rose gleamed. I might be able to end this now.

My baby's blade sank into Salem's flesh. With three strokes, her arms and legs fell away from her body. A look of surprise appeared on the Queen Grimm's face. I jabbed the barrel of Crescent Rose against Salem's face not a moment later. Rose stood on top of my weapon, fist raised and ready for impact. I breathed out. "It's over."

Salem grinned. "Not quite. Take a look." Her limbs tumbled to the floor… and right onto four other creatures of Grimm just starting to emerge from the pool. My eyes widened. What? **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared at that moment, smashing the limbs into the creatures. They erupted from the ground right then and there, making a beeline away from me. I blinked. Wait a minute… they aren't going after anyone. They approached the edge of the roof. My eyes widened. They're trying to get away—

A shotgun blast landed on the ground right at one of the Grimm's feet, causing them to roar and pause. "Ruby!" Jaune ran in between the lip of the roof and the Grimm, racking another shell into the chamber. Not long after, the rest of my team and Jaune joined her, taking a stand against the runners. The silver glass coating over their weapons glowed bright, forcing the Grimm back. "Don't worry about them!" Jaune raised his sword. "We'll take care of the other limbs. Focus on Salem!" I nodded my head. Right.

"Hmm… they'll be a problem," a voice rasped. I jerked back towards Salem. In place of where her torso originally stood was a giant Ursa body. Like the one Jaune and I faced back in the Forever Forest all so long ago, it was completely covered in bone. Its spikes towered over everyone. A death-like odor escaped out from the creature's breath. And in the center of its chest, hidden behind a transparent bone was Salem, her torso merged with the creature in question. "It won't be too much of an issue, though," the woman continued, a dull, murderous look in her eyes. "Only one person needs to fall for everyone else to fall apart."

The Ursa swung at me, barely grazing my shoulder as I leaped back. Still, even that was enough to knock me off my feet. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** shot out not a moment later, beelining right for me. Rose caught her punch before tossing it to the side. The two got themselves locked into hand to hand combat.

My eyes widened as I slid to a stop on landing. What the— How did she manage to summon a creature of Grimm that big? Everyone was looking in her direction, how did she escape attention?

I shook my head. I don't have the time to worry about that right now. Crescent Rose readied herself behind my back. My Stand and Salem's fought off to the side, doing everything they can to prevent the other from interfering. Both Salem and I stared each other down. Every bit of me wanted to charge in. But I'm not going to survive a single hit from this beast, just like last time. I need the others. My eyes glowed again with a deep breath. And I need to hold Salem off until they can.

The beast moved. I jumped back, with a claw barely nicking my face. Then again. The hulking beast put pressure on me, trying to land the killing blow. I stayed light on my feet, almost dancing across the roof with Salem in pursuit. Once in a while, Crescent Rose bit out, dragging its edge across the carapace armor. She never found any opening to sink her point into, however. Just like last time.

I clicked my tongue. A part of me wants to break this stalemate right now. I glanced at the filled gaps within the moving mechanisms of my weapon. I'm all set to break through her defenses. I glanced at Rose and **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** fighting to our side. Salem's Stand appeared and disappeared next to several creatures of Grimm, with Rose doing everything she can to reach and continue her assault. But I can't make a single mistake. If I reveal my full hand too early, Salem can and will think her way around it, and I'm never going to get a second chance. Just like with the air vent bombs from earlier.

One opening: that's all I need. One that can guarantee I will finish off Salem without her recovering from it. Until that comes around, I just have to keep dodging. Keep my hand close to my chest. Wait for the opportunity. The voice came into my head again. Wait for your friends.

I closed my right eye. At that moment, I found myself seeing double. From my left eye, I saw Salem rushing after me, rage overtaking her as she tried to crush me. From my right, I saw a sword grow heavy before cleaving through a minor Ursa with Salem's right arm. It burned up within an instant, leaving nothing behind.

A smile grew on my face. Something's telling me that my chance is going to come sooner than I thought. Just have to keep going a little longer. I pushed forwards. My heart beat strong with every breath I took. Salem's claw just missed my face when Blake struck down the Nevermore carrying Salem's right leg. Several scratches formed across the armored carapace as Weiss pierced the Boarbatusk with Salem's left leg. Rose readied herself the moment Yang killed the Beowolf carrying Salem's left arm. Come on, wait for it… I flipped through all of their visions. There's nothing left of Salem's limbs. Now!

Crescent Rose fired into the ground, launching me right onto the Ursa's arm. The woman inside the Ursa smiled. "Dear child, what use do you think getting on my body would do? You must know you can't break through this by yourself."

"Of course not." Silver rose petals flew out of the gaps within my baby's mechashift mechanisms. "I have help now." Salem's eyes widened as the rose petals clung to Crescent Rose's blade, coating it with silver. Breathe in. My eyes glowed; my scythe blade sparked with power. "And it's about time I struck back." Breathe out.

I felt myself fall the moment Crescent Rose sank her teeth into the Ursa's arm. Pure silver energy sliced through the carapace like a hot iron through expanding foam and severed it with a single blow. The severed limb broke down in an instant, fading into nothing before I could hit the ground. Salem screeched with pain and anger as I got up from my landing. She has nowhere to go now. Let's finish this up.

My baby became a whirlwind of flashing death. Every swing I made slashed off a chunk of flesh from Salem's Ursa body. Sometimes, the chunk was as thick as my finger. Other times, they would be solid handfuls. The beast staggered with every blow I landed on it. Every wound lit up with silver sparks, further burning through the massive chunk of flesh that was the ancient Grimm in front of me. The bone over Salem held up well against the silver energy, but even that's starting to crack and fracture.

One hit with the blunt side of Crescent Rose knocked the body onto its knees. My eyes locked onto Salem's torso. The bone protecting her finally fell away with that last blow, revealing the woman once more. This is the moment. I threw a swing straight towards the Queen Grimm, point first. It's time to end this!

"Did you really think it was over, child?" **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared in front of me right then and there, smacking Crescent Rose to the side. My eyes widened. What the— Rose got between me and Salem's Stand not a second later, chasing away the latter with a flurry of blows. My breath hitched when at that moment, Salem ejected the burning flesh out of her body. Grimm started to crawl up the beast's body. The woman stared me down. "You will not end us. There's nothing you can do to stop us." The Grimm merged into the mega Ursa's body, filling in the previously lost flesh. My eyes narrowed. And it looked even stronger somehow! Salem let out a foul growl. "Stop resisting!"

With that, the two of us danced across the roof, throwing swing after swing against each other. Hoping that the next blow would be the killing one to end the fighting. She never got a hit off against me, while I sliced her into ribbons. But with every chunk of flesh I cut off, Salem always seemed to have another creature of Grimm to fill in the gap. It felt like no matter what I did, Salem would always patch herself up, reform her body whole.

I let out a yelp as a paw barely scratched my cheek. And there's the fact that Salem's getting faster. The Grimm she's absorbing… is she manipulating the strengths of her body? I gritted my teeth. I might have less time than I thought I had. My breath started getting ragged. The silver sparks on my scythe began to lose their liveliness. My body started to lag behind my thoughts. Oh gods… I made a mistake. Salem's wearing me down. It's only going to be a matter of time until I make my fatal error. I gritted my teeth. Something… I need something, anything to turn the tide— My eyes widened. That's it!

"Everyone!" I closed my right eye. Flickering through every perspective, I saw them all look at me. "Lend me your hand! Your powers: pass them to me!" Confusion filled their heads at first, but bit by bit, realization hit them. They nodded, bringing out their Stands.

My left eye flickered back to Salem as I stood to a halt. Every breath I took caused my chest to heave. Slow it down. My breaths grew lighter. Focus. Rose came back to me. Prepare and get ready for the next attack.

"Are you done now, child?" Salem strutted towards me, **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** drifting back in front of her. "Did you let all your frustrations out? Is that young fighting spirit finally broken? Are you ready to settle and accept this new world we're heading towards?"

I looked up at her. "No. This is where our fighting spirit truly shines!" My right eye saw Weiss stepping forwards, Dust crystals sitting on Myrtenaster. I jabbed a finger in Salem's direction. "Weiss!" The petals coating her weapon let go, and she launched it at Salem, Dust crystals and all.

Salem roared on impact. The mishmash of Dust types combined with my Silver Eye powers rocked the ancient Grimm's body, annihilating the bone armor that was nothing short of a massive pain to deal with before. Not only that, the explosion also ripped out several chunks of flesh out of Salem's Ursa body. Each one sparked with silver energy trying to burn the flesh up.

Heavy breaths escaped from the crippled body. Salem growled. "Why, you—" Several creatures of Grimm spawned out of the pool. But before any of them could even attempt to scale the hulking beast that was Salem, severals petals struck them at wild angles, burning them up to a crisp. My right eye looked through Blake's. **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」** swam under the surface of the roof, spinning my Stand's rose petals all around, ready to launch them back out if needed. A smile grew on my face. We're going to be okay. I can feel it in my heart.

The Queen Grimm staggered towards me. Fury bled out from both Salem's and the Ursa's eyes. "Do you really think that just because you managed to damage my body like this that you've won?" She tsked. "Arrogance." Something grabbed my ankles. What the— I looked down. Several spindly arms wrapped themselves around me, holding me and Crescent Rose down. Even when my weapon's blade burned through their bodies, there was always another arm to hold us down. They refused to let go. A hint of panic rushed through me. No!

Rose flew out to strike the restraining arms. One of the arms caught her punch. What the— **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** revealed herself. Come on, please!

"Insolent child." Salem lifted her arm up when she made it to my side. She's just going to kill me right here, huh? She continued, "What do you not get about the future I've made for you? I have the solution to all your problems, yet you continue to do this. What do you have to say for yourself?"

A smile grew on my face. "We're not completely lost yet. We're going to be okay, even when it seems like the world is irredeemable."

Salem frowned. The claw dropped—

Only to get knocked back a moment later, along with the rest of Salem's body. Black ichor escaped from Salem's mouth. "What the—" The arms let go of me just a moment. Just long enough for me to wipe out the arms holding me and driving **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** back.

My right eye flickered to Jaune's point of view. The silver coating around his sword was gone. A projectile to knock Salem back… thank you, Jaune. I flipped over to Yang's eyes. Her hands were blazing with fire and energy. "Yang?" I asked. She nodded, drawing back her arm. I turned back to Salem. "We're going to be okay because we carry the torch of progress. The one that lights the way even through the worst of the world. The one that inspires others to follow. And for better or worse, we'll survive the world and keep the flame alive!" Yang launched her petals into the massive Ursa.

The results were nothing short of explosive. The moment Yang's petals hit Salem, her form _burned._ The woman screamed as her body was both internally and externally ripped apart. I dashed forwards at that moment, Crescent Rose at the ready. While Salem is still distracted. I can land the killing blow now.

"Not… now!" Something expelled from the Ursa's back, with quite a bit of force as well. My eyes widened. Salem, her body now reformed, flew up into the air, unaffected by the Silver-Eye energy that consumed her previous host's body. It drifted towards the edge of the roof. She looked down at me. "This will not be my grave. I must go on!" **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** appeared in front of me once more, fist already flying towards my head. A desperate blow. It's not going to work.

Crescent Rose barked off to the side. Moments later, I jerked off to the side, just barely dodging out of the Stand's blow. I fired once more, launching myself up into the air and towards the flying Grimm body. Rose returned behind me, following me all the way up to the top. My eyes met Salem's. It's over. Crescent Rose wrapped around Salem's body. Her eyes widened. "No!" Rose shot towards her.

"Not yet!" **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** rushed out, fists raised to strike Rose down. "You're not going to win!" Time slowed to a crawl, everyone held their breath. Two Stands rushing towards each other, fists up, as if ready to strike each other down. I'm not interested in that. And it's clear Salem isn't either.

The dual-toned Stand shot to the side at the last moment, throwing a fruitless swing into Rose's torso. Its fist passed through, breaking Rose up into silver-white petals. It continued forwards, past my Stand and towards me. Ah. So that's what she's planning. I adjusted myself in the air, feeling myself falling to the ground. This is her final move, the shot to end the duel. I stared down **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD,** **」** her fist already rushing down to meet me. It's time to fire my own shot then.

"ORA!" Rose flung her arm off, rose petals flying out from its stump. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** slammed right into my face a moment later. Crimson sprayed out from my mouth and nose. My grip weakened, I went slack; my head whipped back, nearly snapping my neck. The world went blurry for just a moment. The only thing stopping me from instantly dying was my mid-air spin. I twirled around my baby's shaft, feeling Salem's Stand already start to take effect.

Salem wheezed a moment later. She looked down. Rose's arm connected with Salem's torso, sending pure Silver-Eyed energy through her body. A look of shock grew on her face. Before she could move to grab it, Rose snatched up her robe. Salem let out a gasp. "What the—"

I looked up and stared back at the shocked Salem, half my face smashed into a puddy-like mush. My grip tightened once more. Rose reformed back at the launched fist, her other arm already swinging down towards Salem. A single silver-eye gleamed through my bashed up face, defiant and bright as the moon in the sky. Salem twitched, her eyes full of horror and fear. I grinned. "Gotcha."

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA—"

Rose rained down a shower of fists upon the creature of Grimm, slamming her against the silver edge of my scythe. Every crater that formed on Salem's body, every bolt of silver lightning dancing on her skin made my heart soar. This is the day we take on our own fates! I fired into the air, sending us straight to the ground. I felt Crescent Rose bite into Salem's flesh; it just needs one more push to finish the job. My feet slid into a wide stance the moment I landed with a thump. I swung my scythe around with Salem still attached and Rose still pounding into her. Black fluids dripped out of her hands, trying to get them to pool up. She's not going to get away with this. My eyes shined with power. This is our defiance!

I pulled the trigger right as Rose landed her final blow. With a percussive bang, Salem ripped in two in a shower of ichor. It splashed over me and across the ground. It also hit the rest of my teammates, but they didn't say a word. They just stared slack-jawed at the sight in front of them.

I turned around to look at my handiwork. At that moment, the two halves of Salem's body splattered on the ground, black ichor already evaporating into the air. Silver lightning danced across her entire body, eating at her flesh. **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」** faded out of existence. Is it… is it over? I felt the left side of my face, opened my left eye. It's all back to normal. I stared at the bisected woman. It's over now. We've won.

A wheeze escaped from the mortally wounded woman. "No… not… now…" She beckoned towards her subjects with a bony hand, wasting away by the second. Her hand called for something, anything to come over to her. Not a single creature of Grimm heeded her silent plea. The Nevermores above kept their altitude, the Beowolves and Ursai held their ground. Glowing, crimson eyes stared at their fallen Queen, the fury within lost. Their gaze turned to me - they were stares of fear. They can sense the energy in my eyes, the ones that felled their Queen. The energy that will bring about their doom. They refused to move.

My teammates didn't. One by one, they walked up to my side. "Oh my gods," Yang breathed. Every single one of them had their eyes wide at the sight. I flicked Crescent Rose clean of Grimm ichor before folding her up into her sniper rifle form. Rose appeared in front of me, a bullet casing in hand. Her thumb took the place of the lead. A Silver-Eyed bullet, one to end it all.

Salem let out a weak groan, dropping her head against the roof. Already her lower half had been eaten up, leaving behind only bones. Human bones. She tried to glance up as I stopped in front of her. Her head can't even move up an inch before it fell back down. "So this is how I'm going to die… Gunned down on top of a roof." A bitter smile grew on her face. "Do you think that you can kill someone, just like that?"

"I already did," I responded, bringing Crescent Rose up. Before she can react, my baby roared, blasting her separated lower half away from us. Salem roared in anger at the sight. I kept a stone-cold look on my face. "There's nothing left of your lower half. And from the looks of it, none of the Grimm are going to help you. Not when I'm here. Not when my friends are here." I looked down at her, pity growing in my chest. "And besides, my silver-eye powers are already up to your chest. It's going to kill you sooner or later. As far as I'm concerned, you're already dead." She flinched hearing that. Her eyes flew towards the lightning arcs burning up her body.

"However, I'm not going to leave you like this. I don't like watching you suffer." I slid the silver bullet Rose made into Crescent Rose and stepped forwards. "From the looks of it, my silver-eyes are painful to be affected by. It might be working quickly, but I don't doubt that you'll be in a lot of pain the entire time. All I can offer you is relief." I tapped the bolt, making sure it's seated correctly. "One shot will end your suffering. Just ask, and I'll do it for you."

A scoff escaped from Salem's mouth. "Merciful to the end, huh? Some mercy you're giving me— hrk!" Salem gritted her teeth. Beads of what looked like blackened sweat slipped down her pained face. Something feral appeared on her face for just a moment, Salem baring her fangs as her eyes shut tight. Everyone flinched at the sight, bringing their weapons up to her. I stayed put, keeping a cool gaze on her.

"Go ahead." I blinked. Wait, what? Salem opened her eyes, revealing hazel slowly creeping back into her irises. She let out a whimper of pain. "Put me out of my misery. I spent decades imagining how Remnant will grow when they're merged with the Grimm." She let out a scoff. "I thought I'd live forever with the rest of us Remnans. And you've dashed those dreams. You've set Remnant back on that cycle of violence and suffering. You've doomed the generations to come." She let her head drop to the ground. "Kill me now. I rather die a dignified death for what I thought was right than die like this."

I stopped for a moment, letting her words sink in. Just a moment, though. "Okay." I brought my weapon's barrel up to Salem's face. "If there's anything I have to say, it's that I wished it didn't happen this way."

Again, the Grimm scoffed. "Just shoot already—"

"Sarah!"

Right then and there, the Headmaster pulled himself onto the roof once more, catching everyone's attention. Before we could say anything, he ran up to her, his clothes absolutely ragged and his body sliced up to ribbons. Stab wounds, claw marks, bits of torn flesh: it's just heaps and heaps of wounds covering his body. All of them inflicted by the Grimm. There's no way that his Aura's still up after all this. He pushed his chipped glasses up. The Headmaster's standing through sheer grit and will. My eyes widened. He needs to get Aura boosters and get back to a hospital, not be up here right now. Still, he stumbled towards the woman.

"Headmaster!" I yelled. I held a hand out. "Salem could still be dangerous—"

"She's done for," he called back, pushing away my hand. I can see him wince doing so. He pressed on, though. "I can see it in her eyes. Salem is already dead. The beast inside her is already dead." He took in a sharp breath. "I'm here to see my wife one last time."

The bisected woman's eyes widened. "Osmond…"

He kneeled down next to her, grabbing what remained of her hand. "Sarah, honey. It's okay, I'm here. I'm here now."

"Osmond…" Tears slipped out of the woman's face. "It's been so long since I've heard that name." Her grip tightened around his own. "I'm so sorry for what happened all those years ago. For killing Jojo. For hurting you so badly. I don't regret a single thing I've done. I've only regretted the fact that I had to hurt you and the others for my dream." The Headmaster nodded, stroking through her hair bun. She continued, "I was so angry with you when you threw me into that dark place for so long. Truth is, I missed you, Osmond. There was a part of me that wanted to see you again, that hoped that you're alive." A smile grew on her face as the burning reached her head. "That's at least one dream come true, huh?"

"It is, Sarah." The Headmaster took a sharp breath. My silver-eyes finished its work, taking what was left of her flesh off her body. Now all he had in his hands were the bones of his loved one. A tear crept down his face. "It is." He brought the skull up and laid a soft kiss on it. "I love you, Sarah."

He looked up, as did everyone else. Sarah stared back. Her golden spirit floated up to the skies, a calm, peaceful smile on her face. "Sarah…" Headmaster sighed. She didn't respond, instead giving us a wave before turning to face the sky. Up in the clouds was a tiny toddler, giggling with glee and reaching over to the rising woman. Curi. They met together once more in the sky. Sarah picked up the child, embracing him in her arms once more. The Headmaster sniffled. I turned to face him. A stream of tears slipped down his face.

The two spirit figures turned back towards us and waved once more. Headmaster Ozpin waved back, choking back a sob. And with that, they drifted up into the clouds, disappearing from this world once and for all. I let out a soft sigh, lowering Crescent Rose. I guess that's it, then? We're free. Free from the threat of death. Free from the fighting. I turned to the rest of my teammates. I can pick up straight exhaustion out of them. Physically, mentally, emotionally, it didn't matter. It rooted itself deep into their souls. They were ready to drop down and sleep. I don't blame them. I can feel it too.

Still, I tried to flash them the biggest smile I could. "Hey. I guess that means we can rest now, huh?" Relief popped up in my mind. That's definitely a start. I gestured to them. "Come on, let's call a Bullhead and get back to Beacon—"

A wail of screams erupted around us, nearly blowing our ears out. It was a chorus of fury that rang through Fenix Hall and sank deep into our minds. Mine in a very literal sense. A scream escaped my mouth, my hand clutching my head. It's a rapid wave of emotions, flipping between anger, happiness, sadness, apathetic, and so much more so quickly. There's nothing coherent about it, nothing controlling it. My gut wrenched. It begged for catharsis, to cease the insanity that was my mind—

" _Focus._ " My mind cleared once again. The tormenting emotions were still there, for sure. But they were reduced, contained, manageable. Cinder. I grasped my heart. Was this her doing?

"Ruby!" Yang rushed over to me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. That overtook me just a moment. I'm okay now—" My eyes lit up on a pouncing Beowolf. "Look out!" Crescent Rose spat out a round at the Beowolf. A bright flash of light later, and the Beowolf burned to ashes before it can even let out a cry of pain. I looked around. That burst of light also cleared the roof of any Grimm whatsoever. That's… way more powerful than I thought it was. I filed that away in my mind. But I can't worry about that right now. The insanity still ran rampant in its little corner in my mind, trying to break out. What in the world's going on?

"Holy— Guys!" Jaune stood at the edge of the roof, gesturing towards us. "You have to see this!" Huh? Everyone rushed over to his side.

"Yeah, Jaune?" I said. "What's going on—" I gasped, along with everyone else the moment we looked over the edge of the roof. Black liquid seeped out of the doors and windows now, spilling into the courtyard and covering every bit of surface in sight. It's… not gone? But… but Salem's dead. There's no way this pool can keep going. Where in the world is this all coming from?

The answer didn't wait for us, though. From the pool of liquid seeping out, a horde of Grimm spewed out from the surface, not even taking the time to shake themselves off before rushing out into the open. Wild, feral roars rang through the air as they thrashed around without rhyme or reason. The government building, the statue, each other: it didn't matter who the target was. They attacked everything in the area without any rhyme or reason. It was pure chaos down there.

Weiss's eyes widened at the sight. "Oh my gods… What are they doing down there?"

"Following their original purpose," I whispered, the animalistic anger nudging at the back of my head. "They were made as creatures of destruction, by the God of Darkness if we can believe the fairy tales. All they sought to do before was to lay waste to the world around them. Only when the mother brain was formed did they actually found a goal to strive for: to consume and get a soul. One being gave them purpose. And with the mother brain gone—"

"There's nothing stopping them from destroying everything in their path," the Headmaster finished. He stared at the sea of Grimm splashing onto Fenix Hall. "And we're its first target." I swallowed, the weight of the situation finally hitting me. Salem and the Winter Mensis before her gave the horde a reason to organize and focus their attacks on only us. But she's not here anymore. There's nothing holding the Grimm back from murdering and killing once more. I've unleashed something that should've stayed in the past a long time ago. And I don't know if Vale is able to handle the Grimm pool inside its borders.

"Agh!" Gunshots rang below us. Everyone glanced over at the noises. A girl with a mint-haired bob cut carried a legless boy on her back. Mercury had Emerald's revolvers in his hands, sniping at any creature of Grimm to come their way. Both of them had **「** **STARBOY** **」** and **「** **ELASTIC HEART** **」** sailing across the courtyard, punching away the horde of Grimm coming their way. I both sighed in relief and raised my eyebrow. Emerald's free. But how did she get out of the explosive Dust patch Weiss set over her?

" _I must've dropped it by accident._ " Weiss's thoughts sounded loud and clear in my head. " _Released it while we were distracted by Salem._ "

Emerald grunted, taking unsteady steps back. "Mercury, where's the car you said team RWBY came in?"

"Front of the gate," the boy muttered, blasting an Ursa's eye out. He looked over. "Right there at the statue." They're… running away? But why? Didn't they want the world Cinder wanted? Weren't they ready to fight for Cinder's dream? I focused on the two of them.

" _We can't die here,_ " Emerald thought as she stumbled towards the sports car. " _I can feel it in the air. Cinder's gone. She left us. Just like everyone else. We need to leave, or we'll die now._ "

" _Where will we go now?_ " Mercury thought. " _What's left for us to do but run and hope to survive?_ "

I felt a pang in my heart. Sorrow. They've done so much for Cinder, for her dream. It must hurt to know there's nothing left for them. It's not just them. I can feel it in my teammates, in the Headmaster. We have to do something now. Otherwise… there'll be nothing left for the people of Vale to hope for.

There's only one thing we can do. Or more like what I can do. I stood up, focusing the power into my eyes once more. "Ruby?" Yang asked. "What are you doing?"

"What I have to do." My body shuddered, a dull burning creeping through my muscles. They're already twitching, afraid of what is going to come next. They have the right to be scared. My body isn't going to handle the strain from getting hit point blank by a Silver Overdrive. But it's the most powerful ability in my arsenal. It's the only move that allows me to use every bit of my power. A grim smile appeared on my face. It's okay, though. If me burning else means everyone else can live, I'm okay with that being my fate.

A sigh escaped my mouth as I pulled my pinky finger off my hand. "We can't let the horde Salem made to spread through the city. We can't let this Grimm pool stay here in the city. And I won't let anyone die here." I stopped right next to the edge of the hole. "I don't regret being with you all throughout everything. Thank you for making my life the happiest one it can be."

"Ruby." The Headmaster started towards me. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, please reconsider it—"

I launched my pinky into the air, a cloud of my rose petals following after it. I reformed myself in the air face up, looking up into the sky. I can feel the spirit of Remnant reaching up to me. All the people living in the world, every person I know and don't know— From the clouds, I saw everyone who has passed on, all of them offering their hands towards me. Everyone from Cinder's village. The souls that sacrificed themselves to continue this world. Sarah and Curi. And Mom.

She stood in front of all of them, just barely covering the hidden moon. Her hood slipped off of her head, revealing loving Silver Eyes. I reached out to her. She smiled and offered a hand back.

Whether they realize it or not, everyone filled me with strength. My eyes surged I looked at those who passed on. I might not know everyone on this world, nor will I ever will… but they all gave me power. Every single person who made a tiny nick in history, to bring us to where we are right now… they helped me be where I am today. Their legacy is my strength. I looked down at the hole in the roof, filled to the brim with Grimm. They roared at me, all of them raring to rip me to shreds. It's time to give to the people and make a mark of my own.

I took a deep breath, my flesh just about ready to burst into flames. "For it is in love that we achieve immortality." Focus… You're almost there… "Through this, we become the vanguard of hope and light to lead the world to higher heights." My muscles were curling up now. Just a little more… "With infinite compassion and the spirit of the times, I release my soul." Rose appeared around me, curling my fingers into a fist. "And by my eyes and by my heart, I protect thee." Wings of power erupted from my eyes. "Silver Moonlight Overdrive!"

The light that radiated into the night sky enveloped me, blinding me and everyone in the building. I could only tell what was happening around me with the rose petals flying out off my body. Grimm disintegrated into nothing the moment the light hit them. My petals struck those deeper within the building, burning them up. I can feel the light spreading beyond the city hall, swallowing up the entire courtyard as well. And my body felt like it was set ablaze.

My body started dipping, snatched up by gravity once more. The light faded away, revealing the world once more. The Grimm were gone. The ones on the roof, the ones in the courtyard, even the Grimm pool on the ground. All of it is just gone. I felt my muscles go limp. My eyes flickered over to my friends. Everyone on the roof blinked and rubbed their eyes, groaning. But otherwise, they were unaffected. That's good. A smile crawled on my face as I fell into the hole in the roof. Someone cried out. I didn't pay it any mind. They're safe now.

A grunt escaped me as I slammed into the debris on the ground floor. I coughed as I landed face up. My body… I can't move it at all. And I can feel it already… the burning sensation. Just like when I first became a Stand user. I chuckled. That's fitting. My body was breaking into red, white, and black rose petals. The black rose petals smoked up, burning to ashes. Red and white floated up into the air before dissolving into golden wisps. I glanced up at the sky. The clouds have finally parted, revealing the moon in all of its glory. It's still shattered. But it was in the middle of forming back together. I smiled. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Somebody grabbed my hand. I don't really know who it was, though. My vision's already blurring up. I blinked. Through the haze, I can spot several people falling towards me, surrounding my body. They were saying something, but I can't hear a thing. A whir registered in my ears. This might be the end of the line for me. I closed my eyes, letting the dark consume me. This might be where I die. But Mom… if you're still watching from above, wait for me.

For thus kindly, I scatter.

 **⇐ _TO BE CONTINUED_ = 3/15/2019**

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 **Stand Description:**

 **「GLITTER AND GOLD」** \- **Can combine two things into one. If they combine a soulless object with a being with a soul, they can imbue that object with a soul. If the user combines two souls, they merge to either form a new person or a person with two souls. Due to Salem's Grimm half being the Queen Grimm, every creature of Grimm is considered an extension of her body, allowing her to extend her range by transferring her Stand to a Grimm in sight.**

 **「ROSE EMPRESS DELUCA」** \- **Remains largely the same from its Red Like Roses counterpart. However, the Stand gains the ability to dissolve into white rose petals, which have Silver Eye energy imbued within to fight Grimm. The rose petals themselves can also become rigid and take on glass-like properties, allowing them to deal damage themselves or combine to form more efficient weaponry.**

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 **Song Reference:**

 **Salem's Glitter and Gold is inspired by Barns Courtney's Glitter and Gold. It's a rock song released in 2015. I chose Glitter and Gold for two reasons. One: I wanted to highlight its origins as a Stand originally meant for good. Two: I felt the lyrics to Glitter and Gold relate to Salem as a character. Glitter and Gold is a song about Barn's struggle with living once he was dropped by his first record label as well as bitterness towards the record label he used to serve so well. There is a strong sense of distaste and pessimism in the lyrics of the song, and I think it reflects Salem well. She's someone who fought for what she thought was Remnant's best interest, and she was banished. The heroic nature of the song name contrast against real bitterness and dark undertones.**

 **Ruby's Rose Empress Deluca is inspired by Ruby Empress's Deluca. It's an alternative indie song released in 2017. I chose Deluca for a lot of reasons. First of all: the band has Rose in it, which is a big point for me. Second, take the first letter of the Stand name. RED. Third, the lyrics and beat captivated me. It's a calm, chill beat that many people can relax to. However, its lyrics are more somber, about nostalgia, the waves of change, losing a part of yourself to the past, and moving on past all that. That is what I crafted Ruby's arc around. It is the culmination of who she is in this story and her ascension as a protector of the world.**

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 **I'll talk in the final chapter. For now, l** **et's get to the reviews!**

 **Guest 1: I know, right? Thank you for reading!**

 **metacllica: Thank you, metacllica! There is so much you've said in your review, and all I have to say is that I agree with all of it. This is easily my favorite fight to write in all of Arc 5. It's also one of the most emotionally draining fights to write. Ooh boy. I mentioned before it took me forever to figure out Cinder's Stand and how to write her first battle with that. Now imagine that, but also having it be the emotional clash between both Cinder and Ruby. It took me several drafts until I came upon this version of the fight. But I'll save that for my very last retrospective, which I'll announce next chapter.**

 **tuskenpaw: Thank you, tuskenpaw! I've been waiting for so long to finally release that chapter. It ties everything together so well.**

 **rabidhandsquirrl: I hope this chapter satisfies your curiosity, and I'm glad that Cinder vs Ruby made you feel that way. Thanks for reading!**

 **Guest 2: Just the three, Guest. Maiden powers are hard to balance when Stands are involved. But thanks for reading!**

 **doa570047: Definitely. This is the culmination of years of Cinder and Ruby acting as foils for each other, of understanding each other and the pain of being on opposite sides. The Cinder admitting there was nothing in the world for her is a hard one, for sure. I think we all fear that reality. It's something hard to grasp and cope with. But as cliche as it sounds, I don't think we're ever alone.**

 **Regarding the shower thoughts, this is one aspect I'll leave up to reader interpretation. To be honest, I feel that Salem's dream reality is something beyond comprehension. We talk about hive minds and hive-mind mentality all the time, but to actually be part of a hive-mind... that is not something I can describe. All I will say about it is that it sounds like hell on earth for me. Fear the Grimm blood.**

 **And Houseki no Kuni, oh man. I love that show. I agree with you wholeheartedly, although I personally still feel more attachment to RWBY simply because there's a charm to it that Houseki just doesn't fill, or any show really. Still, will recommend that show. They're probably not going to make a Season 2 for a few more years, but I would love to see a Season 2. I'm up to date with the manga. It easily gets worse.**

 **That's all for today! I'll see you all in the next update!**

 _ **Next Chapter Update: March 15, 2019**_


	58. Rose Royce (Finale)

**Hello everybody! Welcome back to the final chapter of RWBY BA!**

 **I'll save most of my announcements for the end, but for fic milestones, this story broke 200 Followers and Favorites last chapter! Thank you all so much for the support for the past two years! And thank you all for joining me on this bizarre journey.**

 **But let's not hold this up for too long. Let's get right into the chapter! Again, special thanks to my beta for the work they've done for the past two years!**

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 ** _Beta Reader: Ruby's Knight_**

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They say time moves on, regardless of our wishes. No matter what you try to do, there's no way of stopping the march of time completely. It's in our best interests to keep moving forwards, to move onwards. But that doesn't mean that we have to abandon the past. It needs a proper burial first.

I pushed up my glasses, walking through the halls of that old bunker Jojo, Sarah, Nicholas, and I used to work in during the Great War. It was supposed to be forgotten, both by the Valean government and by us. Team CFVY found this place, though. It was going to happen, regardless. If not them, it would be someone else.

With a sigh, I looked up. Decades of sitting in the elements were not kind to the place. Dust filled the air, making it hard to breathe. The cement walls were dirtied and chipping apart. A hole now sat in the floor, showing rebar and crumbled concrete. That's most likely where Fox and Coco fell.

Despite its worn appearance, I can't help but remember good times, hopeful times. I chuckled. A weak smile grew on my face. Nothing stays forgotten, does it? I suppose curiosity isn't going to leave the Remnan spirit anytime soon.

"Osmond." I turned around to see nothing. But I can feel a chill down my back. A friendly chill. I pushed my glasses up. And this is why I came. I closed my eyes, seeing my old friend's Aura glowing behind me.

"Jojo," I called out. "It's been far too long."

"That it has. That it has." Jojo's spirit flickered. "I didn't think you would still be alive."

"I didn't, either. That's a quirk about having **「** **BLACK BEATLES.** **」** After I first activated my Stand ability here, I stopped aging. I'm permanently in my thirties. And as far as I know, I'm biologically immortal." I let out a light chuckle. "If I didn't know any better, I would've expected myself to regress in age."

The ghost chuckled. "I see." Jojo flickered once more. "I didn't expect another visitor since the day Sir Fox and Lady Coco fell in. I assume they told you about me and the buried knowledge?"

"They did. You can say that I'm here to pick that up, but more than anything else, I wanted to see my old friend once more." I gestured towards the exit. "So what do you think about them? The fourth generation of Huntsmen?"

Jojo flickered with glee. "I found Sir Fox and Lady Coco to be wonderful people. Smart, too. If they are the model individuals for Huntsmen today, I'd say they're the right people to inherit our old role."

I brought my head down. "There's one person that I think of who is more deserving of that title."

"Oh?" Mirth washed over the spirit. "Someone even better than those two?" Interest flickered through his Aura. "Whoever they are, it would be an honor to meet them in person. They sound like a lovely person."

"She is."

Pride flashed out of Jojo this time around. "From what I'm hearing, this generation of youngsters is turning out to be strong. Stronger than us, at least. Remnant can use more people like that."

"Remnant could. They very much could." The two of us stood there in silence, letting the time trickle by.

Jojo finally moved, drifting in front of me. "You know, I was wondering why I'm now able to go up to this floor. I spent decades trapped in the lower levels, just wandering about and passing time studying the artifacts we picked up before. But a few months ago, I could come back up now." His Aura flickered. "And I think I can guess why that is." I stood silent. "The Stand troubles are over now, I assume?"

I nodded. "The Stand Arrow is in good hands again. There won't be any new Stand users forming any time soon. And we're doing everything we can to make sure another situation like this never happens again."

"That's good. And what about the people who abused the Arrow?"

"They won't be hurting anyone else." My lips quivered for a bit. "And remember Sarah? Remember how we banished her all those years ago? We finally managed to put her to rest."

"Ah." The ghostly figure flickered in pleasure. "That's good." Jojo nodded to himself. "That's good…"

"It is." I sat down. The spirit followed my movements. "So what now?"

Jojo's Aura blinked in confusion. "Hmm?"

I laced my fingers together. "We're the only two people left from the original group." Again, another flicker. I took in a deep breath. "If you want my honest opinion, we're both dead men walking. You don't have a body of your own, and I have little to ground my soul to this world. Everyone we had worth living for has long since passed away… the only thing still binding us here has been picked up by a generation wiser than us. We have little else to give to the people."

"You're not wrong there, Osmond." My friend let out a long hum. "Ah. I'm not sure what you'll do, but I know what's next for me." He started floating towards the exit.

"Wait." I staggered up to my feet. "Jojo?"

His body floated out of his old tomb. "I've stayed here far too long, allowed myself to hang on longer than I should've." The early morning light passed through his ethereal body; I followed close behind and felt their warmth touch my skin. "Us Joestars are known for standing up when we are needed, but more importantly, we are known to stand down when our moment is over. And now that I'm caught up with the world, I can say for certain that my time has long past. It's time for me to move on."

My breath hitched. "I see." I stood behind the ghostly figure, allowing him to bathe in the outside world for the first time in decades. A cough escaped my throat. "As for my time… I wonder when that'll come." I let out a chuckle. "There's not exactly much for me here, anyway."

"It will come," Jojo said, staring into the darkened skies. "But not now. I can sense it. You might believe the words you're saying, but I can see your Aura as well. There's more you want to do on this world before you move on." The apparition flickered with mirth. "Still not tired of this world after spending an entire century living it, are you?"

"I suppose." A smile grew across my face. "I guess I can't help it at the end of the day. With how every new generation surprises me, how can I not?"

"And they can use your knowledge. A knowledge that might one day stop haunting this world." Jojo flickered one last time as he reached for a puffy cloud above us. "Even as a ghost, I'm surprised with all of the emotions I feel. Erina… I'll finally be able to see her again. It'll be the same for Nicholas, Sarah, my family—" The ghost took a pause. "I'll be able to join them."

Another pause. Jojo touched my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine. "Osmond. I appreciate how you kept our team in your heart, even after we're all gone. Keep doing that. We're never going to be far. We'll be watching everyone for above, cheering you and the new generation on. Will you do that for us?"

I nodded, swallowing down a choke. "I will. I will." A sniffle escaped me. "So this is our final goodbye."

"It is." With that, he drifted upwards. The sun rose up at that moment, revealing golden strands of wind carrying him up to the heavens above. I opened my eyes. His physical form finally appeared in its radiant golden form, the same man who was my friend for so long. A smile grew across his face - one of peace. He looked back at me one last time. "Goodbye, Osmond."

I bit the side of my cheek. "Goodbye, old friend."

The clouds swallowed him up, and like that, he was gone. I stood there in the forest, staring into the early morning sky. The birds finally woke up at that moment, greeting the morning with a familiar chirp. But to me, it sounded like a symphony honoring my friends. I stared up into the skies and let out one long sigh. Rest in peace, everyone. I pressed a fist against my chest. I'll keep moving onwards with you all watching.

I looked back at the Bullhead hovering to my right. A quick peek at my scroll sent a chill up my spine. The new school year. I need to hurry back and get ready to receive the newest generation of Huntsmen. Glynda would have me by the collar if I didn't come back soon. After all, Beacon still needs its Headmaster, and the last thing they need is me missing when the airships arrive. I let out a whistle as I strode towards the Bullhead. A whistle of a Summer long gone. Today, we welcome a new era for the students of Beacon. Today, we start anew.

I stared out the windows of the airship, watching the clouds past by. One year ago, I was stumbling across the floor, throwing up on whoever happened to be nearby. Which back then happened to be Yang. But now… now it's no longer a thought in my mind. I barely recognize the nausea that used to haunt me. I let out a whistle. I've really grown throughout the past year, huh?

My eyes went to my scroll. The website to R&N Sculptures. The little art studio Roman and Neo are running together. Their most recent blog talked in great lengths about how they've donated a generous sum of money to a popular movement growing in Vale: Vale United. I smirked to myself. It's probably what remained of their dirty money, back when they were the menacing thieves of Vale. Still, it's surprising how they are willingly donating to a higher cause. They're really focusing on maintaining that clean image. I smiled. Then again, I've seen Neo's memories. They're good people at their core. Just good people with a history of doing bad.

Soon enough, the airship landed. I let out a yawn and walked out, revealing the grandeur of Beacon Academy once more. It's almost like nothing ever happened here. The majority of the buildings stood proud and tall, as if there was never an attack in the first place. Ravaged paths were non-existent. In fact, the only evidence of the chaos four months ago were the abandoned tables and the rope posts that dealt with the refugee lines. For some reason, they never got around to removing them. Maybe it's because they forgot. Maybe the school was on standby for a potential homeless crisis. Either way, it remained, ignored by the student masses.

Still. My eyes went back to the buildings. It's surprising how quickly they managed to get it fixed. Then again, the city easily got the worst of the damage. In comparison, Beacon got lucky that few buildings were destroyed in the attack. Professor Goodwitch did a great job putting everything back together. I shivered and rubbed my hands. Whew. This January's colder than usual. I took a deep breath in. Still, it's great to be back.

"Jaune! Jaune!"

The sounds of grunts and mutters of annoyance caught my attention. I glanced over at the commotion. To my right, three familiar faces popped out from the crowd, plowing through them to reach me. "Jaune!" Nora shouted, waving at me with a wide grin attached to her face. She now sported a bomber jacket she left unzipped, revealing a similar attire to last year's. She rammed everyone out of the way and brought the rest of our teammates to me. Ren gave me a firm nod the moment he escaped the crowd. He didn't change too much outfit-wise. And Pyrrha… she gave me a small smile, a comforting one. Unlike last year, she had a furred hoodie over her usual attire. In fact, all of my teammates had thicker clothes on. I rubbed my shoulders once more. Even with my current outfit, I feel like I can use an additional coat.

"Hey guys," I said, walking out from the airship, carrying a duffel bag right over my shoulder. Before I can even blink, they ran up to me and pulled me into their grasp. "Oof! Guys!"

"Just let us have this moment," Nora said, pulling everyone into a firm embrace. "We haven't seen you in so long!"

"It's only been three, four months, though."

"That's like, a third of the year without our team leader! That's like, two more months than necessary! We should've been on missions together back in October!" I felt the air escape me as Nora kept squeezing. Even Ren and Pyrrha were looking pale. "Come on, we deserve this after such an unusually long break!"

"Alright, alright." I tapped her arm. "I missed you all. Can you let go now?"

After the rest of our recovered from that Nora squeeze, Ren cleared his throat. "So, how's your winter break been, Jaune?"

"Cold. Well, not as cold as here, but still chilly." I let out a shiver. "Adonis seems so warm in comparison to here. But my family's been doing well, even after the chaos of moving during the school year. They settled in pretty well, although some of them were definitely a handful to deal with after so much time apart."

My partner giggled. "Are you sisters giving you trouble?" Pyrrha asked.

"Oh yeah." I groaned. "Them and my Mom. There were way too many things I had to explain to them. Me becoming a Huntsmen, me risking my life several times, how I managed to get my Stand— It was hard getting it all down without them interrupting one way or another. Then the crazy family bonding moments…" I rubbed my head. "I hope your holiday has been better than mine."

"Eh…" Nora shrugged. "Actually, the three of us just stayed together in Vale."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes," Pyrrha said. "My manager got an apartment I could stay in while I'm here. Ren and Nora don't exactly have a home to go to, so we decided to live together until the school opened up again. So, to keep us busy, we helped out with the rebuilding efforts in Vale."

"Yeah!" Nora jumped in at that moment. "Pyrrha and I worked on restoring power to the Residential District! And Ren, he was the bestest chef out on the field!" The boy in question looked away, hiding the tiniest of smiles growing on his face.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "That sounds great. I wished I could've been there for you guys."

Pyrrha shook her head. "Jaune, it's perfectly fine. You've earned your break after everything that happened. It's the least we can do after everything you and team RWBY did for Vale."

I nodded my head. "I guess…" I glanced at my scroll. "Hey, we should check out the incoming airships. Team RWBY should be arriving any time now."

We started back towards the landing pads. "I heard the situation outside of the Kingdoms was… severe," Ren said after a moment of silence.

"It still is." I adjusted the straps to my duffel. "The Grimm has gotten so much scarier. Every week or so, my Dad and I would go out to hunt down Grimm packs." I pressed my lips into a thin line. "No, Grimm packs aren't the right thing to say. They're more like Grimm who happened to be in the same location. They've been running around, killing any animal they see, stomping on the town crops. We had to keep thinning them out before they could starve us. They aren't any more dangerous than before, granted. But at least before, they were focused on attacking centers of negativity. Now, they're just killing everything and making life a lot harder for everyone."

"Oh my gods," Pyrrha whispered, covering her mouth. "That's terrible."

"Yeah." I nodded my head. "It's not quite what I expected after taking down the Queen of Grimm, that's for sure."

Pyrrha nodded, pressing her lips into a thin line. "To be honest, things haven't been great in Vale either. Not as good as it could be. We heard the estimates for how long it'll take for the city of Vale to recover properly. Experts are estimating it'll take a couple of years before the city will be back to its former glory. It's not easy repairing half of the entire city, even with Professor Goodwitch and Atlesian support."

I looked out at the distant city. While it's not smoking or burning up like before, I can still see the wounds the city sustained, the amount of damage the attack on Vale has caused, how there's so much more to be completed. Scaffolding platforms surrounded hundreds of buildings, a bandage of a slowly healing city. It's nothing short of a daunting task.

My partner continued, "And ever since you left, social unrest has been a concern." Pyrrha sighed, shaking your head. "When they announced that the White Fang had a major role in the Vytal attack, the people of Vale did not react kindly." A frustrated look grew on her face. "People were angry about that. The people who became homeless or couldn't work, they grew frustrated. Then there were some… unsavory people who were emboldened by the attack. The talk and rumors grew, and before we knew it…" She shivered. "They decided to take out their anger."

"It didn't matter that the White Fang went dark ever since the Vale chapter was captured. And there were a lot of people who didn't go along with it. But the groups who did, well…" Pyrrha pressed her lips into a thin line. "A lot of us panicked when we saw Faunus with bruised rings around their necks. It was scary, hearing the stories of what was going on in the areas that needed reconstruction, the actions from both sides. Ren helped to stem the worst of it all and we helped out with arresting the particularly bad eggs, but there's only so much we can do when everyone's all up in arms."

"But that's how Vale United was formed!" Nora chipped in. "Were you there when they were first created, Jaune?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Don't think so, but I think I know what you're talking about. That's the grassroots humanitarian organization that popped up in the news recently, right?"

"Yep!" Nora said. "It's such an amazing thing. A collection of Valeans, both Faunus and human, both rich and poor, doing whatever they can to get people off the streets, get them into warm homes with warm food, and get them to rebuild the city to be bigger than ever!" Nora scratched the top of her head. "I don't remember who started it, though. But I remember how it got big when the teachers at Signal threw in their support and got the students involved. Who was the woman?"

"Deery," Ren said.

Nora snapped her fingers. "Right! The Faunus scientist girl!" She let out a sigh. "I remember one quote that gets passed around all the time: 'For the people of Vale, by the people of Vale, with the spirit of Vale.'" She hummed to herself. "It's a neat motto, if I say so myself." I nodded to myself. I won't lie, there's definitely something about it that catches people's attention.

"Oh hey! Guys, look! It's the others!" I looked in the direction Nora was pointing. Two airships away from where we are right now, we saw Blake and Yang walking towards a further ship. A laugh escaped from the two as they greeted Weiss, who from the looks of it, had just managed to push a luggage cart filled to the brim with suitcases and luggage bags. A smile came onto my face. Some things don't change, do they? Nora clapped her hands together. "Come on, let's greet them!" Before we could say a word, Nora rushed towards the team. "Team RWBY!"

Our sister team didn't even get a chance to react before they were struck by a flying Nora. "It's been so long!" Nora said, the biggest grin on her face. A flurry of yelps escaped from the three of them as they struggled out of Nora's grasp. The rest of the students started looking in our direction.

I chuckled. Some things really, really don't change. I cleared my throat, embarrassment growing in my chest at all the looks we're getting. "Okay… we should get Nora out of there now."

A few minutes and a bunch of apologies later to the crowd around us, the seven of us stood next to Weiss's fancy luggage cart. "It's great seeing you all again," Pyrrha said with a smile.

"Right back at 'ya," Yang responded, a smile growing on her face even as she patted down a brand new leather jacket, one that zipped up instead of buttoned up. She dusted off her black pants. "Man, I can't believe that we haven't seen each other for a few months!"

"Especially considering that they've started school late this year for repairs. I see you all have gotten new outfits." I looked at Blake and Weiss. Weiss's outfit didn't change much. She just added a red scarf and tights to her usual wear. Blake, for some reason, was actually wearing less than last year, just wearing a crop top, tailcoat, and black pants. I raised an eyebrow. "Don't you feel cold in that, Blake?"

Right at that moment, she let out an audible shudder. I can see the chill running up her body. "I do. But I don't exactly have warm clothing back home. I was planning on buying some when I got back, but—"

"So _that's_ why I found you prowling the streets this morning!" Yang chirped. "Why didn't you say so?"

"Because before I could explain, you promptly dragged me off to F&F to meet your Dad for breakfast, and then we had to get on the airship to Beacon right afterward." Blake let out a huff. "And I heard this winter's going to be one of the coldest ones out there."

"Aww, cheer up kitty cat!" The blonde slapped her partner's back. "We can go shopping right after we unpack! With my eye for fashion and Weiss's wallet, we'll help find you the perfect outfit!" The heiress in question raised her eyebrow in suspicion, but otherwise didn't comment on what Yang just said.

"Hey," I interrupted. "It's nice and all to hear about this, but shouldn't we get out the way and get to unpacking?"

Our sister team turned towards us. "We should," Weiss finally answered, rolling her eyes at her teammates. A small smile appeared on her face, though. **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** appeared behind the cart, grabbing it. "So, shall we go?"

Everyone nodded, and we started for the building in question. Blake leaned close to Weiss. "Aren't you worried someone's going to find a self-moving cart suspicious?"

"Not if you fib and say it's gravity Dust controlled." Weiss held up a round disk with purple crystal accents. "I just hold this up and say it's custom-built. Who's going to ask any questions? I'm a Schnee. My family's burned through a lot more money on dumber gadgets."

We passed by team CFVY, who were running team CRDL dry doing some kind of weird regimen training. Fox turned his head in our direction and gave me a quick nod. Russel, dead tired as he looked lying on the floor sweating like a dog, managed to give us a grin as we walked past. Third year and second year respectively now. Man, sometimes time feels like it's moving way too fast for our own good.

I waved at one old lady walking past us. "Good morning, Ms. Altan." I gave her a quick bow. "How are you?"

"Oh, please. Call me Carna. And I'm doing well, aside from the cold." She shivered in her coat. "I see all the Vale users are present."

"Stand users attract other Stand users," I said back with a smile. She let out a huff, a smirk growing on her face as well. I continued, "How's Vale been for you and your family?"

"Absolutely chilly. It's not as bad as Argus and all of Northern Mistral, but at least they signaled the cold with the beauty of snowflakes. Here, the only way you'll realize that the weather's getting colder is to just walk outside."

"You'll get used to it," I said. "And it gets better once spring rolls around."

She let out a snort. "I'll hold you to that, young man."

I nodded. "How's Arslan been?"

"She's been good, although she won't be for long once I get my hands on her. Apparently, Haven's been doing a 'history program' of sorts, and she and her team have jumped on without me knowing. They've been on the field, digging through ruins, inspecting artifacts, all those dull aspects. While us Altans sit here in the cold to protect the fantasma velos, _she's_ out there further exploring our family history and the history of Mistral in general." The old woman sighed. "But jealousy is unbecoming of someone my age. Arslan's decision isn't an easy thing for me to accept, but if her efforts result in us discovering the true origins of the fantasma velos… well, we'll get there when we get there."

Carna started strolling with us. "I'll have to admit: the JSF have done a great job accommodating us." The JoeStar Foundation, huh? She continued, "Ciel's been a wonderful asset to us. She's done a great job keeping us in touch with Atlas and their research on the Arrow. I'm glad to say that Atlas has been holding up their end of the bargain so far. That may change, of course, but good beginnings are important." She glanced at her watch. "But I must go now. My family needs me. Welcome back, everyone."

"Bye, Carna!" I waved her off, everyone watching as Carna walked away from us. As for the rest of us, we continued on our way. It didn't take long before Yang stepped in front of us and started leading the rest of the group.

"Yang?" I asked. "What's up?"

She paused for a bit. "You know," she started. "I kinda want to get unpacked as soon as possible. There's one more person we need to meet up with before we start the school year, and I want to see them before we're forced to listen to the Headmaster's opening speech." Yang continued forwards. "Come on. We're not going to have much time."

We approached the fountain, the mood around us growing somber by the minute. We all know who Yang was talking about. All of our friends glanced at each other. I know I've gotten to see her before I left for Adonis… The twist in my gut returned. At the same time… it's been so long. I don't think anyone could visit her ever since we were put on break. And now that we're back. I took a deep breath in. I hope she enjoyed her rest.

Yang's eyes widened as her eyes spotted a seated figure. Her stride grew longer; her pace hastened. My eyes grew at the sight of said figure, as did everyone else. She's up? We followed right behind Yang. That shouldn't be possible. They told us that she was supposed to be bedridden for a couple more months.

The group approached the fountain. Sitting there was a girl in a familiar red cape, drawing something. But here she sat, moving as if nothing ever happened to her. A lump formed in my throat. She never surprises us, does she?

We approached her from behind. The hooded girl stopped drawing and took in a deep, long breath.

"Hi, everyone."

I opened my eyes, revealing the fountain in front of me and the sketchbook in my lap. The sketchbook had several pencil sketches across it. There was an image of the fountain in front of me. Rough depictions of passing Huntsmen dotted the sides of the drawing. More detail was dedicated to the students standing in the area. Beautiful outfits dressed the page. Outstanding weapons hung from the students' bodies. Even through the coarse, gritty nature of the pencil lines, the students' faces and posture were filled with glee and joy. Beauty in cruelty. It was a beautiful scene.

To think I wasn't capable of doing this just a couple of months ago. This might be a side effect of me absorbing Cinder. I've gotten some of her artistic skills in the process. Not that I don't mind, though. I dusted the page off in question of eraser shavings with emaciated hands. They've just started to regain muscle definition, but I can still see a firm outline of my bones just underneath my skin. I stared at my bony fingers. Drawing did a lot to help me through when I couldn't do much else. I pushed up the mask on my face. It kept me grounded ever since that day.

My eyes closed once more, with my mind dragging up a memory from Yang's perspective. It didn't take long for my mind to re-envision that fated day. It felt as if it was yesterday. A yell escaped Yang's mouth as she jumped down the hole in the roof and made her way to my rapidly wasting body. "Ruby!" She snatched my hand, gripping tight. "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby—"

"Oh my gods," Jaune gasped after landing close to us. "I can't believe she did it. The Grimm in the city. They're all gone. The Grimm pool here is gone. We don't have to worry about losing the city of Vale anymore." He ran over to my body's side, only to gasp at the state of my body. "Oh my gods!"

The sight wasn't pretty. All of the Grimm flesh within me burned away, leaving bones and the tiny bit of uncontaminated human flesh sticking to me. My face had wavy scars all across it, snaking through where my veins would normally be. The area around my eyes still burned with silver arcs, charring it to extreme levels. To call me emaciated is an understatement. I was practically a skeleton waiting for death to claim me.

The rest of team RWBY and Headmaster Ozpin surrounded me soon after. Each of them recoiled in horror at the state of my body. Jaune looked like he wanted to throw up. Weiss and Blake froze, unable to turn away at my current state. Ozpin looked away, guilt clear on his face. And Yang… I've never seen her so scared in her life, even when I first supposedly died.

"Ruby…" Yang's grip tightened around my hand. "You're not going to die here. We're going to save you, no matter what." She turned to face the others. "Headmaster! How much time do we have until a Bullhead can come around?"

"I called mine the moment Ruby leaped into the air." The man kneeled down by Yang's side, his scroll pulsing. "They should be here any time now—" A whir passed by overhead. Everyone looked up, revealing a Bullhead floating over everyone. "And speak of the devil. They're here." He turned towards my body. "Don't worry, Yang. Your sister is going to get the medical attention she deserves."

The side door of the Bullhead popped open. A bag of first-aid material fell to the ground, which Blake caught and threw to Yang. My sister didn't waste a second. She yoinked an Aura booster out from the bag and jabbed it into me. I gasped, my Aura visibly surrounding my decomposing body. Every bit of it kept the burning at bay. In fact, the energy started to dissipate as it finished eating what Grimm essence remained in my flesh. But even as the fire burned out, it left a barely living husk on the ground.

"Aura and the boosters aren't enough," Ozpin said, a frown growing on his face. "We don't know how much time we have. Ruby needs a more permanent solution, and fast." He looked to the rest of the team. "We need to get her into care, now." Everyone nodded, starting to move towards my body.

"Wait, one more thing." Weiss approached me, **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」** out. With a gentle rub of her saber, my body was encased in an orange shell of Dust. There were small openings, roughly the size of an Aura booster. But otherwise, only my face remained exposed in the Dust cast. My partner stepped back, letting out a sigh. "There. That should keep her body safe until we get her to the ward." She looked up at the Bullhead, who already had a stretcher lowering down towards us.

Ozpin nodded. "Thank you for that, Weiss." He let out a sigh. "Let's get her out of here."

"Uh… Ruby?" I flinched at hearing my name. The memory cut off there, replaced with the present. Yang's sight filled my still closed eyes. "Is something on your mind?" Oh… I don't think I said anything since I last responded. A hum escaped my mouth. Did my mind wander again? I have to get out of that habit. It's way more distracting than it really should be.

"Yup. I just spaced out there. My thoughts got the better of me." I opened my eyes. That was four months ago now. All the doctors said that my survival was nothing short of a miracle. I had just enough of my humanity to live. Even if I'm in this condition right now. I got up and brushed my hair back, turning to face the others. "How have you all been?"

"Good, good." Yang grabbed one of my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. It wasn't one of her usual bear hugs. This one was gentler, more caring. The rest of my team joined in. Yang continued, "It felt empty not having you at home."

"You know how it is," I said, letting out a chuckle. "Beacon doesn't want me to leave until they're sure I'm completely recovered." I ran the back of my emaciated hand against my cape. "And I'll be honest: I'm not quite there yet."

Yang let go of me, giving me a good glance over. "You wear a mask now?" she asked.

"Yup." I nodded. I lifted my mask off my face and brought my head down, letting my hood hide my face. It was designed after the mask my Stand used to wear. "They told me to keep this on while I recovered. Something about not freaking out everyone else about how messed up my face is."

"What about cosmetic surgery?" Weiss asked. "That's still an option on the table."

"Beacon wanted to make sure that my body has recovered before we can talk about cosmetic surgery." A smile grew over my face. "But I'll be honest: there's a part of me who doesn't want to get rid of the scars. Maybe it's pride, maybe it's stubbornness, maybe I just stopped caring, but a part of me doesn't want to erase it. Once I've recovered, it's going to be the only reminder of what I've done to protect you all."

"Even if people might be off-put by it?" Blake asked.

"Especially if that's the case." I placed the mask back on my face. "Plus, there's something nice about having the mask. Makes me feel like a cool, silent hero."

All of my friends snorted at that. "Dork," Yang muttered under a grin, ruffling my hair to my embarrassment.

"Yang! Stop! I'm not a kid anymore, stop it with the head pats!" That only got Yang to mess my hair even harder, making me whine. "Stop, everyone's looking at us!"

Weiss let out a cough, catching my attention and stopping Yang. "So, how far are you with physical training?" my partner asked.

"Getting somewhere, I suppose." I smiled, adjusting the white mask as I got out of my sister's grasp. "I'm still considered underweight, and I don't think I'll be running around and swinging Crescent Rose anytime soon. But I'm starting to get a little bit of muscle back. I talked to Professor Goodwitch, and she says that I'm making good progress. If I keep it up, I might be able to get enough muscle back to finally go through Huntress conditioning again within a semester. I don't think I'll be going onto the field any time soon, though. Might take me a long, long time just to return back to my strength as a first year."

"It's better than nothing, I suppose," Blake said.

Yang let out a hum of agreement. "At least you're going to still be with us for our second year. We were scared they were going to hold you back."

A tear threatened to escape my eye. I held it in, though and nodded. "Yup. I was scared, too. I didn't want that to happen. I'm glad that didn't happen, at least. I need to thank Ozpin for that." I turned to face the rest of the group. "So, I think you guys need to unpack?" Everyone nodded. "Well, they're actually going to move us to a different to accommodate for… this." I gestured to my body. "But I can show you guys where it is. Come on, I'll show you guys."

We started towards our new dorms, with me in the lead. So much has changed, has it? I leaned my head back and closed my right eye. I looked through Nolan's eyes as he and Gwen sat on the dunes of Vacuo right before the break of dawn. Both of their Stands are out. The two of them looked down at the oasis city, watching as armed guards surrounded a thief glued to an adobe house. Investigators: that's who they've become. Smiles grew on their faces as they walked away from the scene, **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」** sniffing out the next criminal in town.

My perspective shifted, and I now saw through Miltia's eyes. Both she and Melanie stood next to a wall, casually staring at members of Vale United in the court of Fenix Hall. Deery stood in front of them all, delivering an impassioned speech to the Council. They stared back with bored, but slightly intrigued looks on their faces. Under heavy clothing, Roman and Neo sat in the stands, quiet smirks on their faces as they watched the speech unfold.

My view shifted again, revealing Ciel talking with other Altans at the JoeStar Foundation. Jojo's surname and spirit has truly lived on, hasn't it? Mercury and Emerald walked in at that moment in their usual outfits, with a major distinction: they had the JSF badge on their persons. With their entrance, the conversation shifted to potential paranormal events in Vale. Arslan's perspective took over at that moment, revealing team ABRN standing in the evening light, observing archeologists setting up lights. With a pull of a generator, the lights illuminated a Mistralian ruin, ready to be studied and observed.

I let out a long sigh, opening my eye to reveal Beacon once more. There's so much more we don't know, so much we have to go through. So much more struggling and suffering in front of us. But I can see it through everyone's eyes: we're pushing forward. We're ready to continue the cycle, to work and make life a little better for everyone. Rose appeared in front of me. Her face had no mask. She looked almost alien to me. But her smile and her silver eyes: those stuck with me. Even if she changes, even if I change, those parts will still stay. They'll continue to inspire and comfort.

"Hey." Jaune walked up to my side, along with the rest of my friends. "You ready for a new year?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yup. Let's start this year right."

All eight of us continued towards the castle school. Our bizarre adventure might be over, but our bizarre lives have just begun. A new year means new beginnings. After all, we're all going to stand to protect this world we've saved once before. I glanced at everyone around me. We're all swaying in the morning sun. A smile grew over my face as I looked into the sky.

And into the dawn, we will shine.

 **=FIN=**

* * *

 **It's complete now. There's nothing more to say about this story. At this point in time, I feel completely satisfied that I've said all I've wanted to say in this story, and that it's time to let it go to rest.**

 **But just because the narrative itself is done, doesn't mean that I'm done with posting chapters for this story. In fact, I have two more in store. One of them is a dedicated reference sheet for every single Stand that's appeared in the story, planned names for unused Stands, and a song list for what I've based my chapter names on. There's also a little surprise for a constantly asked request back during the story's earlier days. That'll be releasing next week.**

 **The other chapter is going to be the final retrospective, where I talk about the last three chapters of the story, Salem's Stand, my overall thoughts on RWBY BA now that I've reached the end, and last minute questions. That'll be released two weeks from now.**

 **And as for last minute questions, this is the only time where I'll break my usual policy and ask that you guys review the story. I don't plan on creating a proper sequel to this story, so if there's anything you guys want to ask, ask them now. I can't wait to answer any last questions you have about the story!**

 **Let's get to the reviews!**

 **Xavier Rall: Thanks, Xavier!**

 **metacllica: Thank you, metacllica! The Salem fight was a joy to write all around, and man. What a hell of an ending. Thanks for reading!**

 **Guest: It's okay! She made it!**

 **tuskenpaw & rabidhandquirrl: Thank you for the compliments, and thank you for sticking with this story!**

 **UltimateKuuga: Welcome to the end, Kuuga! Thank you for reading through it all!**

 **Mathew Cipriano: Thank you, Mathew Cipriano!**

 **doa570047: Thank you, doa570047! Looking back on it, I don't blame you for being offput by my initial writing choices. It was a choice that I knew would bite me in terms of popularity. But it's an idea I chose to see through and have seen through. And I'm glad that you gave it a chance in spite of my choices and experienced this adventure with us all.**

 **It's been great writing for you all. I'll see you all in the last two updates!**

 _ **Reference Chapter Update: March 22, 2019**_

 _ **Retrospective Chapter Update: March 29, 2019**_


	59. A Design for Life (Stand Stats)

**Stand Stats**

1\. Ruby Rose's **「** **RED LIKE ROSES** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: B

Durability: C

Precision: A

Learning: A

 _Look: _ Slender, snow white feminine humanoid with scarlet highlights. Wears a cloak and hood that functions like a cape. Has armor-esque parts where armor would be. Has shoulder guards with adorned crosses and thick ribbons with Ruby's emblem running down both arms, stopping before the wrist. Wears a mask that covers the upper face, crimson with silver Stand-like eyes. Mouth is humanoid.

 _Ability:_ User is able to turn any part of her body into rose petals. When called back, she is able to reform them in any way she wants, allowing herself a degree of body modification.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Red Like Roses" by Jeff Williams (feat. Casey Lee Williams) [Symphonic Rock, Released 2013]

2\. Jaune Arc's **「** **EVERYDAY BOY** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: N/A

Range: N/A

Durability: N/A

Precision: A

Learning: A

 _Look:_ Not visible to anyone in the story. However, for an artist's interpretation, it takes on the form of golden yellow "veins" through Jaune's entire body. Similarly, visual interpretation for objects affected will have red "veins" when increasing weight, blue "veins" with decreased weight.

 _Ability:_ User is able to change the density of himself and any item that is non-living. Unlike most Stands that appear out of the body, this Stand is integrated into the user's nervous system, making it effectively a part of him.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Everyday Boy" by Joan Armatrading [Pop Rock, Released 2015]

3\. Nolan Porfirio's **「** **BELFRY FALLS** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: A

Durability: A

Precision: C

Learning: A

 _Look:_ Two and a half meter long angular komodo dragon. Has forest green scales and gray Nazca-esque lines in the rough form of a dragon-lizard. Has shifting eye color based on the emotion it's searching for. Its eyes look mechanical in nature, almost like an old-fashioned car headlight.

 _Ability:_ User is able to track down a certain emotion. Combined with more traditional smells, this allows the user to target specific individuals. The Stand also has a bite which can inflict various ailments depending on the current emotional state of the user.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Belfry Falls" by Grudges [Grindcore, Released 2011]

4\. Neopolitan's **「** **CORNERSTONE** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: N/A

Range: C

Durability: Infinite

Precision: E

Learning: E

 _Look:_ Takes on the form of an apartment cluttered with items. It looks like a hoarder's home. The apartment has two floors. The bottom floor contains the garage, a study, and the dining/living room. The upper floor contains the bedroom and the game room.

 _Ability:_ Can select a door to serve as an entrance into a mind palace. Said mind palace has all of the memories of the user in the form of items. Touching any item forces them to live through the memory from the perspective of the user, and will take damage for any wounds user takes in the memory. Can travel through the mind palace through a set of mirrors, but can't actively interact with the world.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Cornerstone" by Benjamin Clementine [Art Rock, Released 2013]

5\. Roman Torchwick's **「** **CHAINING DAY** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: B

Range: C

Durability: A

Precision: A

Learning: B

 _Look:_ Looks most like modern-day urban gangbanger. Earth-colored, urban baggy look. Polished and chrome-like. Has a melded hoodie and something akin to a bandana covering its head and face.

 _Ability:_ User and Stand are capable of absorbing one item each and taking on all of their respective properties. If the user was to absorb a knife, the user would then be able to become sharp, become light, and so forth. However, both user and Stand can have one item in them at a time. They will eject a previously absorbed item should they take a new one.

 _Stand Inspiration:_ "Chaining Day" by J. Cole [Rap, Released 2013]

6\. Graveworm's **「** **DOWN UNDER** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: C

Range: C

Durability: C

Precision: E

Learning: E

 _Look:_ Takes on the appearance of a gigantic tapeworm, but with the addition of exaggerated text with the Stand's name imprinted on its sides.

 _Ability:_ User is able to transform the floor of a room into lava. Any non-living material on top of the lava will not burn, and will in fact float.

 _Song Inspiration: _ "Down Under" by Men at Work [Pop Rock, Released 1981]

7\. Blake Belladonna's **「** **SANDE MOUNTAINS** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: D

Precision: A

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Feminine humanoid with matte black skin akin to a skintight suit. Shoulder guard with Blake's emblem. Feline head like a jaguar, but with a lion's mane. Human hands had a fold at the ends of the fingertips, where claws could pop out. Solid golden eyes.

 _Ability:_ User has the ability to pull herself and other non-living objects into the second dimension by using any flat object roughly the size of the user. Only objects that used to be 3D can be dragged back out. Her Stand is also capable of traveling between the dimensions.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Mountains" by Emeli Sande [R &B/Rock, Released 2012]

8\. Fox Alistair's **「** **TERIYAKI BOYZ** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: A

Durability: C

Precision: A

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Looks like a thick wire figure with tuning forks for its head and arms. The copper and steel figure has an eye on each prong of its head.

 _Ability:_ User is able to cause molecules to vibrate, creating a sort of resonance. Though this, he can make sound as well as echolocation should he decide to vibrate the air. He can also vibrate solids, which can create long-lasting damage.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Tokyo Drift" by Teriyaki Boyz [Rap, Released 2006]

9\. Gwen Darcy's **「** **LADY MARMALADE** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: D

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: B

Precision: A

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Pale-purple feminine humanoid. Several long blue/green feathers sprouted from the Stand's back. Gaudy look. Has a turquoise fitted top and a flowy beaded skirt. Has full, blue lips.

 _Ability:_ User is able to change the amount of friction exerted on a surface, making surfaces sticky or slippery in the process. She can modify the extent of how sticky/slippery a surface is. She is able to touch surfaces she used her Stand on without any negative effects.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Lady Marmalade" by LaBelle [Soul/Disco, Released 1974]

10\. Weiss Schnee's **「** **I.D.I. TIME** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: C

Precision: A

Learning: B

 _Look:_ Humanoid. Wears a baggy, frontier-esque uniform. Scarf-like apparel covers face. Tailored look, like a nobleman's hunting clothes. A large crystalline saber hung from the left side of the figure's waist; edged side is pure Dust, flat side is metallic. Wide-brimmed hat.

 _Ability:_ User is able to form veins of Dust of varying amounts, quality, and type with the swing of the saber. The Dust cannot be mined: any kind of disturbance will set it off with the exception of Stability Dust. Said Dust cannot form on living beings. In addition, Weiss cannot stand on the Dust or form it under her feet.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "It's Time" by Imagine Dragons [Alternative/Pop Rock, Released 2011]

11\. Russel Thrush's **「** **FEEL GOOD INC** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: C

Speed: N/A

Range: A

Durability: C

Precision: D

Learning: A

 _Look:_ Humanoid. Wraps around the head/back of the user. Robotic toddler with a TV screen face. Two windmill blades spun around on each hand, and antennas stick out from the TV head. Makes emoji faces using the TV.

 _Ability:_ User can influence the emotions of everyone around him. With enough of a push, the user can galvanize a crowd into acting on their emotions without any awareness of their actions. The stronger the emotions, the harder they'll act. However, as emotions get stronger, the user starts losing control of the crowd.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz [Alternative Rock/Rap, Released 2005]

12\. Arslan Atlan's **「** **THROUGH FIRE AND FLAMES** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: A

Precision: B

Learning: C

 _Look:_ The gold and red humanoid woman had several intricate lines engraved, looping forever. Has two small round plates resting on her forearms, like bucklers. Each plate had deep grooves that resembles the Arslan's logo. Said bucklers are on a rail leading all the way to the Stand's hands.

 _Ability:_ User can use her Stand to form a wax ball that can be thrown. Once it hits anything, the affected object can be flattened/warped/stiffened from a hit from the giant wax seals on the Stand's knuckles. Used on a person, this ability can disrupt bodily function.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Through Fire and Flames" by Dragonforce [Power Metal/Rock, Released 2006]

13\. Perry's **「** **REDBONE** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: A

Durability: C

Precision: B

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Three roided out bloodhounds with the head of a feral wolf. Flayed, skinless look with a bit of neuroticism.

 _Ability:_ Has a pack of three mutated hellhounds. All three hellhounds are able to morph and take on the exact identity of a person the victim is close to relationship-wise. The pack needs one hellhound to touch the victim in order to create a beacon for the user and the rest of the pack to follow.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Redbone" by Childish Gambino [R &B, Released 2016]

14\. The M.N. Monsters (Trifa)'s **「** **HOCUS POCUS** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: C

Speed: A

Range: A

Durability: C

Precision: E

Learning: E

 _Look:_ Looks like a set of instruments. When played, it creates a 'cloud/pulsating beat' similar to dense fog/wave visualizations. Inside the 'cloud' is the dream world victims will inhabit.

 _Ability:_ The Stand plays a tune upon the user falling unconscious. If the tune is heard in perfect clarity, the victim will fall into a coma as their minds/consciousness are taken into the Stand, which takes on the form of a warped college campus. On said locations are monsters. If they catch the victim, said victim will become one of those said monsters in that world. In the real world, their brains will start degrading until the brainstem is rotted, halting all bodily functions and killing the victim.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Hocus Pocus" by Focus [Progressive/Hard Rock, Released 1973]

15\. Ciel Soleil's **「** **LAST BREATH** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: C

Speed: A

Range: B

Durability: C

Precision: A

Learning: A

 _Look:_ Takes on the appearance of a feathered boa constrictor. Its feathers are blue-gray, and they sit close to the snake's body like actual scales.

 _Ability:_ Activated by any oath/promise/agreement between two parties. If the Stand hits another person, it will wrap around the victim. The user then can command the victim to do something. If the victim refuses, the Stand will automatically constrict until either the victim acts in accordance to the user or air flow is constricted and the victim passes out/dies. However, the user is bound by their word as well, and is affected by the same rules of the Stand.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "My Last Breath" by Eyeshine [Rock, Released 2010]

16\. Banesaw's **「** **SIX DAYS** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: B

Range: C

Durability: D

Precision: B

Learning: C

 _Look:_ They take on the form of killer whale tattoos, although this can apply to any kind of tattoo the user has.

 _Ability:_ User can move the mass of any object within the user's sight to any other part of said object, effectively changing its shape. The effect is not immediate - the mass will be transferred over time. However, the more whales there are in an object, the faster it distributes mass.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Six Days" by DJ Shadow [Trip-Hop/Pop, Released 2002]

17\. Adam Taurus's **「** **WARFLOWER** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: A

Range: B

Durability: A

Precision: A

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Humanoid, wears Mayan-like stone armor, but without the headdress. Actual body is similar to a tree trunk, but with thorns as its 'bark.' A tiny stem connects the torso to an oversized poppy bud with two vertical rows of eyes.

 _Ability:_ Can force any surface to create towers/spikes, shifting internal mass outwards. Each tower/spike will still keep the properties of the material it is made of, but will always maintain its spiked shape no matter what.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Warflower" by The Mayan Factor [Alternate Metal/Rock, Released 2002]

18\. Yang Xiao-Long's **「** **ETERNAL FLAME** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: A

Precision: A

Learning: B

 _Look:_ Is reminiscent of a Viking hearth keeper. The 'corset' part has an almost wispy look to it, like burning smoke while the 'dress' part is more flame-like, merging with the body. Both are a bit translucent, and will 'trail' behind the Stand's body when it moves, revealing a feminine muscular body underneath. Has a phoenix mask with two columns of red feathers in a flame-like pattern, with embers glowing on them.

 _Ability:_ User can cause things to spontaneously combust by making the object reactive to oxygen. This flame can quickly extend through the object if the user chooses, turning it into a ball of flames. Object being combusted can be anything, as long as either the user or the Stand can touch it.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles [Rock, Released 1989]

19\. Deery's **「** **HEATHENS** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: C

Speed: D

Range: A

Durability: A

Precision: D

Learning: E

 _Look:_ Looks like a massive swarm of box jellyfish swimming through the air. There's a more noticeable image of a skull jutting out from their bells.

 _Ability:_ Summons a swarm of Chironex fleckeri to float around, sting, and generally kill everybody around them. This cloud wanders aimlessly, often going into random directions unless the user designates an individual to specifically target or ignore.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots [Electronic Rock, Released 2016]

20\. Amber's **「** **SWEET DREAMS** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: E

Speed: B

Range: Infinite

Durability: A

Precision: A

Learning: D

 _Look:_ Takes on the appearance of a silver ring with a chalk mineral. When on the user's hand, the chalk builds a thin layer over their skin, giving the user a powdered look. A rocky mini humanoid will pop out from powdered areas whenever needed.

 _Ability: _ Using any kind of closed frame, the user can create a portal from the current location to any place the user can vividly imagine in her head. In theory, this will allow the user to cross dimensions and universes if they can picture it vividly enough.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" by Eurythmics [Rock, Released 1983]

21\. Melanie Malachite's **「** **BOM BITTY BOM** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: C

Precision: A

Learning: B

 _Look:_ Blocky feminine figure with various cuts separating body segments in an unorganized fashion. Very garish in color, has an almost haphazard feel to how it looks. There's scotch tape and strands of glue where there would normally be joints and ligaments. The Stand itself looks like it shouldn't hold together, but it still does.

 _Ability:_ Can reassemble anything from its molecular parts. Said creation is rendered unstable for roughly an hour, and will explode violently if touched during that unstable period, turning into shrapnel to pierce through bodies.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Bom Bidi Bom" by Nick Jonas (feat. Nicki Minaj) [Pop Rap, Released 2017]

22\. Miltia Malachite's **「** **QUEEN OF SPADES** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: C

Range: C

Durability: A

Precision: A

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Feminine, sleek, seemingly solid, think a foundation for a building with rebar and concrete. Worn down look, cracked concrete, rusty bars. The particles released by the radioactive decay is reminiscent of moldy concrete.

 _Ability:_ Anything the user touches will start radioactively decaying at a rate that is noticeable to the naked eye. Mutated particles can be seen flying off of it. Anything biologically alive that is hit by the particles will start to grow tumors, which go away when taken away from the radiation source. The user can also stabilize this decay, but cannot return an object back to its original form.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Queen of Spades" by Styx [Pop, Released 1978]

23\. Nicholas Arc's **「** **KING & LIONHEART** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: C

Range: D

Durability: C

Precision: A

Learning: B

 _Look:_ Humanoid Stand with fused armor reminiscent of the English Crusader warrior. On the side of its helmet are metallic prongs reminiscent of bunny ears. On the front of the helmet, there are double crescent moon symbols cut out for slits, revealing haunting blue eyes behind the helmet.

 _Ability:_ User can rip a hole in timespace through the action of opening something, allowing them access to alternate universes. Can bring out versions of themselves from their respective universes, allowing them to create an army of themselves to fight alongside the user. The root user cannot travel across dimensions, as they must always stay within the "root" universe. However, other individuals can travel through these portals.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "King and Lionheart" by Of Monsters and Men [Alternative Rock, Released 2013]

24\. JoJo's **「** **HERMIT PURPLE** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: D

Speed: C

Range: D

Durability: A

Precision: D

Learning: E

 _Look:_ Takes on the form of purple thorny vines wrapped around the user's body. When charged with Silver Eye powers, pale yellow/white electricity will course through and around the vines.

 _Ability:_ Gives the user the ability of divination, allowing them to discover information using TVs, cameras, or any medium that can be used to form an image. Can also transfer the power of the Silver Eyes through it, making them a deadly Grimm slayer.

 _Song Inspiration:_ None

25\. Ozpin's **「** **BLACK BEATLES** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: A

Precision: A

Learning: D

 _Look:_ Humanoid Stand wearing pale white armor similar to an Egyptian warrior. On its headband rests a gold rhino beetle/scarab. Running down its arms are raised yellow clock arrows pointing to gear symbols on its vambraces.

 _Ability:_ User can stop the passage of time completely, stopping even the user. Only the Stand and the user's consciousness through the eyes of the Stand will be able to act within stopped time. The time duration is up to four seconds.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd (feat. Gucci Mane) [Trap/Rap, Released 2016]

26\. Mercury Black's **「** **STARBOY** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: D

Speed: B

Range: C

Durability: C

Precision: D

Learning: E

 _Look:_ Masculine humanoid Stand wears a gray unitard with black accents, showing off a muscular physique. The full head mask it wears in comparison is blocky and robotic, comprising of dials and buttons that happen to form a face. The wings of the wingsuit is reminiscent of dusty cobwebs.

 _Ability:_ Can create strands of material similar to spider silk. Depending on the size of the target, the material can grow thicker, exponentially growing stronger. It affects the speed of which a target can move, allowing objects to speed up or slow down to a stop.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Starboy" by The Weeknd [Electro-Pop, Released 2016]

27\. Emerald Sustrai's **「** **ELASTIC HEART** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: E

Speed: A

Range: B

Durability: D

Precision: E

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Feminine humanoid Stand with a giant hole in the chest where the heart would normally be and her throat. Around those holes are white prongs spiraling outwards. Multi-pronged spirals dot its dark, shrunken, flaky body. It wears a sleek, tinted space helmet.

 _Ability:_ Acts as a near perfect white hole, where no one can enter their range ever. The sheer amount of energy pushing out from the center allows them to use the ability similar to a railgun, launching projectiles at ridiculous speeds. The duration of the white hole lasts for as long as she can exhale.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Elastic Heart" by Sia [Pop, Released 2013]

28\. Cinder Fall's **「** **DARK HORSE** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: B

Durability: D

Precision: A

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Dark gray feminine humanoid Stand with a wide-brimmed hat that's a mix of a fedora and a bycocket. Wears a full-body climbing harness over a form-fitting shirt reminiscent of a medieval doublet. Has a glassblower tube with an ever present glass bubble ready to be blown. The tube is held like a scepter until in use.

 _Ability:_ The user can transform any non-living object they touch into glass/a material equivalent to glass. They can then warp or put on certain properties based on what type of glass they want to have made.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Dark Horse" by Kidneythieves [Industrial, Released 2010]

29\. Salem's **「** **GLITTER AND GOLD** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: C

Durability: A

Precision: A

Learning: E

 _Look:_ Feminine humanoid Stand perfectly split down the middle. Right side has a light/white color palette, while the left side has a dark/black color palette that mirror each other. Has a heart crown w/ a snake sticking out in the front, dreadlocks. Pharaoh-esque outfit girded up for combat. Hands and neck are the opposite colors of their respective side.

 _Ability:_ Can combine two things into one. If they combine a soulless object with a being with a soul, they can imbue that object with a soul. If the user combines two souls, they merge to either form a new person or a person with two souls. Due to Salem's Grimm half being the Queen Grimm, every creature of Grimm is considered an extension of her body, allowing her to extend her range by transferring her Stand to a Grimm in sight.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Glitter  & Gold" by Barns Courtney [Rock, Released 2015]

30\. Ruby Rose's **「** **ROSE EMPRESS DELUCA** **」**

 _Stand Evaluation:_

Power: A

Speed: A

Range: A

Durability: B

Precision: A

Learning: C

 _Look:_ Similar to Red Like Roses, but with stronger glass accents, colored red and silver. Bit more black accents. Mask is off, showing a haunting silver-eyed look in its eyes. Has the hat Dark Horse used to have. Cape is noticeably shorter, and what's left always floats up.

 _Ability: _ Remains largely the same from its Red Like Roses counterpart. However, the Stand gains the ability to dissolve into white rose petals, which have Silver Eye energy imbued within to fight Grimm. The rose petals themselves can also become rigid and take on glass-like properties, allowing them to deal damage themselves or combine to form more efficient weaponry.

 _Song Inspiration:_ "Deluca" by Ruby Empress [Indie Pop, Released 2017]

* * *

 **Chapter Title Inspirations (Not Including Titles Named by Stands):**

Guns and Roses (band)

"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele [Pop, Released 2011]

"Down in the Mission" by Less Than Jake [Ska, Released 1994]

"Space Oddity" by David Bowie [Psychedelic Rock, Released 1969]

"Roses on a Breeze" by Bear's Den [Alternative Rock, Released 2016]

"Veiled in Gray" by Mystery Jets [Rock, Released 2008]

"Oh, Sister" by Bob Dylan [Folk Rock, Released 1976]

"Littlest Things" by Lily Allen [Pop, Released 2006]

"Is This to Be?" by Discharge [Pop, Released 1981]

"I'm a Slave 4 You" by Britney Spears [Electro-Pop, Released 2001]

"Warning Signs" by Boosie Badazz [Rap, Released 2016]

"Eclipse" by $uicideboy$ [Rap, Released 2016]

"Eastern Glow" by The Album Leaf [Ambient/Post-Rock, Released 2004]

"Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes [Pop, Released 2016]

"Kozmic Blues" by Janis Joplin [Rock, Released 1969]

"From the Inside" by Linkin Park [Nu-Metal/Alternative Rock, Released 2003]

"Secret Journey" by The Police [Rock, Released 1981]

"Escape Route" by Paramore [Rock, Released 2013]

"Rainbow in the Dark" by Dio [Rock, Released 1983]

"Dress Down" by Karuo Akimoto [Synthpop/J-Pop, Released 1983]

"Under Pressure" by Queen [Rock, Released 1981]

"Be Above It" by Tame Impala [Psychedelic Rock, Released 2012]

"Round the Bend" by Beck [Art Rock, Released 2002]

"Seeing Things" by Bizzy Bone [Rap, Released 2005]

"Waiting for the Snake" by Motörhead [Pop, Released 2010]

"Common People" by Pulp [Brit Pop/Synthpop/Rock, Released 1995]

"Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd [Country/Rock, Released 1973]

"Don't Speak" by No Doubt [Ska/Rock, Released 1996]

"Hurting Each Other" by Carpenters [Pop, Released 1972]

"Silver Springs" by Fleetwood Mac [Rock, Released 1976]

"Chandelier" by Sia [Electro-Pop, Released 2014]

"Dancing with the Devil" by Niki [R&B, Released 2018]

"The Great Escape" by P!nk [Rock, Released 2012]

"Close to You" by Carpenters [Soft Rock, Released 1970]

"Baby Blue" by Tor Miller [Pop, Released 2016]

Rose Royce (band)

"A Design for Life" by Manic Street Preachers [Rock, Released 1996]

"Skyfall" by Adele [Rock/Pop, Released 2012]

* * *

 **For Fun: Stand Names for Other Characters**

 **Rest of JNPR:**

Nora: Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train"

Pyrrha: The Carpenter's "Superstar"

Ren: Johnny Cash's "Wayfaring Stranger"

 **Rest of CFVY:**

Coco: The Archie's "Sugar Sugar"

Velvet: Kidneythieves's "Velveteen"

Yatsu: Gorillaz's "Demon Days"

 **Rest of CRDL:**

Cardin: Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang"

Dove: The Killer's "Mr. Brightside"

Lark: Falling in Reverse's "Sink or Swim"

 **Rest of NDGO:**

Nebula: Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black"

Dew: New Order's "Blue Monday"

Octavia: Mazzy Star's "Look on Down From the Bridge"

 **Rest of BRNZ:**

Brawnz: Kanye West's "Runaway"

Roy: Dick Dale's "Miserlou"

May: Nami Shimada's "Sun Shower"

 **Rest of ABRN:**

Bolin: Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina"

Reese: pLasterbrain's "Modal Shanghai"

Nadir: Thundercat's "Lava Lamp"

 **The Atlesian Huntsmen:**

Penny: Hideki Naganuma's "Concept of Love" (Love spelled 1043)

Neon: 50 Cent's "Candy Shop"

Flynt: Dave Brubeck's "Unsquare Dance"

 **Others:**

Ilia: Animal's "House of the Rising Sun"

Winter: The Band "Fleet Foxes"

Corsac: Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam"

Fennec: Eminem's "Killshot"


	60. Skyfall (Final Retrospective)

**The Final Retrospective**

* * *

 **The Glitter and Gold Sub-Arc to Finale**

The inspiration for Glitter and Gold is interesting. I actually started out with the song name first when I initially drafted the story, then sat around not knowing what the Stand ability should be. I think it was during Arc 2 when I finally got around to Jojolion. At the time, I was filling out later drafts of my story, which included Ozpin's BA. And as I was reading through Jojolion and coming up with Ozpin's Stand ability, I thought: why not have every Stand user sans Jojo reference a villain Stand ability in the series?

For those who noticed, Black Beatles is a stripped down The World, King & Lionheart is a more limited D4C. At the time, I wasn't caught up with Jojolion, and I thought the equivalent exchange ability fit as a big bad ability. So, Glitter & Gold took inspiration from equivalent exchange. Do note that I have since caught up to Jojolion, and I know now this is wrong. Still, origins are origins.

The Glitter and Gold sub-arc was a particularly hard section to write. One of the toughest ones to write since Free Bird. While its heavy content definitely played a role in my struggle with this sub-arc, another big part is simply me struggling to find the right words to say. The first part with Salem was relatively easy, but when it came to Glitter and Gold Part 2, it's difficult to express their mindsets to each other in a way that didn't feel contrived. Even knowing exactly where I wanted to go, I just didn't know how to go.

That's where I took inspiration from a surprising source: the FNDM conflict within itself. I sorta touched on it during my Monty retrospective on grief, but when I wrote Glitter and Gold Part 2, that was around late September/early October, which to me was the hardest part of the V5 hiatus. It was around the time when tensions broke out regarding criticism on RWBY and a lot of vitriol was shot around in the month leading up to V6. To say it was a mess is an understatement.

But as I was watching this all unfold and admittedly taking sides on the conflict, I thought about the rhetoric of both sides and tried delving into the base reasons of why each side was saying what they were saying. And I realized that was what I needed for the story. Rhetoric that was emotionally dripping, coming from a real place and born from drastically different circumstances. It needed to feel irreconcilable and bitter.

You can see how this FNDM war affected that chapter in how Cinder and Ruby talk. Two clashing goals, both aimed towards making life better but being unable to think through the other's side. Friends trading ugly blows because they can't reconcile each other's ideas. This idea of abandoning a mistake-ridden world. The hopes that what's there can still succeed in spite of past mistakes. Choices that burned people and made them hate the thing they used to love. Trust that good people can pull the direction of the world into a better path. These aren't new ideas to this story that I made up on the spot. This was the general plot direction I was taking the story regardless. But the FNDM war gave me the tone I needed to convey this right, and I was glad it was well-received.

Rose Empress Deluca was more of a winning lap more than anything else, inspired by Part 5's ending. I won't spoil Part 5 here, but I've always considered the second Ruby vs Cinder fight to be the emotional climax to the story. The second half of the Salem fight, while doing more to wrap things up in a thrilling bow than Part 5, is similar in how it followed through with its theme to bring the conflict to a proper end. Contrary to what a lot of people say about the Part 5 ending, I actually liked it because of its thematic choice. It's not as cathartic as people might want it to be, but that was never the point in my opinion. It brought its theme to its natural conclusion in spite of the abandoned catharsis, and I wanted to emulate that.

Finally, the last chapter. There's something engaging about the kinds of endings where the world itself is not particularly in a better place, but the characters are in a better position to face it. I feel it's a thing we are believing in more. I'm just 20, but I'm already surprised by the drive and initiative of my generation. The young adults are becoming more civilly active and socially responsible, the teenagers of today are fighting to escape the nightmare that is global warming. I think it's great we're believing in our power, and I will push with the rest for that better future for all.

One thing I want to mention is Ruby's condition in the last chapter. That alive, but heavily damaged state takes inspiration from my late grandfather, who passed away maybe a week after I posted my retrospective on grief. He was a soldier in the Vietnam War, who lost parts of his hand and was permanently crippled in the hopes of protecting his family in Vietnam. When Saigon fell, he did everything he could to get them all to America. He lived to see great-grandchildren, to see four generations of his family not only survive, but flourish due to his actions. I don't like having heroes in my life, but he is definitely up there in people I respect deeply. That kind of person is the person I strive to be, and what I allowed Ruby to embody.

So before I get into my overall thoughts on writing RWBY BA, I want to acknowledge my grandfather. Rest in peace, Joachim. Your sacrifices have paid off. Your spirit lives with us all, and we'll push forward with that in our hands.

* * *

 **RWBY BA, Two Years Later**

Now that I'm done with the story, I think it's important to look back at the decisions I've made in the past and try to be honest with how I feel about them now. Starting out, the choice to write with multiple first-person perspectives within a chapter. That has always been an intentional choice. I knew for a fact that I wanted to have Ruby connected to every Stand user since the very beginning, although I'll admit that the Salem angle didn't come about until I properly drafted her out. Looking back on the decision now, I don't regret it one bit. It was fun to write, it kept the story moving, it fueled the story twists well. While this kind of perspective is jarring and likely pushed away a ton of people, I think it was for the better.

Overall, I don't really have any big issues with how I handled the story. I'd only change two things in the whole story: I'd cut the first ten chapters in half and I'd clarify the Ozpin red herring in the Feel Good Inc. sub-arc.

For my first change, it comes down to me getting better at pacing the story and realizing that in comparison, the first ten chapters are slow to read through. I'd attribute that to the fact that everyone's still figuring out Stands and that the first "battle" (Ruby vs Jaune skirmish) doesn't come until Chapter 6, and the first real fight (Ruby vs Nolan) doesn't happen until Chapter 9. While I personally enjoyed that slow-burn style two years ago and I still do to a degree, I feel I can heavily condense those first ten chapters to match the pace of the rest of the story.

As for the Ozpin red herring, I wanted to create a sense of intrigue in what is Ozpin's Stand ability. Ultimately, it confused people more than it should. Adding a post-fight summon or adding more information in general's my likely change.

say something about the Blake Ninjas of Love

With my general thoughts out of the way, let me list out some of my general list of favorites in this fic and why:

 _ **Favorite Stand fight:**_ still Cornerstone and Chaining Day. To this day it's what I consider to be my best character study on solid villains, it's an engaging Stand fight to write, the synergy between Neo and Roman is so compelling, the entire fight was a creative hurricane. It's an early favorite of mine, and it's still going strong to this day. Honestly can't get better than this.

 _ **Favorite chapter:**_ Eastern Glow. It is one of the most varied chapters to write, with an excerpt from Blake's "Ninja's of Love," solid banter within team RWBY, the Tukson moment, Yang's sneaky sneaks, Jaune learning bit by bit about the history of the Arrow, the introduction to Gwen, and the best Nolan BA chapter IMO. I enjoyed crafting this chapter, every single facet of it.

 _ **Favorite Stand(s):**_ Teriyaki Boyz. I know, I've barely utilized Fox or his Stand in the story. I still love the idea of a Stand that works in perfect synergy with the user. I'm a big fan of the N'Doul/Geb fight, aka "the Stardust fight with the blind dude," and Teriyaki Boyz fills that hole that N'Doul left... at least in my head. Honestly, I have a few ideas for Stand fights against Fox that I've never used, which probably explains my unusual fondness for this Stand.

But for those who consider my rationale cheating, my next favorite Stand is Bom Bitty Bom. The described look is just iconic, even without an actual image reference. Yeah, I didn't come up with the ability myself, but it's just so cool imagining an unstable Crazy Diamond. I also like the overall synergy of Bom Bitty Bom with Queen of Spades.

 _ **Favorite character(s):** _ Deery/Bori, followed by Gwen. Gwen is obvious. She just has a level of spunk that draws attention, and with a solid Stand to boot. But I relate way more heavily to Deery/Bori. An intelligent woman frustrated with the direction of the world and how it's affecting her family, driven to a radical point of view in the hopes that it can make life just a little better - that feels real to me. And Bori, she's just a precious nervous cinnamon roll. I genuinely felt bad for putting her through what she's been through. No other character reached the same height of "oh man, I hate I have to do this" than Bori, with the only close contender being the Cupid. Speaking of which...

 _ **Favorite sub-arc:**_ The Warflower sub-arc, which I include Free Bird in. Starts out strong with the Cupid fight, then just escalates with Adam vs Blake, Yang getting a Stand, and the Adam vs Yang fight. It was a roller coaster of emotions writing this arc, and I felt it was the strongest sub-arc in the story, even more than Ruby vs. Cinder I feel.

 _ **Favorite Jojo-esque moment:**_ comparing lockpicking to fingering a girl. I've never been that satisfied with my weird Jojo moments, but this one was one I'm still proud of.

 _ **Favorite Side BA:**_ Ozpin's BA. The Great War is an interesting setting to write in, I loved all the little moments with Ozpin's group, the tragedy that unfolds was just... wow. Reading through it again, I'm surprised I wrote that. But it's still a solid favorite of mine.

* * *

 **Final Wrapup**

So what am I doing now that RWBY BA is done? Well, currently I've been working on a ton of OG short-stories, trying to get published in my college journal. At the same time, I've been reworking the outline for Fast 8, drafting up outlines for new fanfic ideas, writing up and editing pilot chapters of said new ideas, working on worldbuilding an original story. There's nothing concrete right now, so I can't promise anything. It's a lot of exploring and experimenting, not really getting anything out in regards to fanfiction. Then again, that was RWBY BA for most of 2016, back when I was working on the OC story. So who knows? If I do come back, you'll be sure that it'll be completed beginning to end.

So until next time, farewell everyone! And thank you for joining me on this bizarre adventure!


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